Bamberger: "If Mickelson really wants to affect change..."

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Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger assessed Phil Mickelson’s attack of the PGA Tour and majors making money off the player backs and suggests Lefty’s never talked better but also may be going about this the wrong way. In making his point, Bamberger also inadvertently hinted at another potential problem Mickelson created for himself.

The fellas playing MLB, in the NFL and in the NBA, have an appealing level of individuality, but they are union workers playing team sports. They have, really, a completely different mentality.

If Mickelson really wants to affect change the most effective thing he could do is get 150 or so Tour players to stage a sit-down strike on the eve of, say, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Then get that group to agree on media rights, purse distribution, governance structure and a million other things.

Good luck with that.

There has been some talk about Phil getting Tony Romo money to talk golf on TV. He’d be good at that, but it would bore him. It’s easier to imagine him as the commissioner of a golf league. Which one is hard to say just now.

Except that with his latest “obnoxious greed” charge leveled at the Tour and indirectly at The Masters, Mickelson all but ruled himself out of a TV job unless it’s covering Saudi Golf League events. I’m not sure he’s ever really wanted to take on such a job, and the tone of his recent remarks all but rules out CBS or NBC who were already unlikely to pay NFL money to analyze for a much smaller audience.

Winners And Losers: The Clash With The Clambake

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A predictably awkward week from the Monterey Peninsula to the Red Sea claims its share of victims. I kind of rank them from least harmed to most harmed, ish.

What would Der Bingle say about all of this. But hey, at least CBS had some stellar production values and Spieth made it interesting.

DeChambeau Denies He Was Offered £100 Million, WD’s From Saudi Event

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Given the end of his newsboy cap tribute to Payne Stewart and his choice of golf tournament this week while the PGA Tour plays not too far from his childhood home, there have been suggestions DeChambeau consider updating his logo.

DeChambeau subsequently WD’d after his round one 73. Tournament officials said he’s dealing with the same wrist and hip injuries that caused his WD from the Sony Open and missed cut at the Farmers. That’s no way to show you’re worth £100 million.

Early Reviews Are In And Phil's Obnoxious Greed Comments Going Over Like You'd Expect

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Phil Mickelson’s “obnoxious greed” claims have not gone over well in a variety of ways, namely that he’s in Saudi Arabia collecting a hefty appearance fee from some pretty shady characters.

His comments were posted on Golf Digest’s Instagram account and earned this reply from Brooks Koepka:
DK if I’d be using the word greedy if I’m Phil…🤔”

The Daily Mail offered this headline to Derek Lawrenson’s story, which ran for some time on its home sports page.

After his opening 67 in the PIFSIPSIA, Mickelson was sort of asked about his comments to Golf Digest.

Q. There's a lot of buzz this week; is the sport itself the true nature, the competition, something to lose, to gain?

PHIL MICKELSON: You know, there's a lot of complexities that are working themselves out right now in the sport of golf. Because of some opportunities that create leverage for the players, we have a chance to get in a more equitable position with other major sports.

We're so far behind because we don't have player representation like the players Association and the collective bargaining and all those things, and we have such differing views, and for the first time in my 30 years there's some leverage. I don't know where we're headed, to answer your question. I don't know, because there's so many different parts that need to be addressed.

I think in the end, all the things are going to be very positive, but there's a lot going on, which is a good thing.

Oh, just tremendously good.

Mickelson: Tour's "Obnoxious greed that has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere."

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Phil Mickelson unleashed a torrent of criticisms at the PGA Tour from the Saudi International. (I covered the major championship-related claims at The Quad.)

After a fairly benign press conference session, Mickelson told GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan that he’s been forced to consider various business opportunities because of the Tour’s “obnoxious greed.”

The us vs. them stance, even though players appear to have more control and influence over the PGA Tour’s operation, may not resonate very well with fans. Mickelson is aware of this danger but forged ahead with some incendiary comments.

“It’s not public knowledge, all that goes on,” Mickelson said. “But the players don’t have access to their own media. If the tour wanted to end any threat [from Saudi or anywhere else], they could just hand back the media rights to the players. But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control. Or give up access to the $50-plus million they make every year on their own media channel.

“There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest,” he continued. “For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

Two parts to this stand out. The rights to “my shots” would seem motivated by a desire to cash in on NFT’s. More concerning is the claim of personally paying $1 million each time he’s played The Match and the “beyond obnoxious” green of the Tour.

I reached out to the PGA Tour and will add any comment they might have on Mickelson’s claim.

It is well known that the organizers of such silly season events pay a fee to cover everything that comes with official Tour sanctioning of the event and support services like rules, scoring and promotion.

Mickelson also used an odd example with Huggan to support his case: the famous 2010 Masters shot off the pine needles.

There are other examples of what Mickelson clearly sees as golf’s equivalent of “intellectual property.” During the 2010 Masters, he famously hit a shot from the pine straw to the 13th green at Augusta National. Later, someone wanted to use seven seconds of that clip. They had to pay $30,000 per second every time it aired. The total cost was $3.5 million, which was three times what Mickelson earned for winning the tournament. (Editor's Note: Although the Masters counts as an official PGA Tour event, the event and its media are not owned by the PGA Tour.)

While that’s a hefty sum, it’s also a dubious claim to suggest this is part of his beef with the PGA Tour and undercuts any case he might have.

One of the more interesting points made to Huggan relates to the bizarre refusal of players to wear microphones and provide inside-the-ropes access. Mickelson claims there may be a business reason.

“Why hasn’t golf had cameras and microphones on players and caddies?” he asked. “Because the player would not benefit, only the tour [so players resist wearing them]. Take this Netflix project that is underway. None of the players are getting paid. But the tour is getting paid a lot of money. As is Augusta National. As is the USGA. But if the players had their own channel, maybe they put up their own content and we start to see golf presented a bit more intimately.

“If I had access to my own channel and access to my own media, I would have a camera and microphone on my hat,” he went on. “And on my [caddie] brother’s hat. And on my golf bag with a 360 view. And I would bring the viewers in. They would see and hear what is going on. But none of that happens [currently] because why would any player do that? To make more millions for the tour? They already make enough. The tour only understands leverage. And now the players are getting some of that. So things are changing and will continue to change. I just hope the leverage doesn’t go away. If it does, we’ll be back to the status quo.”

The “leverage” would be the Saudis who have no business model. As for fans? Hard to say how many would feel for his plight. It sounds like Mickelson isn’t worried what they think. For a fan favorite who has cashed in on his likability, that’s a risky game to play.

PGA Tour and Trackman Expanding "Use of club and ball tracking and tracer technology" for nearly every shot to help enrich the fan experience

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I don’t have much to add until we see how this plays out, but you know the old saying: you can never have too much tracer on a golf broadcast. By most accounts, Trackman remains by far the best and most accurate of the launch monitors, so kudos to the PGA Tour for pushing this technology and hopefully making the fan viewing experience even better.

The most exciting potential revealed may be in the second to last paragraph, with the announcement of a mobile system to catch more shots from the fairway. Or, perhaps, the trees when a player has to shape a shot and viewers theoretically get to see the bend of the ball traced.

Overall, this means more data, better tracer coverage and more of it on PGA Tour Live coverage. How much is adopted by the networks using the Tour feed remains to be seen.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR selects TrackMan™ tracking and tracing solution beginning in 2022

TOUR events to see expanded use of club and ball tracking and tracer technology 

for nearly every shot to help enrich the fan experience

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR and TrackMan announced today they are expanding golf’s most advanced club and ball tracking and tracing solution. By combining TrackMan’s cutting-edge Doppler Radar and club and ball tracking technology, TOUR events will have tracing capabilities for every golf shot hit during the season. This will significantly enhance how fans experience the world’s best golfers by providing more detail for television, OTT and digital platforms.                                                                     

This agreement will double previous ball-in-motion tracing capabilities on the golf course, allowing nearly every shot to be traced and automatically shared with television and OTT partners and across TOUR digital platforms such as PGATOUR.COM and the PGA TOUR app. The arrangement with TrackMan begins in 2022 for PGA TOUR LIVE and TOUR digital platforms, while the domestic television partner agreement begins in 2023. This expansion will immediately offer fan enhancements such as the visualization of ball flight paths for shots inbound to the green in TOURCast.

“We’re excited to increase the volume and depth of tracking and tracing for every shot on the PGA TOUR,” said Ken Lovell, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President Golf Technologies. “TrackMan’s sensors will substantially increase content available for analysis and initiate the development of new insights, while creating the opportunity for us to develop innovative visualizations for fans to view all the incredible shots on TOUR.”

Fans will see more information beginning in 2022 on how and why the ball moves and arrives at a certain position. This is achieved by using TrackMan technology to capture club speed, ball speed, curve, landing spin, launch angle, spin rate, spin axis, apex, carry and more. The advanced aerodynamic models can also determine the effects of wind, weather, and altitude on a shot so that fans can understand how a shot was impacted by environmental factors.

In addition to doubling the collection of radar and tracing information, the new system will substantially increase the range and sensitivity of the content that will now be layered with video for use on any TOUR media platform. 

Klaus Eldrup-Jorgensen, co-founder and CEO of TrackMan, commented “We have been working closely with the PGA TOUR for more than 15 years, to accurately measure and report data on club delivery, ball launch, ball flight, and tracers for the best players in the world. We are proud to be chosen to implement our new solutions with the PGA TOUR, which will ultimately include all shots for all players. The future of golf will be told in new and innovative ways, the fan experience will elevate to a new level, and the stories about how good these guys play is just beginning.”

The club and ball tracking and tracing solution has become a valuable element to “ShotLink powered by CDW,” the TOUR’s real-time data collection and scoring system. As the TOUR and CDW continue to innovate the acclaimed scoring system that has benefited tournaments, broadcast partners, players and fans in countless ways over the years, the TrackMan system contributes to the automated data collection efforts by allowing ShotLink to auto-trigger on shots without input from a person. 

The new technology being deployed expands tracking capabilities from tee boxes only to shots hit from the fairway and around the green, where the system determines the exact 3D position of the ball at any point in its flight. The TrackMan technology has the ability to lock onto a ball that starts behind the trees and only becomes visible to the radar halfway through its flight. It’s able to accurately track balls up to 400 yards in any conditions; rain, fog, sunrise, and sunset. 

For a typical TOUR event, around 40 units are placed around the course to track shots with advanced radar and camera units on tee boxes and greens to capture final resting position. 

TrackMan also recently developed a mobile system that will be used for the capture of radar and tracing information from the fairway and will automatically integrate into TOUR media platforms, which is aided by AWS, the TOUR’s Official Cloud Provider. There are no cables or connections with the mobile system, which adds very little weight for the operator. The TOUR is testing the mobile system for expanded future use on PGA TOUR Champions, the Korn Ferry Tour and in other executions.

The club and ball tracking and tracing system will utilize AWS Fargate, Media Services, and numerous other AWS products to process and deliver radar and tracing on every shot in nearly real-time. The full suite of AWS products will allow TrackMan to reduce their onsite footprint and allow fast and easy access to the devices and information from anywhere around the world.

Writers: Morikawa, Korda, Mickelson 2021 Players Of The Year

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Full disclosure, I voted the Male Player of the Year was the the toughest category given the similarity in years between Morikawa and Rahm. But over the calendar year he had a slight edge if you ignored the Memorial mess. Previously, PGA Tour players voted Patrick Cantlay their Player of the Year and the PGA of America’s point system gave Jon Rahm the 2020-21 player of the year.

For Immediate Release:

MORIKAWA, KORDA, MICKELSON VOTED GWAA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

HOUSTON (January 27, 2022) -- Collin Morikawa, Nelly Korda and Phil Mickelson have been named respective winners of the 2021 player of the year awards by the Golf Writers Association of America.

Morikawa, who turns 25 on Feb. 6, was voted Male Player of the Year for the first time. Korda, 23, earned Female Player of the Year honors for the first time. Mickelson, 51, who has never won the GWAA’s Male Player of the Year award, was voted Senior Player of the Year for the first time.

Morikawa, ranked second in the Official World Golf Ranking to Spain’s Jon Rahm, received 48 percent of the vote to 37 percent for runner-up Rahm.

Morikawa won twice in a sensational 2021 season, highlighted by his victory in the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, where he shot 67-64-68-66 and edged runner-up Jordan Spieth by two shots. He also won the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession.

Morikawa tied for fourth at the U.S. Open, tied for eighth as defending champion at the PGA Championship and tied for fourth at the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition in Japan. He led the PGA Tour in greens in regulation (79.17%) and capped the season by going 3-0-1 in the Ryder Cup, helping the U.S. to a resounding 19-9 victory over Team Europe at Whistling Straits.

“It is an incredible honor to be named by the Golf Writers Association of America as their Male Player of the Year for 2021,” Morikawa said. “I have a deep appreciation for the journalists dedicated to promoting our great game, and to be recognized amongst the names of past winners is humbling.”

Korda won four times on the LPGA Tour and added six more top-10 finishes. Her victories came in the Pelican Women’s Championship, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Meijer LPGA Classic and the Gainbridge LPGA.

In August, she struck gold in Japan, winning the Olympic Women’s Golf Competition. She also was a member of the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Korda received 72% of the GWAA vote.

"It is a huge honor and privilege to be voted Female Player of the Year,’’ Korda said.  “I am extremely grateful to be the recipient of this year's award alongside all the other incredible past honorees. Thank you to the entire team at the Golf Writers Associate of America.  It truly means a lot to me to receive this recognition and it will be something I will forever cherish." 

Mickelson made the most of just six starts on the PGA Tour Champions in the 2020-’21 wraparound season, winning four times. He won the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National, the Dominion Energy Charity Classic and the Constellation Furyk & Friends and capped his season by winning the Schwab Cup Championship.

And, of course, he won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island to become the oldest-ever major champion. He received 59 percent of the vote.

“I’m very appreciative of that honor,” Mickelson said of his Senior Player of the Year Award. “I had a really fun time playing some Champions tour events and last year was a really special year, obviously winning the PGA Championship and playing and competing in the Champions tour events, and having success was really special. Being able to spend time with so many guys that I grew up playing with, I’m just honored.”

American Express To Keep The Desert Tradition Going Through 2028

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Larry Bohannan reports the stellar news for what was once a staple of the PGA Tour schedule which has seen a revolving door of sponsors and hosts. But armed with a blue chip sponsor, The American Express is enjoying its strongest field in years.

The story says Phil Mickelson’s foundation will continue to benefit from tournament proceeds through 2024, but there is no mention of Mickelson’s role as host (announced in 2019) and he did not give a pre-tournament press conference.

American Express Extends Sponsorship of The American Express through 2028

Title Sponsor, American Express, helps TOUR continue sixty-two-year tradition in the Coachella Valley  

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA — The PGA TOUR today announced American Express will continue its role as title sponsor of The American Express in La Quinta, California, through 2028. The annual tournament, which features a unique pro-am format, takes place January 20-23 at PGA WEST Stadium, PGA WEST Nicklaus and La Quinta Country Club.

“Giving back to the community while celebrating the passions of our customers is at the center of what we do at American Express,” said Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express. “We’ve seen the positive impact this tournament has on golf fans and the local community in the Coachella Valley. We’re honored to continue this legacy by extending our role as title sponsor and growing the total charitable funds raised to support so many outstanding local organizations focused on helping small businesses, the health and wellness of the community, youth sports, education and more.”

Since its introduction in 1960, the tournament has generated approximately $63 million for numerous non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley that enrich the lives of Valley residents. In just two short years, The American Express has since donated $2.1 million to Coachella Valley-based charity organizations and looks forward to continuing to make a significant impact within the local community for years to come.

“Extending our partnership with American Express secures the future of PGA TOUR golf and its impact in the Coachella Valley for years to come,” said Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR Commissioner. “In the past two years alone, American Express has helped produce tremendous growth and awareness for this historic event, offering up a great field and a first-rate tournament experience. All this while generating significant charitable impact in the region.”

World No. 1 ranked player Jon Rahm, FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay and Phil Mickelson, a 45-time PGA TOUR winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member headline The American Express field. Si Woo Kim of South Korea, winner of The American Express last year by one stroke over eventual FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, returns in 2022 to defend his title. All four rounds throughout the weekend will be carried live on Golf Channel and streamed on ESPN+.

Today In Golf's Drive To Survive: Players Will Not Be Paid And Irish Times Columnist Asks If The Netflix People Have Ever Met A PGA Tour Golfer

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While we’re a year away from the as yet-unnamed Netflix show tracking the lives of PGA Tour golfers, a few notes, observations and a dissenting view from Ireland:

  • The millennial jubilation over this show’s potential appears based in large part on a key detail from Dylan Dethier’s Golf.com story: a lack of PGA Tour editorial control. Which does make one wonder if there has been any Global Home introspection over just how much joy this gave the only demographic they care about until Gen Z is about to become the obsession?

  • Last week as the names agreeing to appear in the PGA Tour’s Netflix were promoted heavily, I Tweeted that World No. 1 amateur Keita Nakajima’s participation must mean he’s taking advantage of looser USGA/R&A amateur status rules. The answer is no. I heard from a few people directly associated with the project that no player, as far as they know, is going to be compensated for their participation. (Rickie Fowler’s production company is involved so presumably he will see financial reward for his participation.) Given Netflix’s annual spend on content creation—$17 billion in 2021—it’s a bit surprising there nothing, you know, for the effort.

  • Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times penned a column wondering if the folks at Netflix have “ever met a PGA Tour golfer”, his very nice way of suggesting the sport doesn’t lend itself to producing charisma. A much more diplomatic case is made than say, Walter Simpson’s belief that the more “fatuously vacant the mind is, the better for play. It has been observed that absolute idiots play the steadiest.”

When you’re up close to golfers going about their business, you realise they are exactly as dull as you think they are. That’s not to denigrate them, it’s just the nature of the game. The whole point of golf is to be calm, to expunge all exterior thought, to glide through your round with a plain visage and head that is empty of everything that doesn’t apply to the next shot. Dustin Johnson has earned close $100m in prize money. Now you know how.

Dull and staid is the Valhalla of golf. The very thing that attracts millions of us to the game is the chance to be still, to be at peace, to be at a remove from the ever-going world.

Today In Sportwashing: Bryson Speaks, Andy Murray Says No Way And WSJ's Tough Take On Saudi Arabia

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As a sizable herd prepares to descend on Saudi Arabia in a few weeks to cash in and talk league golf with Greg Norman’s pals, there are signs that the Crown Prince’s act is wearing then. Except with autocrat-tolerating pro golfers.

While the potential damage to sportwashing may make those at the Global Home feel better about the likelihood of Saudis failing at disruption, the damage done to the “product” may be just as painful.

Last week Bryson DeChambeau, who has been blowing off press sessions even when he’s endorsed by the tournament sponsor, gladly talked about the Public Investment Fund Saudi International Powered by Softbank Investment Advisers (PIFSIPSIA).

It’s amazing what happens when the fees are paid by folks linked to murder instead of mortgages! From Steve DiMeglio’s item at Golfweek:

“So, not a politician, first off,” he said Thursday in a video conference with the media ahead of next month’s tournament in the Middle East. “I’m a golfer, first and foremost, and I want to play where the best golfers in the world are going to play. And that is the end of the story for me.”

It was the only time DeChambeau was curt and agitated during a 30-minute Zoom call with the media ahead of the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

This was in sharp contrast to tennis’ Andy Murray who has told his agent he won’t take the Saudi money even after lucrative offers.

“He’s turned down stuff in Saudi and I don’t think he would play there just because of what’s gone on,” the Scotsman's agent, Matt Gentry, was quoted as saying in The Independent.

“If he feels strongly about something regardless, he’s at the stage where he will happily call it out and he will have that debate with people. I don’t think he’s scared to voice his opinion on it.”

That sounds like, what, one golfer? Rory. Anyone else?

And finally, the Wall Street Journal dropped a devastating piece on Saudi Arabia’s pitiful business culture. Even with all of the Public Investment Fund investment in major American companies and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s desire to create Western business friendliness, the murder-orderer can’t resist his dark passenger. While former president Donald Trump seemed cool with this, it sounds like most in business are cooling to the Crown Prince.

From Stephen Kalen and Justin Schenk’s WSJ story that leads by saying the “business environment has grown more hostile and investors are souring on the oil-rich kingdom.” The numbers would agree:

Foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia was $5.4 billion in 2020, less than half the level of a decade ago and well below the $19 billion that the country had targeted. It was on track to top $6 billion in 2021 based on data through the third quarter. That excludes the $12.4 billion sale of a stake in a Saudi pipeline company to foreign investors.

It seems inefficient autocracies are not conducive to business or human rights.

Prince Mohammed failed to change many of the old deterrents to investment. Then Saudi Arabia added new ones.

The country tried to address a cash crunch by levying retroactive taxes on dozens of large foreign firms. In the past year-and-a-half, companies including Uber, its regional subsidiary Careem, and GE have faced huge tax liabilities and sometimes additional fines when their appeals were rejected.

Tax authorities offered the companies little recourse, prompting the State Department late last year to appeal unsuccessfully to the Saudi government for relief.

Golfers and team members of the world headed to collect checks, cover your eyes:

Investors are also increasingly concerned about their physical safety. While most of the people arrested in Prince Mohammed’s crackdowns on criticism or alleged corruption have been Saudis, some have been foreigners. One foreign businessman said he was detained and tortured after saying publicly that some business laws were unfair.

Another, an American, recently authorized the State Department to disclose relevant information to the media should the person be detained in Saudi Arabia. A second American, seeking to expand his Ohio-based nursing-home operation, was detained on arrival last year in a cramped airport holding cell for three days and deported without explanation.

But never forget: women can eat in restaurants.

Bryson On Why He Passed On The Netflix Opportunity

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Promoting the upcoming PIFSIPSIA in Saudi Arabia, Bryson DeChambeau explained why he passed on participating on the Netflix docuseries expected next year.

I thought the answer was interesting in the assertion that the deal was not “very well for my side of it,” meaning there was no money and besides having his own YouTube channel with occasional behind-the-scenes looks, this regarding his peers. From GolfChannel.com’s Ryan Lavner:

As for those players who are slated to appear (a full list can be found here), DeChambeau said, “There’s a lot of great people on there. If I was to go on there, yeah, it would be cool to see, but I feel like there’s a lot more interesting stories. You’ve got Harry Higgs. You’ve got numerous others. I don’t want to take the light away from them for their potential to grow themselves in a manner that’s unique to them. They have the opportunity to grow a lot more than I do in that regard.”

Player Commitments, Timeline And Major Buy-In For PGA Tour's Netflix Entry

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Dylan Dethier of Golf.com had the most details on Wednesday’s news surrounding golf’s Drive To Success clone green lit by Netflix.

While it’ll get the PGA Tour headlines, production has barely begun. So as I noted in The Quadrilateral, there are several surprises, including the buy-in from the Five Families. Or that so many players committed and so much information is being shared with so little “in the can”.

Dethier said the first interviews just occurred and we probably can’t expect the docuseries for a year. And there was this on editorial control:

“We do not have editorial control,” a Tour spokesperson said. “We will be involved to the extent that Netflix and the producers have the access they need to film at our events. We want them to make a great show, and we all agree the documentary needs to be as authentic as possible.”

The enthusiasm of Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been crucial in getting to this point. People familiar with the process were impressed with his open-mindedness and that he became a crucial voice in bringing the project to market.

“Everything that I’ve experienced so far is that the Tour is fully invested in making the realest possible reality,” said one source close to negotiations.

Open-mindedness=ok with F bombs as long as they’re on Netflix.

Again, it’s a long ways off…

While both Netflix and the Tour declined to comment on an official release date, filming will continue through the end of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, wrapping with the Tour Championship at the end of August. Following the model of Drive to Survive, the show’s first episodes will likely be released as hype builds for the following Tour season in early 2023. In other words, golf fans may not see any of this footage for another year. They’ll hope the show is worth waiting for.

Players committed to the project as Tweeted by the Tour:

"Take note of the PGA golfers who play in Saudi Arabia. They’re accepting blood money."

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The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga takes pro golfers to task for taking Saudi Arabia’s money at the PIFSIFSIA/Bonesaw/Saudi Golf League group get together next month. Full disclosure: Svrluga’s former colleague at the Post, Jamal Khashoggi, was lured to his death and reportedly sliced into pieces and disposed of by a squad working for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At least in the CIA’s assessment.

Thanks to all who shared this and who wondered if the players will see it—or care—but this about LIV Golf Investments’ Greg Norman and the Public Investment Fund will put Svrluga on the Shark’s bad list:

Here’s Norman, in a November interview with Golf Digest within days of his announcement, immediately trying to distance the PIF from the brutalities inflicted by bin Salman.

“[The PIF is] obviously a commercial operation,” Norman said. “They’re very autonomous. They make investment decisions all around the world. They’ve invested in major U.S. corporations because of commercial reasons. They invested in LIV Golf Investments for a commercial opportunity. They’re passionate about the game of golf.”

He’s a self-serving snake-oil salesman but worse. Don’t trust him.

No TJ Maxx-bound Shark shirts for Barry!

Regarding Khashoggi, Svrluga writes:

Khashoggi was a thoughtful and relentless critic of bin Salman and the Saudi government. In October 2018, Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his impending marriage. He was murdered and most likely dismembered. His body has never been returned to his family. The CIA concluded that bin Salman ordered the killing.

That murder should hang over the field at the Saudi International. As should the senseless war in Yemen, which the United Nations estimated had caused 377,000 deaths by the end of 2021. As should the hit squad bin Salman allegedly sent to Canada for the attempted murder of a former Saudi intelligence official. As should the fact that, according to Human Rights Watch, prominent women’s rights advocates have remained in Saudi jails since 2018 merely for their advocacy.

The Saudi International is just a bit piece in bin Salman’s attempt to use international sport to help distract from his abhorrent record.

Here’s the bad news for golf: Svrluga’s entirely correct and all of the big players in this know what they’re getting into. But outside of Rory McIlroy, how many can bring themselves to draw a line? And how come the the PGA Tour and European Tour Chief’s can’t condemn Saudi Arabia knowing what we know now?

Today In Disruptor Tour Files: Tour Formerly Known As European Rolling Over On Releases, Players Thankful For The Leverage

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Just as their strategic partners have done, the Tour Formerly Known As European will be granting releases to the Asian Tour’s PIFSIPSIA next month, reports The Guardian’s Ewan Murray.

Filling the field of the Saudi-backed event, formerly a European Tour event that was the brainchild of Chief Keith Pelley and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appears to be quite easy. Especially when tours are rolling over so easily. There was a Telegraph report of possible repercussions after players tee it up.

Murray writes:

By the Monday deadline, between 30 and 40 members of the tour had requested releases to play in the Asian Tour-run event near Jeddah, from 3 February. It is sponsored by the Saudi public investment fund and carries huge appearance fees.

Despite speculation of potential bans for European players who compete in the Saudi International, dismissed by some as little more than a cash grab, it is understood they should be informed this week that releases will be granted with conditions relating to future commitments to DP World Tour tournaments. Should those conditions not be met there is scope for disciplinary action, but player power has seemingly won the day.

Do we even call them disruptors with so little resistance?

Meanwhile over in Hawaii, the winners assembled for the Sentry Tournament of Champions are thankful for the opportunity and leverage created by the Saudis. Only one player, Justin Thomas, expressed hopes of this cash grab having benefits for fans.

Tony Finau, who will be playing the PIFSIPSIA, thanked the PGA Tour but is clearly not ruling out a move if the Saudi’s form a real tour:

TONY FINAU: I mean, yeah, I've been approached just like I think most top guys, as you would expect. I don't have a stance on it yet. I think we're just like everyone, don't really know what's going on with that.

But I'm grateful to be on the PGA TOUR, it's been an honor for me to have an opportunity to play and display my talent in front of the world on a TOUR like the PGA TOUR, so much history there.

Again, I watch guys like Tiger, like Phil, all these guys play PGA TOUR evens and win PGA TOUR events. That's all I know since I was a kid, I didn't know any other tours and I didn't think any of the other tours had what the PGA TOUR had to offer and up to this point in my career very happy I'm on the PGA TOUR and having won a couple times I would like to win more this year.

Jodan Spieth was asked if the league concept backed by the regime would benefit golf and made clear he so far only sees benefits to the players.

JORDAN SPIETH: Well, I think certainly it's a threat to the PGA TOUR. I think as a player overall it will benefit in that I think that the changes that have come from the PGA TOUR have been modernized in a way to, that may or may not have come about if it weren't there.

So I think for us players on the PGA TOUR, I think that so far it's been something that has kind of helped the PGA TOUR sit and say, hey, where can we look to satisfy our membership and potentially make some changes going forward that, where there's some similarities potentially to a league like that, but while maintaining kind of the integrity, the 501(C)(6) category that the PGA TOUR has.

And I think that going forward, I mean, I guess we'll have to see. But for me to sit here and -- I mean, I can only say from my point of view I think that it's been beneficial to the players to have competition, and I think the TOUR would say that they probably feel that they're in a better position going forward by having to sit back and kind of take a look at things and make some changes.

And this from Justin Thomas was the best of the answers in appearing to think of the entertainment aspect over the financial benefits:

JUSTIN THOMAS: I think the idea is healthy for the, it's healthy, could be healthy for the TOUR. I think two competing tours is not healthy for golf, if that makes sense.

I think if the idea of other competition and other tours or whatever happening, I think is a good opportunity for the TOUR to kind of maybe sit back and us players sit back to realize what can we do better on our TOUR and then make our product better, versus having two competing tours to me is not good because you're diluting the product on both sides and it's just not, you're not going to get the best -- it's not possible to get the best players in the world on both tours. They're either going to be one or the other or a little bit of both.

It continues to confound how repulsed players were by the idea of taking the Saudi’s money and now, well, no one is mentioning discomfort at that element after having time to think about it.

PIP Pandemonium: Phil Declares Victory, Tour Says Not So Fast, Morikawa Posts Dog Photo In Late 10th Place Play

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As the (not secret any more) Player Impact Program hurtles toward its year one conclusion, the silly bonus pool is wrapping with a deservedly absurd finish.

Phil Mickelson declared PIP victory two days before the calendar ended the comical bonus pool. This, despite just one top 10 against the under 50’s this year—the 2021 PGA Championship—Mickelson apparently used four Champions Tour wins to accrue the magical number of Google searches, Meltwater mentions, MVP Index points, Nielsen scores and Q-rating strength to edge Tiger Woods for the $8 million first place prize.

The closest you’ll get to a PIP victory speech since it’s a private matter:

You have to give Phil credit with the late rush of Tweets and replies while playing to the angry bro mobs, a key demo for accumulating Meltwaters by stirring up some virus questions and replying to Elon Musk.

Oh, but not so fast says Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch:

Maybe Phil’s premature celebratory Tweet will ensure victory? Or will the Commissioner and his team of independent analysts who tabulate Player of the Year totals find a way to de-Meltwater Phil’s late run?

These are just the kind of ramifications one deals with when the subject is a cockamamie concoction created for all the wrong reasons. Robert Lusetich summed up the farce best here:

Imagine that, discriminating against the youth trying to grow the game. Sad.

Speaking of the next generation, dream-demo Open Championship winner and dignified user of social media Collin Morikawa reportedly will finish 11th. This means he misses out on last place’s $3 million.

But showing vision and wisdom beyond his 24 years, Morikawa made a last ditch effort with social media gold: celebrating his 11th place finish with humor (on Twitter), and birthday well wishes to his labradoodle. Sources say the indices give extra weight to dog posts—and then triple that for any doodle—so there may still be hope for young Morikawa to crack the top 10 once that independent firm digs into the numbers!

Not since Freddie Tait posed with his dog Nails has a golfer’s dog potentially played such a key role in the game.

And then there’s Jim Herman, coming home strong even as they’re breaking down the bunting, packing up the barricades and still making his valiant PIP plays:

What a time for the game!