When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Will Cameron Smith's departure maintain his career trajectory? Niemann, Leishman, Varner, Tringale and Lahiri also give LIV some relevant or relevant-adjacent players.
Still, I have my doubts about what this will do for someone like Smith who is in form, feeds off positive fan energy and now will play 54-holes on mediocre courses surrounding the majors.
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The only thing more enjoyable than listening to LIV’s high-priced lawyers fumble in course will be the inevitable walk back and spin from Greg Norman and his beheading-friendly, bigoted bosses from Saudi Arabia.
The latest in a Tweet heavy Quadrilateral that replaces a very wordy analysis of the actual lawsuit!
Another busy edition of the free weekly News and Notes edition of The Quad.
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I should just post that photo and end the post there.
But you have to soak some of the wisdom shared by PGA Tour defectors and genuinely-hard-to-care-one-iota-about individuals.
From Bob Harig’s account of this LIV Portland prick conference.
Asked if there was something the PGA Tour could have done to thwart the LIV Golf effort or improve, Reed said: “Listen to the players for once.’’
For once! Maybe he didn’t know about Justine’s direct line to the Global Home.
This was nice from Perez:
“I don't think I did anything wrong,’’ Perez said. “Plus, I want the money that I earned from this year. I played 20 events. So I'm still entitled to my FedEx money and whatever this other money that we're talking about. I'm not resigning from anything.”
Another one who forgot his disdain for the whole Saudi thing until he didn’t.
And Koepka, the four-time major winner going from finding the whole thing shady, growing angry about questions during the U.S. Open, to signing on the dotted line.
“My opinion changed; that was it,’’ he said. “You guys will never believe me, but we didn’t have the conversation 'til everything was done at the U.S. Open and figured it out and just said I was going to go one way or the other. Here I am.
“Like I said, opinions changed. And I feel very comfortable with the decision I made. I’m happy, and I did what’s best for me.’’
In the just plain pitiful division, Matthew Wolff spoke repeatedly of missing college golf, 54 hole tournaments and the best years of his life, suggesting he’s been converted by the team aspect where he’ll join the Hy Flyers: Phil Mickelson, Bernd Wiesberger and Itthipa Buranatanyarat. The team van trips to mediocre courses will be just like the old Cowboy days!
I think, you know, it's hard when you're out there struggling and you've gotta play three, four weeks in a row, and you feel like you're in a rut. You feel like you just can't get out of it. And, you know, here, being able to really prepare, have more time. I mean, also, I know this is my job, but it's like on your off weeks, too, I mean sometimes when you're traveling for three weeks in a row and you got one week off, my coach, he lives in California. So it's like do I want to spend time with my girlfriend and my dog at home and enjoy my time off and sleep in my own bed or do I want to go travel again across the country and go work with my swing coach and then not have time for that.
The folks at LIV did seek to refute Brandel Chamblee’s suggestion players will be earning on-course money against their advances. Without seeing contracts we won’t know if the folks here are telling the truth.
LIV goes on the record to refute what Brandel (and others have) insinuated about prize money being a draw against player contracts. pic.twitter.com/KljRYu8h2x
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) June 28, 2022
The backstory:
Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah, a Saudi national, swerved around the cars that had stopped so Fallon could cross the street at its intersection with 43rd Avenue.
Noorah had already racked up 17 parking tickets and a suspended drivers’ license in his two years at Portland Community College. Near graduation, he didn’t think the bills would ever come due.
The Saudis proved him right, spiriting him out of the country before he could stand trial on charges of manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and reckless driving.
He hopped into a black GMC Yukon XL two weeks before his June 2017 trial. He cut off his tracking monitor at a sand-and-gravel yard, then vanished. Inside a week, he was back in the kingdom, the Saudis would quietly inform Homeland Security … 13 months later.
The LIV Golf event backed by the Kingdom tees off Friday in Portland.
This AP piece by Anne Peterson looks at some of the backlash expected. Though as the story notes, event organizers have banned any kind of “political” signage. That is not stopping several local mayors and a U.S. Senator from criticizing the event.
Now, even though he’s largely been in hiding, only denied one small part of a recent Golf Digest story via a DP World Tour statement, was the proud instigator of golf getting in bed with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and was not mentioned in Jay Monahan’s prepared opening remarks last week, it still appears DP World Tour chief Keith Pelley is blaming media for speculation about a possible Saudi deal.
From Andrew Wright’s report on an in-house video message to his players and partners includes this:
"There's been a lot of speculation, a lot of rumours swirling," Pelley said. "There’s been very little fact and lots of fiction. Factually, I can tell you we're partners with the PGA Tour in our strategic alliance that has been very beneficial since we signed that back in November 2020.
"There is a tremendous amount of fiction and you have to be careful with what is transpiring right now across all media platforms and I encourage everyone to again deal with the fact.
"The one fact is that we will always concentrate on doing the best for our membership, our sponsors, and our stakeholders, and for our players and our members that is prize fund and playing opportunities."
Perhaps a little more transparency and a lot less hiding would help squelch these rumors? Just a thought!
The LIV proposal included a multi-million dollar signing bonus in exchange for a two-year commitment, Coody said. Also included, Coody said, were all travel expenses to tournaments this year and next, plus guaranteed prize money regardless of where he finished in any event.
Coody said he was given 12 days to decide on the offer.
Norman also requested Coody’s cell-phone number so he could pitch Coody personally.
“I shut that down in a hurry,” said Kyle, who also played golf for the University of Texas before testing his game in the pro ranks.
Kyle being Parker and Pierceson’s dad. And a smart man.
Backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, LIV Golf players defecting should know that upon giving up their cell phone number there is always the distinct possibility that the Kingdom is watching them.
As documented in multiple stories, Saudi Arabia is a user of the Pegasus software developed by Israeli firm NSO Group. And may continue to be despite a cancelled contract, as Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti reported last year.
After the murder of Mr. Khashoggi in 2018, one of the firms, NSO Group, canceled its contracts with Saudi Arabia amid accusations that its hacking tools were being misused to abet heinous crimes.
But the Israeli government encouraged NSO and two other companies to continue working with Saudi Arabia, and issued a new license for a fourth to do similar work, overriding any concerns about human rights abuses, according to one senior Israeli official and three people affiliated with the companies.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has continued to use the spyware to monitor dissidents and political opponents.
The PGA Tour’s “strategic alliance” with the DP World Tour seemed on thin ice after Wednesday’s presser where Jay Monahan did not include them in his opening remarks.
But a day after it was expected, the Tour formerly known as European fined defectors to LIV Golf and will not allow them to play in three upcoming co-sanctioned events with the PGA Tour, including the prestigious Genesis Scottish Open.
A Press Association piece noted this distinction between the Tours (on top of announcing fine amounts), which could suggest the Europeans are buying time while negotiating with LIV’s Saudi sugar daddies.
While the PGA Tour immediately indefinitely banned all their members within minutes of the players teeing off at Centurion Club a fortnight ago the DP World Tour delayed making a decision until now.
Pelley consulted the organisation’s wider membership before the decision was taken to sanction the involved players, who in addition to the Scottish Open - traditionally used as a warmup for the Open Championship the following week - have also been banned from PGA Tour co-sanctioned Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship next month.
The full release:
DP WORLD TOUR CONFIRMS MEMBER SANCTIONS
The DP World Tour today confirmed the sanctions to be taken against members who breached Tour regulations and participated in a LIV Golf event at Centurion Club from June 9-11, despite not having received releases to allow them to do so.
Such actions contravened the conflicting event Regulation laid down in the Members’ General Regulations Handbook as well as the Code of Behaviour Regulation, of which the members have been reminded on a number of recent occasions, and has led the Tour to take the following steps, which have been notified to all members concerned.
They will be fined £100,000*
They have been advised that they are suspended from participating in the following DP World Tour tournaments - the Genesis Scottish Open and Barbasol Championship (July 7-10) and the Barracuda Championship (July 14-17) and have been removed from the entry lists of these events where applicable.
It is important to note that participation in a further conflicting tournament or tournaments without the required release may incur further sanctions.
*Money raised from the fines will be shared equally in two distinct ways; (i) it will be added to prize funds of upcoming tournaments on the DP World Tour, to the benefit of Members of the DP World Tour who have complied with the Release rules and (ii) it will be distributed through the Tour’s Golf for Good programme to deserving charitable causes in the communities that the DP World Tour plays.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said: “Every action anyone takes in life comes with a consequence and it is no different in professional sport, especially if a person chooses to break the rules. That is what has occurred here with several of our members.
“Many members I have spoken to in recent weeks expressed the viewpoint that those who have chosen this route have not only disrespected them and our Tour, but also the meritocratic ecosystem of professional golf that has been the bedrock of our game for the past half a century and which will also be the foundation upon which we build the next 50 years.
“Their actions are not fair to the majority of our membership and undermine the Tour, which is why we are taking the action we have announced today.”
A lot of folks summed up Jay Monahan’s presser.
David Dusek’s interpretation of the answers hits on the key points.
Dylan Dethier also singles out the main takeaways and tries to answer some anticipated questions.
The full transcript is posted at ASAPSports.com.
There were obvious omissions in today’s slapped together reaction to LIV Golf:
After all this time of disruption, this is the most creative you’ve got? More money to events already in good shape, smaller fields and no cuts (except The Players)? All those fancy pizzamakers, perks and fancy offices producing a WGC concept light on the world or originality?
What is going on with the updated DP World Tour alliance details that were close to being unveiled?
It’s easy to sympathize with Jay Monahan’s dilemma. He’s trying to retain the current PGA Tour structure while funneling more money back to players who would rather get appearance fees. But he’s largely putting forward solutions that veer closer to LIV Golf’s exhibition-vibe format and still building everything around an August playoff that gets mediocre ratings.
At the same time, the Global Home’s refusal to take outside forces seriously—until it was too late—is a key driver of this mess. No one could have imagined the Saudis sending silly money to never-weres and has-beens, but you still have to plan for worst case scenarios. No?
Anyway, on to Monahan’s opening statement.
As I said to our members yesterday in a player meeting, we will ultimately come out of the current challenge stronger because of our loyalty and support of our players and fans, the best in the world, as well as our planned future growth and with our values as our North Star.
And as I also said to the players yesterday, let me be clear. I am not naive. If this is an arms race and if the only weapons here are dollar bills, the PGA TOUR can't compete. The PGA TOUR, an American institution, can't compete with a foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars in attempt to buy the game of golf.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
We welcome good, healthy competition.
No you don’t.
The LIV Saudi Golf League is not that. It's an irrational threat; one not concerned with the return on investment or true growth of the game.
Currently no one organization owns or dominates the game of golf. Instead, the various entities, be it Augusta National or the USGA or the LPGA or the PGA TOUR or the PGA of America work together to meet our own respective priorities, but with the best interests of the game overall at heart.
I knew it was Barzini. Maybe “DP World Tour” was in the speech and the shine off Jay’s Daytona blinded him when he got to the part where the strategic alliance partners get a mention.
But when someone attempts to buy the sport, dismantle the institutions that are intrinsically invested in its growth, and focus only on a personal priority, that partnership evaporates, and instead we end up with one person, one entity, using endless amounts of money to direct employees, not members or partners, toward their personal goal, which may or may not change tomorrow or the next day.
Finally, we might get the Crown Prince named by a golf organization. Progress!
I doubt that's the vision any of us have for the game. Now, I know legacy and purpose sound like talking points that don't mean much, but when I talk of those concepts, it isn't about some sort of intangible moral high ground. It is our track record as an organization and as a sport.
On the PGA TOUR, our members compete for the opportunity to add their names to history books, and, yes, significant financial benefits, without having to wrestle with any sort of moral ambiguity. And pure competition creates relevancy and context, which is what fans need and expect in order to invest their time in a sport and in a player. That's the beauty of the PGA TOUR. We have and always will provide a global platform for members to compete against the very best, earn their stardom, and become household names.
Yeah but the kids today…oh sorry, shame on me criticizing the coveted demo. Go on…
You just heard from Exhibit A, Scottie Scheffler's meteoric rise over the last four years: Korn Ferry TOUR Player of the Year in 2019, PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2020, Ryder Cup Rookie in 2021, World No. 1, FedExCup leader, having won four times in six weeks, including the Masters tournament. His journey is that of a true meritocracy. If you're good enough, you will rise to the top; and if you don't continue to earn that top spot, someone else as hungry and as talented is right there to take your place. Again, that's the unique beauty of what the TOUR has and always will offer to fans. It's damn good and it's worth fighting for.
Back to the kids today part. You know, the greatest generation of athletes to ever descend on golf course? They really believed the hype.
Now finally and most importantly, I want to talk where the PGA TOUR is headed. We don't expect to overcome this current challenge by relying on our legacy and track record alone. We've been on a path for a number of years to strengthen and evolve our product for the benefit of our fans and players alike.
Money, money, money!
Those plans are obviously accelerated in light of the current environment and we have some exciting developments coming out of yesterday's policy board meeting that will further secure our status as the preeminent golf TOUR in the world.
This includes moving forward with our future product model for the 2022-23 season and beyond, a return to a calendar year schedule beginning in 2024, with the FedExCup contested from January to August, culminating with the FedExCup playoffs, and followed by the fall events, which will determine the top 125 and finalize eligibility for the next FedExCup season.
Gee, who could have seen the need to do that? No details goes missed at the GH.
Revised field sizes for the FedExCup playoffs in 2023 and beyond of 70 players for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 50 players at the BMW Championship, and 30 players at the TOUR Championship.
The 70 players who qualify for the first playoffs event will be fully exempt for the following season, including the invitationals.
Oh so like, a playoff that’s actually a playoff. Kinky!
The creation of a series of up to three international events to be played after the conclusion of the fall schedule, which will include the top 50 players from the final FedExCup points list.
Those were going to be out alliance partners but, well, maybe not now?
Alongside these changes, the policy board also amended the resource allocation plan to increase purse sizes at eight events during the 2022-23 season, with an average purse at 20 million dollars.
Where have I seen that number?
Again, there is more work to be done and details to confirm, but implementing substantial changes to our schedule gives us the best opportunity to not only drive earnings to our players, but also improve our product and create a platform for continued growth in the future.
I know that's a lot to digest.
Actually not enough.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
