"For Mickelson, actions will speak louder than words"

AP’s Doug Ferguson put Phil Mickelson’s “obnoxious greed” remarks into context and it’s time for him to put up or shut up, ish.

Mickelson is not at the Phoenix Open this week. He was headed to Montana to ski. Setting a schedule is what golf affords, not to mention the ability to compete at a high level for 25 years — or in his case, win a major championship at age 50 — all while accruing an enormous pension.

It’s a lot to digest. Mickelson conceded as much when he said he wasn’t sure where it was headed because of so much that needed to be addressed. He has served on the tour’s Player Advisory Council twice in his 31 years, most recently in 2001.

Ultimately, though, he felt it would end on a positive note.

Most telling was when Mickelson was asked for a general comment on Golf Saudi. He applauded the group for its support of the players, for sponsorship of Ladies European Tour events and for creating leverage for the players to try to improve the PGA Tour.

If that’s what this is about — leverage — then maybe Norman is the one who should be worried.

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

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.

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

The Daily Mail’s Derek Lawrenson reported that Bryson DeChambeau was made a £100 million offer “to be the face of the Saudi golf revolution.”

In a lengthy and articulate rebuttal to a post on Breezy Golf, DeChambeau countered with this:

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.

Bryson logo updated. https://t.co/xAivRomb96 pic.twitter.com/TnRnTbZNjr

— robmillertime (@robmillertime) February 3, 2022

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.

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

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.

Today In Golf Saudi: Another $100 Million For Asian Tour, Norman Talks And Poulter Gets Huge Offer

Have you showered yet? If not, wait until after you’ve read this post.

Over at The Quadrilateral I summed up and dissected the lack of deep hidden meaning in Greg Norman’s pre-PIFSIPSIA presser to announce another $100 million for the Asian Tour’s new series of international events. Which, as first reported by Alistair Tait here and Ewan Murray here, is a bold foray outside of the Asian Tour’s normal confines. You can read more details on the series that might act as a feeder tour for the Saudi Golf League or even as placeholder events converted into stops should the superstar league go forward.

In The Telegraph, James Corrigan reported exclusively on the lavish offer of $20-30 million for Ian Poulter to commit and, in all likelihood, kiss a future Ryder Cup captaincy goodbye. Ironic since his Ferrari collection is worth about that much and built off of his Ryder Cup play.

Trying to gauge where all of this stands, Murray posted this analysis at The Guardian and wondered if using the Ryder Cup as leverage could backfire.

Should, for argument’s sake, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood be tempted by this promised land then their future involvement in the Ryder Cup either as captains or players becomes almost impossible to square. The debate in this case would be a furious one; is it fair for players to effectively turn their backs on an event that has done so much for their profile, or would administrators on either side of the Atlantic be wrong to ostracise them? Even in the short-term, if Europe cannot or will not appoint Stenson as the captain for 2023 in Rome because of Saudi links then their Ryder Cup environment is undermined. And that, whatever the rights and wrongs, is a key issue.

Report: Asian Tour Eyes London Area Stop

Golf organizations are generally territorial when it comes to crossing continents, so as troops amass on several borders this week, now we learn the Asian Tour is reportedly looking at an unthinkable incursion on DP World Tour territory this June.

Alister Tait reports that Aramco (eh em…) is going to sponsor an event the week before the U.S. Open. The site: Centurion Club north of London, just 31 miles from DP World Tour headquarters and formerly home to a couple of European Tour events. Tait writes:

Aramco appears set to run back-to-back men’s and women’s events at the course between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. The $1 million Aramco Series London tournament on the Ladies European Tour is set for June 16-18, one of four Aramco sponsored tournaments on the LET along with Sotogrande, New York and Jeddah. The men’s tournament is pencilled into the week previous to the London date, clashing with the $1 million Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik & Annika, a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and LET.

It’s also no unreasonable to assume any event added to the Asian Tour is a placeholder of sorts for a tour run by LIV Golf/Greg Norman/Journalist Murder.

Special Saudi Edition Of Pros Say The Funniest Things Begins! First Up: Monty

We know the grow-the-games will be flying this week when top player descent on Saudi Arabia for the PIFSIPSIA cash grab and audition for those two peas in a pod, Greg Norman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. I anticipate some fabulous rationalizations. But I did not expect Monty earn the week’s first eye-roll.

Andrew Wright summed up Monty’s contribution from a BBC interview at the Dubai Desert Classic.

"It's a shame it's come to this,” Montgomerie told BBC Sport. “We used to work well with the Asian Tour and now we are at loggerheads because of money. It's a problematic issue. It's that horrible, evil word, money. The mighty dollar ruling people's hearts and minds. 

“We never played the game for money on the European Tour when I first started out. I was trying to see how much better I could get as a golfer. Now it's all about that evil word, money. Let's hope the European Tour is closer to the PGA Tour than we've ever been before and we can fight it off."

Ah yes, Monty just played to see how much better he could get while wearing logos on his shirt. Adorable.

David Hill Brought In To Help Norman-Backed League Change Golf On TV

James Colgan spoke to longtime and now former Fox Sports head David Hill upon joining LIV Golf as a consultant on the TV side. Presumably to help on the production side of a proposed Saudi-backed golf league.

Hill plans to carry out Greg Norman’s vision to get a younger viewing audience should the league be a go, something the Shark seems consumed with given the demographic of golf. The Shirtless one failed with his last get-younger, revolutionary concept with Verizon billed as a game changer and turned out to be nothing more than music-playing carts geared at millennials. So no where to go but up!

From the Golf.com story:

“What Greg has done is taken all that energy that he’s renowned for and pushed it into making golf for today,” Hill said. “His main hope is to take the excitement of golf to areas where it’s not represented, especially in the Asia area and China.

“The reason he’s so adamant about this is because the average age of people who watch a golf telecast is 65. That’s the average age. And that tells you that the golf audience is on a downward ski slope. What Greg wants to do — because he’s so passionate about the sport — he wants to reverse that trend and hopefully produce golf that appeals, for the first time many decades, to a much younger demographic than watches now.”

I’d settle for a league and a broadcast deal first. Baby steps.

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

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.

Lowry On Playing The Crown Prince Classic: "I earn a living for myself and my family...I need to go there."

Shane Lowry, answering questions from journalists to promote the Saudi International, offered this rationale for taking Saudi Arabia’s money in the upcoming PIFSIPSIA that also looks like a precursor event to a league tour:

"Look, obviously there's no hiding from the people writing about this tournament or what they're saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I'm not a politician, I'm a professional golfer," Lowry told a virtual media session.

"I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there."

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

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

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 Meet The PIFSIPSIA! Saudi International Names Sponsor, More Stars To Field

After intense, last-minute negotiations, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has been named title sponsor of the Saudi International. Terms of the deal were not announced.

This means the full tournament name is the Public Investment Fund Saudi International Powered by SoftBank Investment Advisors, or, as they might want to call it around the LIV Golf team’s Slack: PIFSIPSIA.

More alarming for the PGA Tour and European Tour should be the continued addition of players to February’s field. Besides now having commitments from five of the world top 10, they’ve added Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Matthew Wolff, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert. The allure of the Asian Tour!

The gold rush and late adds seem to be fueled by the PGA Tour’s “stand” against the existential threat, which included creating the widely-mocked PIP and granting of releases with meager consequences for players passing on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It’s a far cry from last summer when players were supposedly going to face membership expulsion for jumping ship. But the Saudis went out and got themselves some Asian Tour co-sanctioning and the snowball is picking up speed.

As Rex Hoggard notes here in the best possible light, the Tour was “slow” to grand competing event releases. If that’s the best they’ve got in their arsenal, it’s going to be a long year at the Global Home.

The PIF has assembled an impressive field at this point and sets up the potential for some fascinating names finding their way into the AT&T Pebble Beach field. As in, half the Champions Tour, all Korn Ferry grads, and definitely some Beljan’s and Uresti’s. Shoot, at this pace they may be the headliners!

Anyway, For Immediate Release with the new tournament logo included:

Reed, Finau, Smith join the world’s best with the PIF announced as new title sponsor for Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers 

January 3rd, King Abdullah Economic City, North of Jeddah:  An array of international stars has been added to the line-up for next month’s PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers – in what will be the Asian Tour’s strongest-ever field.

With the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced as the new title sponsor and a field packed with the world’s best players, the landmark tournament is set for a record-breaking edition when it returns to King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, 3-6 February 2022.

2018 Masters Champion Patrick Reed will once again be returning to Saudi Arabia, playing in every tournament since the inaugural event in 2019. Another US Ryder Cup star confirmed is Tony Finau, who finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson last year and will be looking to go one better to kickstart his 2022 season.

Alongside four of the world’s top 10, the tournament will also see several new faces with a debutant for Matthew Wolff, one of golf’s hottest young talents. Further newcomers to KAEC will be exciting Australian trio Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert. Frenchman Victor Perez will also join a star-studded field competing for an increased prize purse of $5 million and one of the highest OWGR point totals in international golf. 

Previously announced players announced include defending champion Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Phil Mickelson.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, December 23rd, 2021

Did Five Family loyalty drive the R&A to yank a longstanding exemption and should they regret it? Plus, Masters invitations go out, a hefty Ryder Cup license fee and The Open embraces YouTube.

It’s the second-to-last free Thursday of 2021 so get it while supplies last!

Subscribing is easy, too. And remember, it comes to your inbox without pop-ups, malware, cookie requests or sponsored content obligations.

PGA Tour Grants Saudi Releases With Draconian Conditions: Players Must Play Return To Play Pebble Beach At Least Once, Possibly Even Twice!

Punishment for those collecting seven and eight-figure appearance fees (Photo by Geoff Shackelford)

They weren’t bluffing down there at the Global Home regarding February’s Saudi International and preventing as many as thirty top players from playing the same week as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Nobody messes with Jay Monahan! He is the Sheriff of all…wait, what?

The potential defectors get to abandon one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour calendar and their punishment will to play Pebble Beach-Spyglass-MPCC over the next two years? All while collecting huge appearance fees and possibly laying the groundwork for fundamentally disrupting the PGA Tour’s business?

Tony Soprano, he is not. Guess Jay’s in the holiday spirit?

Back in July Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch reported that players would be denied releases to play the event believed to be a precursor to a Saudi Golf League. But now Lynch is first to report the releases will be granted for the February 3rd-6th event but with “strings attached.” Some really, really thin strings.

Any player who has competed in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am event at least once in the past five years must commit to play at least once in the next two years (2023 and 2024). Players who have not competed at Pebble Beach in the last five years will need to do so twice in the three years until 2025.

The travesty of it all! How will they cope?

A source familiar with the names of the 30 players who applied for waivers told Golfweek that 19 of them will have to commit to one appearance at the AT&T, while the other 11 will be required to play twice.

Cracking that whip! I half-expected to read they’d be prevented from getting Spanish Bay rooms overlooking the service bay.

One source familiar with the situation told Golfweek that lower-profile players invited to compete in King Abdullah Economic City have been offered appearance fees of around $400,000, with mid-tier players receiving between $500,000 and $750,000. High-profile stars get seven-figure offers. Chartered private aircraft to and from Saudi Arabia is also provided.

Growing the game!

Meanwhile the PGA Tour Twitter account acknowledged this gruesome situation. Remarkably, the PGA Tour has yet to suggest it has any issue with how the country in question sometimes conducts its business. Psssssst: someone tell the Global Home the Fund is no longer invested in Disney and Marriott, so no need to worry about upsetting proud or semi-proud partners.

With conditions, the TOUR has granted releases for those wishing to play overseas February 3-6 in 2022.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 20, 2021