Friday, June 10, 2022

Golf's world: 2 ways to chase money

 

Professional golf is like tennis, figure skating or bowling: It is sporting’s version of a high-wire act.

          If you play well, you win money. If you play exceptionally well, you win even more money. If you win a tournament, you win a lot of money. If you play golf so poorly that you have to go home after only two rounds of play, it costs you money. Your travel, food and entry fees are all on you.

          For that reason, finding sponsorship is as important for golfers as it is for racing teams. The mid-pack players who don’t usually play among the leaders can continue to play each week with help from sponsors. There is no golf tournament or even a golf tour without the players who finish in the middle of the pack or lower. The stars have to beat someone to win, don’t they?

          Professional golfers are accustomed to the high-wire lifestyle. These elite athletes play with the pressure that comes from the play good-or-go-home reality that the game provides.

          For that reason, the new professional golf tour, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, probably looks attractive to some touring pros. The new tour offers huge purses. The Saudis have extended big-dollar offers to the game’s top players; bonus pay on top of tournament winnings that could set some golfers for life. The new tour is offering the throw money around like kids throw sand at the beach.

          The cash has attracted attention. Greg Norman, once among the world’s best players and now a tremendous businessman, is the spokesman for the new tour. Phil Mickelson, who is among the game’s most popular figures, has indicated an interest in playing on the new tour, although he has seemingly waffled on the idea. Norman and Michelson are part of the old guard. A few younger players have indicated they will play on the new tour. Tiger Woods, who remains golf’s most popular figure, declined to jump ship. Jack Nicholas declined an invitation to serve as an administrator for the new tour.

          Norman has been exceptionally critical of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) tour since the Saudi-back group was announced. The PGA will not allow players on the new tour to participate in PGA events. Players have requested waivers but none have been granted.

          So far, lots of noise with no real discussion of the actual point.

          Saudi Arabia is using international sports to get itself a better reputation among the family of world nations. The Kingdom hosts Formula One auto races and is active on the great stage provided by international soccer. While the Kingdom’s rulers feel free to murder some journalists, sports reporters are welcomed. Human rights is a subject sports reporters seldom worry about and those rights are an issue in Saudi Arabia. It is the Saudis’ idea that those issues might be covered over with the veneer of sporting competition.

          Norman has been asked about the human rights issue and the murder of a reporter by his employers. He does his best to blow those questions off, saying his only interest is in the future of golf.

          So, basically, professional golfers have a choice. They can follow likeable fellows like Greg Norman and Phil Michelson and play on a tour backed by a Kingdom that represses women and murders reporters. Or professional golfers can play golf in the rest of the world.

          It is true that the rest of the world is not perfect. There are problems everywhere you look.

Golf isn’t perfect, either, although it is a dynamic sport and has usually changed for the better. Most professional tournaments in the United States benefit local charities. The growth of the women’s professional tour (the LPGA) over the last decade and a half is a terrific indicator that the game’s popularity is growing.

Greg Norman’s idea that golf can be used to wallpaper over repression and murder doesn’t ring true here. There is no reason to believe that Norman supports the repression of women’s rights and the murder of journalists. But he’s taking money from people who do.

Speedylee supports the PGA and LPGA tours and their tightropes. The best players make the most money, the women’s game is growing and the reporters are not getting killed.

Thanks for reading.

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