Originally Posted by
Jimmy Floyd
Not sure how much if at all this has bled through into wider sporting press, but the current machinations around the Saudi Golf League are incredible theatre. Basically, the Saudis want to sportswash in golf (as they do in many sports) and, having been rebuffed by the golfing establishment in US and Europe, have now resorted to attempting to launch something akin to the football Super League, i.e. trying to get the top players to break away from the main US Tour and have their own events with no cuts, no relegation and guaranteed money for certain players (mainstream golf is very performance-related in terms of payout, which frustrates some of the world's top 20 who believe they are entitled to a greater share of the pie just for showing up. Sound familiar?).
The Saudis signed up Greg Norman as their CEO and he's set about trying to get big name defectors. First in the queue for the breakaway is apparently Phil Mickelson, who despite career earnings of $100 million is reputedly strapped for cash. The tour's pantomime villain, Bryson DeChambeau, also wants in, and reports say that he has probably already played his last PGA Tour event before joining the breakaway, having been offered the eye-watering sum of $135 million to jump ship. Dustin Johnson and others (mostly over the hill players in their 40s) are also said to be keen to join the Saudi money grab.
However, a lot of the younger and biggest names, including McIlroy, Morikawa and Hovland, have stated their opposition to it, so it seems like there is about to be a massive schism of some kind. The Saudi product would be absolutely dogshit (who wants to watch a load of past it players compete for, I dunno, the Saudi Masters?), and yet mainstream golf would also lose if 20 or more of its top 100 players defected. Interesting to watch what unfolds, anyway.