The theme of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Series is “Golf, but stronger”.
Money talks, strong enough for Dustin Johnson to get an offer he can’t ignore, Brooks Kobaca to make a face in a week, and referee Perez smiling after a shootout in the 80s.
Inflated signing fees from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund have long drawn criticism. Now another layer of hype is starting to appear, mainly because some of these players have decided to take the money and put it where their mouths are.
Taylor Gogh paid more attention to his notes than anything he did on the golf course. For those unfamiliar with Goethe, he won his first PGA Tour title this weekend in the 2021 Finals against a stadium with none of the world’s top 10. He played seven majors in his eight years as a professional.
Asked at the first LIV event outside London whether it was fair to accept criticism for contributing to the “sports wash”, Goch replied: “I’m a golfer. I’m not that smart.
Then he proved it last week at Bamkin Ridge when his team (4 aces) won seven bullets and paid each member $750,000. Goch was asked if he could feel the energy of the crowd.
“I haven’t played in the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup, but I can’t imagine there’s much difference,” Gooch said. “It was just as amazing as it happened.”
Beautiful as always, no doubt.
The comment was ludicrous, even by Gogh’s standards. This was the player who posted a GIF of “You Are Invited” as the PGA Tour responded to LIV’s announcement of changes to its schedule designed for bigger players’ wallets.
The new league is undoubtedly a mess, and it’s not all bad.
The changes announced two weeks ago will make the PGA Tour thinner and better without losing the ideal that “better play” still dominates today. They return to the calendar year (January to August) with an off-season that offers something for everyone, or nothing if someone wants a clean break.
The money will always grow with the new media rights deal, and now more money is going to players who have gotten the media to invest in golf.
But this turmoil also draws a line between those who want to be rich and those who want to be stars, and they are not necessarily related. There is increasing hostility on the part of those who want the former to be more transparent.
“I understand they’re fed up with everything to say and all that stuff, but for them to say it’s all for the best in the game… To be honest, I wish someone would say I’m doing it for the money,” said PGA champion Justin Thomas on the No Laying Up podcast. “I personally would have had a lot more respect for that.
“But it’s like the players keep talking and saying it’s for the best in the game, so I’m annoyed and annoyed even more than that.”
It has nothing to do with 54 pups being more exciting than 72. It has nothing to do with playing for a team. It has nothing to do with playing less. Otherwise, those who entered would not need a tour.
Patrick Reed said goodbye to the PGA Tour and said he never listened to the players. Talks about the appeal of LIV Golf to spend more time with his family by having fewer opportunities to play. By the end of the week, he was trying to figure out how to add the Scottish Open to his schedule.
Wasn’t the idea to play less?
Reid plays about 30 times a year and leaves the role of his choice. Being an independent contractor isn’t about making your own rules, it’s about making your own schedule (which Sarid can no longer do as an LIV employee). He did not have to play five times after last year’s Column Championship. He does not have to be a member of the European Tour.
The sounds of some of the actors create an “us vs. them” mentality, the kind of disruptive environment that serves no one.
Fred Capless was particularly candid in an interview with Golf.com last week when he referred to Perez as a “grain of sand” on the PGA Tour. Get personal with Phil Mickelson, an old friend. At least it was once.
“Those guys – you saw their interviews, right?” Men said. “Have you ever seen an elephant that looked so stupid in its life? They know it’s a joke.” As he said of Mickelson, “I don’t think I’ll ever talk to him again.”
Another advent is to bring lawyers into the mix.
Ian Poulter was among three European players granted temporary stay by a British umpire who were allowed to play in the Scottish Open, although the trip stopped them for playing in the LIV event without permission.
It appears that filing a lawsuit against the PGA Tour is only a matter of time. It may not be appropriate for trustees to share space within the queues with players who are already suing them.
“I think it’s just one of those things that maybe if I ever passed that person and said ‘hello’ or asked how they were, I probably wouldn’t do it again,” Thomas said.