money talks - golf now, which next?

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Zeno Marx

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I don't care about golf. I played it for a couple summers around the 7th and 8th grade. Annual pass at the 9-hole course was $50, and it gave me something to do. Very difficult game. Just didn't interest me.

To the point...

What is happening in golf right now is interesting. Liv Golf, a new golf tour funded by Saudi Arabia. Purses of $25M. The PGA is suspending the golfers who are playing on that tour. It shows how fragile the establishments are in sports. Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, etc all have the money to do this. Just when people think $2M for the winner is absurd, you get this. I could see this happening to tennis very easily, as China has been banned from WTA and the ATP because of the Peng Shuai situation. Russia is clearly out of any international tennis support as well, and they sponsored several tournaments. I had to chuckle at the few moments of the press conference with the suspended PGA golfers who are now playing with Liv Golf. Of course, one of the questions was about human rights, and it was like asking pre-schoolers to explain their understanding of calculus and astrophysics. DUHR. I don't think the NBA is entirely out of the realm of possibilities for this sort of action, either. Not hoping to get political. Just that offering enough money can pull even the best of the best away from the established organizations.
 
Spent nesrly a year in Saudi during and after Desert Storm. They can be and often are a very gracious people. But you have to recognize that their culture is significantly different than ours and not likely to change just because some people in our society do not approve of it.
 
I guess the golfers who signed onto the Liv Golf tour also received millions just to play. And I'm not entirely clear if they're now allowing them back onto the PGA tour. I do know they're allowing them to play this coming week at the US Open. Should be no surprise that it would turn out to be a bite with no teeth. Still, an interesting situation.
 
As of now they are banned from playing on the PGA Tour. Ian Poulter, a European playing on the PGA Tour is filing a lawsuit but I've not read yet about the details involved.

The U.S. Open is a yearly tournament that is not ruled by the PGA Tour. Its sole purpose is to bring together the best golfers (professional and ametuer) through a qualifing process. Some players gain exemption by winning certain tournaments or being in a top percentage on professional tours throughout the world. The banned players will also be invited to the Master's next year assuming they qualified for it since that tournament is separate from the PGA Tour also.

I did read that the offer Tiger Woods turned down was for 750 million. Dustin Johnson is getting paid 125 million, Bryson DeChambou 100 million, Patrick Reed 50 million, Phil Mickelson 200 million etc. Greg Norman has like a 4 billion dollar start up budget to get the players and the tour going.
 
Maybe and maybe not. Tiger has made 1.7 billion playing golf in his career counting endorsement deals. PGA Tour golfers endorsements contain a clause that they are in good standing on the PGA Tour. Without this endorsment deals are broken.

One of Tiger's business's is designing and building golf courses. He followed in the footsteps of his mentors Jack Nickalaus and Arnold Palmer doing this. Why would he jeopardize pissing off the PGA who will be playing on them for start up tour?
 
Wow! I’m so very glad I don’t like or follow golf in any way, shape or form. But really, taking a moment to seriously ponder the various and sundry facets of this complex set of issues and circumstances…I still don’t care even a little. Thank goodness. Just something more to be upset and start a diatribe about.
 
As of now they are banned from playing on the PGA Tour. Ian Poulter, a European playing on the PGA Tour is filing a lawsuit but I've not read yet about the details involved.

The U.S. Open is a yearly tournament that is not ruled by the PGA Tour. Its sole purpose is to bring together the best golfers (professional and ametuer) through a qualifing process. Some players gain exemption by winning certain tournaments or being in a top percentage on professional tours throughout the world. The banned players will also be invited to the Master's next year assuming they qualified for it since that tournament is separate from the PGA Tour also.

I did read that the offer Tiger Woods turned down was for 750 million. Dustin Johnson is getting paid 125 million, Bryson DeChambou 100 million, Patrick Reed 50 million, Phil Mickelson 200 million etc. Greg Norman has like a 4 billion dollar start up budget to get the players and the tour going.
Thanks. I didn't know that about the US Open and the Masters. I don't know much about golf, so my ignorance is no surprise.

Those signing bonuses are nuts. I heard they put in around $2billion to get this started. I wonder how much they paid Greg Norman to spearhead all this.
 
PIF of Saudi Arabia initially gave hime 2 billion for this year and next and then gave him another 2 billion for tournament play in year 2024 and 2025 from what I understand. Who knows what Norman's compensation is.
 
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