Guardian: "Authoritarianism for golfers? 'How big is the cheque?'"

The Guardian’s Ewan Murray wonders why the Golf Saudi-backed Super Golf League is not dying the same quick death as the European Super League:

Mickelson, DeChambeau and others can apparently entertain offers from the Saudis of eye-watering sums of money without anyone focusing on why they might associate with such a controversial – or abhorrent, depending on one’s level of background reading – regime. Authoritarianism for golfers? “How big is the cheque?”

When the European Super League crashed around the ears of the very executives who thought they had devised the perfect closed shop, it was against the backdrop of fury from supporters. There is no golf equivalent of that; save the Ryder Cup, which takes place once every two years, this really is not a tribal environment. Another key difference is that football clubs had already committed to their lucrative breakaway. Golfers have thus far only been in lengthy negotiations over a plan that would result in the PGA and European Tours losing players to a 14-event global environment where team and individual elements combine.

Given that the money is definitely from the Crown Prince’s Golf Saudi and not entirely sexy from a fan perspective—given reports of a Middle East-heavy schedule—it is odd the Premier Golf League ripoff is lingering.