LIV

[FOOOOORE!]

This story clears things up a bit. Monahan says there was really no choice; the PIF has $620 BILLION to do with as it pleases, and the PGA simply couldn't keep pouring money into lawyers and special tournaments to try to compete with them. The PIF would always be able to outdo them. That could eventually lead to the PGA becoming insignificant or even folding (my own interpretation). Still nothing on the specifics other than Monahan claiming the Saudis will contribute a lot of money to make the whole thing work. They have the rest of this year to work out all the details.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/pga-comm ... rge-report

A few more tidbits of information here:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/pga- ... -star-says

[FOOOOORE!]

The word now is there's much less animosity between PGA and LIV players. But I can't help but think there are PGA players just burning up inside right now. "You mean I could've jumped to LIV, made an instant gazillion dollars for doing nothing and have a bigger house than Tiger, and then after a year or so I'd have dual membership in LIV and PGA with no penalty? AAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGHHH!!"

[Adelade]

If everyone had done that though, maybe next year the golf tour with the best players in the world would have 80% of its tournaments staged in the middle east. Mind you, I've personally always thought they play way too much within the US, but yeah.

[FOOOOORE!]

If everyone had done that though, maybe next year the golf tour with the best players in the world would have 80% of its tournaments staged in the middle east. Mind you, I've personally always thought they play way too much within the US, but yeah.

I feel the same, though I'm Canadian. Probably the main reason they're played where they are is due to time zone differences and the amount of revenue advertisers would lose (and therefore the PGA) if NA viewers had to get up at 2am to watch a tournament being televised at 2pm in Australia, for example. I remember getting up at 4-5am to watch The Open way back when, even though the broadcast was awful -- terrible video, poor camera coverage, good luck seeing the ball after it was struck until it came to rest, and in my case, on a 20" B&W TV. Living where I am now (the Phils), I'd love to see more tournaments in this part of the world: Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

[Jimbo]

At least on the west coast I can catch one Aussie Rules game at a decent hour!

[FOOOOORE!]

At least on the west coast I can catch one Aussie Rules game at a decent hour!

I'm glad that works for you. Anything other than golf & hockey, and my brain starts to freeze over (no matter how much anti-freeze has been added).

[FOOOOORE!]

It looks like The New Deal will not be quite as smooth a ride as expected. And considering all the details won't be worked out until the beginning of next season, what can we expect from this year's Ryder Cup? Will any LIV players be on a team?

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/justin-t ... ccusations

"PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan has been absent due to a medical situation."

Severe acid indigestion or dental work needed from continuous grinding of teeth?

[FOOOOORE!]

The Ryder Cup is coming up, so where does LIV fit in now that the swords are back in their sheaths? There has been no further mention of OWGR rankings. Surely there must be one or two LIV players a captain would want on his team, even as picks. DeChambeau just shot a 58. (JT will have to rely on being a captain's pick, he fell one shot short on Sunday.) I predict Monahan won't allow any LIV players on the US Ryder Cup team because the i's haven't been dotted and t's crossed on a new legal agreement between the two entities, which likely won't be completed until before the first major of 2024. It will be interesting to see what the European team does: align with the US's policy, or go their own way?

https://www.si.com/golf/news/owgr-liv-g ... -whan-usga

[dko]

I'm no fan of this LIV thing (just a hidebound traditionalist, I guess), but it wouldn't bother me to see Koepka on the team and he's not exactly been full Mickelson in his LIV support. And he's actually among the top six auto qualifiers.

One (or two) exceptional round(s) on a very easy course is, to me, a false signal for DeChambeau. The course record was 59 before he broke it. Lightning in a bottle...

[FOOOOORE!]

I've become less a traditionalist since seeing what CBS did with Feherty, McCord, Kostis, and Maltby. Yeah, CBS Sports isn't the PGA, but they sleep in the same bed. And I never liked Monahan (or Finchem, for that matter, or Jim Nancy) even before all this happened, so I'm not shedding any tears for the PGA. Players like DeChambeau are likely having to make major lifestyle adjustments after winning the Golf Lottery, so I'm not too surprised their games are suffering a bit. Someone like Patrick Reed could end up completely off the rails; imagine if LIV had accepted John Daly!