Our President is going to SA to beg them to pump more oil essentially making them a partner. Talk about hypocritical.
OT: Phil Mickelson
- Thread starter Knightmoves
- Start date
Our President is going to SA to beg them to pump more oil essentially making them a partner. Talk about hypocritical.
The US Open allowing these guys to play will be a one off IMO. The majors are very close with the PGA. None have technically played in a LIV event yet and the US Open is way too close to the first event.
Moving forward, I bet they make different decisions.
Moving forward, I bet they make different decisions.
could be, might not be.
But whatever he does, some will find fault
As long as he doesn't join the LIV tour and play in Bedminster , I'll not claim he's doing something before he does it.
As for the Saudi Tour, might look like a loser to some, but with the type of money behind it, you can bet Phil will be putting up some bucks betting the LIV will be a success and force the PGA to work with it as an equal
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Win-win for those LIV players now (assuming the Masters and British Open make the same decisions).
The Masters is not tied closely into the PGA. They go out of their way to bring all different types of players into Augusta.
Bernd Wiesberger has won 8 times on Euro and played on last year's Euro Ryder Cup team.
This is a big blow to the PGA Tour. If the USOpen, Masters and British Open all allow LIV players to play, then the Tour is only left with one major, the PGA Championship. Their leverage with top players who care about their Tour legacy will be severely diminished.
But I still want to see how the LIV tour events come off. A 3 day, 48 player shotgun style tournament is something we haven’t seen before. No TV doesn’t help.
How much coverage does the Golf Channel give it this season? I wonder.
I'd watch it. I watch NCAA golf. Women's, Korn Ferry, amateur events....
I'm guessing Golf Channel will have someone there reporting.
Live coverage like broadcast tourneys? I'm guessing zero.
Has or is any network going to buy the rights?
Nothing will matter unless they get the best players in the world. Outside of DJ, it's a bunch of has beens and guys out of college or players no one has heard of.
This only works if they get the best players in the world.
This only works if they get the best players in the world.
And in the order of the majors, the PGA is last in prestige. This year will be a wait and see for a lot of players/media. If the LIV survives, they will come around.
Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are joining the LIV after this tournament. Yesterday's announcement that let's players play in the USA Open has opened the door. Don't think they will be the last.
And here we go:
The PGA needs to give up this all or nothing silliness. If you want to be a PGA member, players need to commit to say 12-15 events. After that, you are free to do and play wherever you want. Increase prize money, etc.
That rule is already in place. 15 tour minimum and they can play where ever they want until the LIV came along.And here we go:
The PGA needs to give up this all or nothing silliness. If you want to be a PGA member, players need to commit to say 12-15 events. After that, you are free to do and play wherever you want. Increase prize money, etc.
My guess is they will nab the hottest youngsters from college and rising stars (and current stars) by offering them a boat load of $$$. This will help turn the tide and LIV may soon become the place to play.
Make more money / play much less than the grind of playing the tour weekly. Sounds great. Except maybe for the player who actually enjoy the grind.
Not surprised Fowler and Reed joining the tour. Bryson is a little surprising. He seems like a grinder.
Not surprised Fowler and Reed joining the tour. Bryson is a little surprising. He seems like a grinder.
It looks like the PGA Tour is playing a losing hand here. 3 out of the 4 golf majors are not in their control, and their partners (USGA, RAA, Masters) are looking out for their own best interests, not the interests of the PGA Tour. The Tour may have played their hand too hard imo. The tour players are independent contractors and should be able to play at any event they choose. Tour Independence should be an approved option for the best players in the world imo.
That and the Saudis are likely offering premium signing bonuses for players who enroll this season. I expect many more to follow soon.
None of the majors are in their control. The PGA of America runs the PGA Championship, not the PGA Tour.
I was told I was an idiot presenting the same facts. There is a big difference between the PGA Tour and the PGA of America but some are adamant they are the same.
Anyone else live streaming LIV golf now? Phil and DJ in the same group.
Good British coverage. Looks legit.
Good British coverage. Looks legit.
Don't know if you all already know this news but came across this. Just FYI
www.cnbc.com
PGA Tour suspends 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, for playing in Saudi-backed LIV event
The PGA Tour has suspended 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, who are competing in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf event near London.
Not a surprise. Nor is it surprising that the Golf Channel is destroying those same players.Don't know if you all already know this news but came across this. Just FYI
PGA Tour suspends 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, for playing in Saudi-backed LIV event
The PGA Tour has suspended 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, who are competing in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf event near London.
Not a good decision by the PGA Tour. Gotta put aside short-term emotions and think long-term.Don't know if you all already know this news but came across this. Just FYI
PGA Tour suspends 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, for playing in Saudi-backed LIV event
The PGA Tour has suspended 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson, who are competing in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf event near London.
Suspensions by the PGA won't mean a thing when the LIV is making you rich before even teeing up
I love Phil but reality is, his chance of winning again on the PGA tour is slim. Majors? Slimmer ( I know, he won the PGA last year). He has dominated the Senior tour but he wants to still play with the young bombers. I think this allow this and gives him a reported $200 million. Yes, $200 million
Could be this :
According to the PGA handbook, players are forbidden from engaging in conduct that inflicts financial or reputational harm to the tour.
A possible anti trust lawsuit in the making, if this is reason for suspensions
The PGA could defend itself by claiming the players are contract workers playing under the PGA banner who knew the rules and accepted them when joined the PGA tour , saying the players benefited by the advantages being a tour member gave them and knew that one of the disadvantages of membership was that they had to abide by the rules the PGA tour had in place or added later when they joined the tour as contract workers.
Thus they are free to join another tour, just will lose their ability to be PGA tour members if they do
PGA tour generates $$$ by having big companies pay for sponsorships or tournaments and TV ratings of those tournaments. That is why they require members to play certain number of events.
Therefore, you can not play on another tour without permission. Think of today, RBC who paid a ton of money will have lower ratings because a number of players are playing on LIV. RBC is not happy with their investment. If the PGA Tour allows this, the model breaks.
The only way the PGA can protect itself is to significantly increase prize money. Money talks.....
If you are on schedule to play 15 events then the PGA has always granted permission to play elsewhere including Saudi Arabia. The PGA is threatened by this league and acting like it.
You are correct that money talks but the average tour player makes 50% of their money from endorsements and the top guys make a much larger percentage. Tiger has made 1.7 billion in golf off of $120 million in prize monies. Phil made something like $50 mill a year off of endorsements recently.
So the big question is where does a guy like DJ and Phil net out after the current sponsors walk. Will those sponsors stay away or will others appear. Time will tell but its certainly not a slam dunk financially. Phil is getting $200 mill that is rumored to be for 4-5 years. All they did was cover his sponsor monies.
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I agree.
In watching today I do forsee one major issue. As we all know there is not a huge difference between the best and the middle of the pack professional player. Other than a very few, LIV is full of 45 year old guys on the downside of their career or guys we as fans don't know who the hell they are. If Phil, DeChambeau, Reed or DJ win a total of 2 of the 8 events this year that would be normal but disappointing for the fans that are expecting the superstars to win based upon what they are getting paid and how they are being propped up.
People are expecting this to be like an all-star event every week but its not going to happen. If the current leaderboard is the final event outcome than people will lose interest quickly. And what happens when more guys join, I guess they kick people off their LIV Golf team and out of the LIV tour. Then where do those guys go?
| Rank | Player | Score |
| 1 | Charl Schwartzel | -5 |
| 2 | Hennie Du Plessis | -4 |
| T3 | Phachara Khongwatmai | -3 |
| T3 | Scott Vincent | -3 |
| T5 | Branden Grace | -2 |
| T5 | Justin Harding | -2 |
| T7 | Phil Mickelson | -1 |
| T7 | Dustin Johnson | -1 |
| T7 | Sam Horsfield | -1 |
If the LIV tour keeps their names in the headlines, sponsors will be available to try and benefit by being associated with them..
Just a short term loss that will be partially made up with LIV tour money.
I also suspect the government Saudi Arabia will look more kindly on the companies that sponsor LIV tour players, when it comes to doing business with Saudi Arabia.
The Saudies want this tour to suceed and I'm sure they will let companies know the benefits for them if they sponsor a LIV player
Does LIV award media rights to the players? This is a big issue with Phil vs the Tour.
This is starting to look like the AFL vs the NFL just before the Jets won SB 3 in 1969.
The PGA Tour may look a lot different in a few years than it does today imo.
This is starting to look like the AFL vs the NFL just before the Jets won SB 3 in 1969.
The PGA Tour may look a lot different in a few years than it does today imo.
The question is will it be stronger or weaker. I don't think anyone knows at this point.