Nicklaus Does Not Want To "See 40 guys break away from the PGA Tour at the whim of an advertising agency in Saudi Arabia"

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Steve DiMeglio reports that Jack Nicklaus, no stranger to PGA Tour disruptor plays, was asked about the Public Investment Fund Saudi Golf League concept during an early week Honda Classic function.

“(The PGA Tour’s) brought millions and millions of dollars to communities, it’s brought great competition, great television,” Nicklaus said. “Why would I not support that? Instead, I’m going to go support for my own benefit, see 40 guys break away from the PGA Tour at the whim of an advertising agency in Saudi Arabia? What happens to the other guys?

“I just don’t like it. I don’t think it’s right.”

Last year, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced Nicklaus as the architect of a course in Saudi Arabia.

It’s not clear who the advertising agency is.

"Phil Mickelson will no longer serve as host of The American Express PGA Tour event in La Quinta."

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The Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan got PGA Tour confirmation that Mickelson, who served as tournament host since 2020, will not return to that role in 2023.

That portion of the news was not a total shock since Mickelson kept a low profile in 2022 and was barely mentioned as having a special role and passed on a pre-tournament media session.

But the Tour is also cutting out his foundation as the charitable beneficiary of a tournament known for giving back:

In addition, the Mickelson Foundation, formed in 2019 specifically to be the charitable arm of the tournament, will no longer be part of the event, the tour confirmed. The foundation's contract with the tournament was to run through 2024.

Monahan Reiterates Ban Pledge, Shark Bites Back While Citing Former FTC Counsel Who Really, Really Wants The Saudi League To Succeed

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You could admire PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s decision to lay low the last few weeks as the disruptive LIV Golf Investments purported league crumbled under the weight of Phil Mickelson’s comments and direct ties to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But in leaving Rory McIlroy’s of the world to front the opposition, Monahan left those who took a moral or history-based stand to be the spokespersons for the PGA Tour.

Q-rating enhancing, all of this money talk is not.

Maybe good for Meltwaters? I don’t know.

Either way, Monahan finally dropped the hammer as the Saudi ship was seen sinking off the coast of Jupiter, reiterating in a phone interview to AP’s Doug Ferguson that he has “zero complacency” when it comes to the threat of a Saudi league.

“I told the players we’re moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision,” Monahan said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

He also emphasized anew that players who sign up for a Saudi golf league will lose their PGA Tour membership and should not expect to get it back.

Why the ban was brought back up as the whole thing crumbles, is surprising and suggests there are still concerns the LIV Golf effort has legs. Because it seems like Monahan could have just belittled what appears to be left of a league down to some Kokrak’s, Poulter’s, Stenson’s, Westwood’s and Mickelson’s.

Meanwhile, the Shark one is fighting back in a last ditch letter after this “ban” opening and it’s multi-layered. And a two-pager:

Page one of Greg norman’s letter includes a hyperlink to a commentary by Alden abbott

Here is the “recent article” Norman happened to stumble on, posted February 21st, two days before the Monahan interview cited above.

The author, Alden Abbott, was General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission during the final two years of the Trump Administration. He’s a member of the Federalist Society and former staff member of the Heritage Foundation, and was also a longtime professor at the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University.

The Abbott article cited by Norman was promoted in a press release from the website Inside Sources, where the “About” page says:

Academic research has found political pundits are worse at predicting the future than if they were randomly guessing. The media elite’s echo chamber thinks half-truths, bad predictions, and “conventional wisdom” qualify as news. Good thing we don’t.

A few weeks back on February 3rd, Mr. Abbott wrote another piece for RealClearMarkets.com promoting the Norman effort to disrupt professional golf while making some curious leaps.

He writes:

The threat over the putt is precisely what the PGA Tour is applying to players considering playing in any new golf leagues, especially the rumored new league Norman is linked with. The Tour is trying to maintain its monopoly by telling players it will destroy their livelihoods, ban them from tournaments, and restrict their media rights. That’s not competition on the merits.

Ban? Yes, as Monahan just reiterated. But I’ve followed this story closely and am not aware of any player suggesting the PGA Tour has told players “it will destroy their livelihoods” or “restrict their media rights.” If you’re banned, then you have moved on to a new Tour paying you lavish advance sums, theoretically. And presumably that tour or league is no longer under the PGA Tour’s control, restoring a player’s media rights.

Playing for a new tour would also impact the anti-competition narrative since the PGA Tour does not control major championships, the Asian Tour or the DP World Tour. But I’m not a lawyer.

Abbott also wrote in the February 3rd piece:

If Norman’s rumored new league – or any other competitive structure — is able to launch, fans and players will benefit. The American Football League’s entry in the 1960s—just a few years after antitrust litigation forced the NFL to stop the player threats that had forestalled earlier competitors—spurred a generation of innovation that led to the modernization of football for the benefit of players and fans alike. Golf desperately needs the same revival, and competition can provide it. 

While the points about competition and innovation are legitimate, it’s also fascinating to see the “Golf desperately needs” line in Abbott’s piece. Similar sentiments were echoed in a recent apology statement we all read. And like Phil Mickelson, Abbott’s claims mostly revolve around player compensation and rights. What that has to do with fans is beyond me.

A strong case is building that all of this money talk from both sides without much discussion around improving the sport, is actually hurting the sport.

I reached out to LIV Golf Investments to ascertain whether Mr. Abbott has any kind of consulting or financial relationship with the operation. From their spokesperson:

“Mr. Abbott is the former General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission. He is not an agent of LIV Golf and has no commercial relationship, nor has he received any compensation of any kind.”

The PGA Tour declined to comment.

Mickelson Apologizes And Manages To Make Things Worse

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Quadrilateral: Great PGA Tour, Don't Get Cocky

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Will the PGA Tour let the Saudi victory go to their heads and negatively impact the future?

That’s the question I ask in light of history and upcoming issues that players could influence.

A big portion is built around last week’s events and news broken late Sunday of a previous hostile merger big.

R.I.P. The Saudi Golf League

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The Saudi Golf League, a short-lived effort to reinvent the model of professional golf backed by a murderous dictator via the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, has died. It was barely six months old.

The league passed away after legendary golfer Phil Mickelson gave two interviews revealing an almost incomprehensible level of greed, rage, hypocrisy and avarice aimed at the same PGA Tour that helped him amass millions. Authorities speaking on the condition of anonymity have identified Mickelson as a “person of interest” in the league’s demise. Law enforcement has been unable to locate him at his California or forever-future Florida residences.

Authorities say golfers Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau played a role in the league’s demise by issuing statements Sunday suggesting they would remain on the PGA Tour. They are not expected to face charges as accessories to the League’s passing.

When he resurfaces, Mickelson may need protective custody due to future safety concerns regardless of whether charges are filed.

Besides Crown Prince of Mohammed bin Salman, whose Fund is now saddled with $300 million in obligations to the Asian Tour over the next decade, Mickelson’s role could cost multiple players to potentially miss out on millions of dollars in advance checks. Nineteen sources with knowledge of his thinking who are unwilling to experience a public beheading, suggest retired golfer, mass market vintner and Macy’s clothier Greg Norman is also expected to want a piece of Mickelson.

The Saudi effort to sportwash was lifted from a concept originally envisioned by the World Golf Group-turned-Premier Golf League and faced growing prospects for success after several noted veteran stars became smitten with a limited event schedule and massive advance checks. A partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an investor in multiple American corporations and supported by former President Donald Trump, proved to be a morally bankrupt concept in the eyes of Rory McIlroy and a handful of other players. Many others entertained the concept.

Not until Mickelson opened his big mouth while playing the recent Saudi International did others realize the depth of narcissism or greed involved. Nor did many seem to understand the gravity of partnering with the Kingdom’s investment fund. Mickelson even shrugged off the Kingdom’s history of murder, bigotry and murderous bigotry in the name of leverage, issues that became apparent when a second interview from last November with writer Alan Shipnuck revealed new levels of delusional thinking by the current PGA Champion. In the interview, Mickelson intimated the entire effort was a leverage play to profit off digital rights and to avenge Commissioner Jay Monahan’s negotiating tactics.

Since then, a series of players who were long silent about the league have announced their intention to remain on the PGA Tour. Johnson and DeChambeau delivered the final blows Sunday as league founder Norman remained silent.

The League is survived by LIV Golf Investments, bin Salman, Norman and the Public Investment Fund. Due to COVID and fears of more beheadings, services will be very, very private.

Dustin Johnson Latest To Announce Allegiance To The PGA Tour, What Does Greg Norman Do Now?

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In a statement issued through the PGA Tour—the PR equivalent of saying I’m sorry I flirted with the enemy—Dustin Johnson has pledged his allegiance to Ponte Vedra:

Meanwhile this all turns the focus back to Greg Norman and friends who have been very quiet as Phil Mickelson implodes their effort and players on board jump ship. His old nemesis at the Sydney Morning Herald Peter FitzSimons has some advice:

What should you do?

Well, anyone with a conscience would resign. But with you I guess that is beside the point here. Your best plan is probably to do what you have been doing, and do better than anyone – hold your nose and go after more money. The damage to your own “brand” gets worse every week on this one, and will take an even more colossal hit on Mickelson’s truth-telling. Hit the Saudis now, Greg. “Gimme more money, or I will tell the world that Mickelson is right!”

It just might work.

Anything to help Greg pay the electric bill!

Flash From The City: PGA Tour Considers Off-Season

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Daniel Rapaport shares a few insights gleaned from the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council meeting and stunner of all stunners, it appears the creative juices are warming. A possible fall team series was discussed—a light version of the PGL franchise concept—and in a stunning twist, an actual off season concept. Novel as it may seem.

From his report:

A separate but potentially related topic of conversation during the meeting, however, focused on possible alterations to the fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule, which has been mentioned as a target for change in recent years. While nothing is finalized, a source told Golf Digest that the council discussed the idea of having a fall series that is not tied to the FedEx Cup or the Official World Golf Ranking and instead uses the fall to experiment with different tournament formats. Multiple team concepts were discussed, including a model similar to a college golf tournament that could feature six-man teams with a certain number of scores counting each day.

Something fresh and who knows, a potential Olympic golf format trial? Getting ahead of myself again.

There was also this nice visual:

Hoffman, who took to Instagram last week to criticize the PGA Tour for a ruling and suggest that a lack of accountability and protection for players is a main reason guys are considering the rival league, was present for the meeting. A source said Hoffman stood up and apologized for the way he handled the situation and the post, which has since been deleted from Instagram.

There was also this from Rex Hoggard with more details on the team concept and a possible ban for defectors.

Today In Saudi Silliness: Player Claims 17 Are On Board, Morikawa Declares Himself A PGA Tour Man

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As the Tour wars seem headed for some sort of clarity, PGA Tour player Kramer Hickok claimed 17 players have officially enlisted to the Saudi-backed league. Speaking on the Stripe Show podcast, Hickok said:

“You're going to see a lot of big names jump over there. I think there have already been 17 guys that have jumped over, I can't say who they are but there is going to be some big names going over there.”

Meanwhile at Riviera, where both PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour Chief Keith Pelley were on hand as are more VP’s than normal. A Tuesday night Player Advisory Council meeting is on tap, as is some schmoozing of sponsor Genesis, host this week and later this summer in Scotland.

The PGA Tour received a better-than-most endorsement from Colin Morikawa, reigning Open Champion.

Q. It feels like news about the competing Saudi league continues to percolate. As one of the top young players on the PGA TOUR, how are you dealing with all the noise and do you find it sort of distracting?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, it's not distracting. It was a great read, props to you on the Morgan Hoffman thing. I didn't realize how long the article was, but it was a very good read. I've never met Morgan and to learn about something like that was impressive, really meaningful.

But as it goes to the Saudi stuff -- yeah, it was good. As it goes to the Saudi stuff, I'm all for the PGA TOUR. I've been a pro for two and a half years. My entire life I've thought about the

PGA TOUR, I've thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable, but I've never had another thought of what's out there, right? I've never thought about anything else, it's always been the PGA TOUR.

Has it opened up things for us as professional golfers to open up things for the PGA TOUR to look at what to do better? Absolutely. We've seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad, some that are still going to be amended I'm sure as time goes on.

Right now you look at the best players that I see and they're all sticking with the PGA TOUR and that's where I kind of stay and that's where I belong. I'm very happy to be here. I've played I think three events this year, feels like I've played nothing and part of that was designed in the fall to only play two events. But after missing a lot of the West Coast Swing, I decided to go over there and play on the DP World Tour. I miss being out on the PGA

TOUR. I miss seeing these guys, I miss playing out here and I just want to compete against the best in the world and right now that's where it is. I'm very happy, I'm very thrilled to be here.

It's not distracting. I think a lot of other guys are thinking about -- I don't know what they're thinking about, but a lot of guys are probably making the decision what to do, what not. A lot of uncertainties at least from my end. For me, I know I have a place right here, open arms, come out here and let's play some golf.

DeChambeau: "Just another inaccurate report" Regarding His PGA Tour Future

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Reacting to conjecture on the No Laying Up podcast about his PGA Tour future, Bryson DeChambeau denied suggestions he has played his last PGA Tour event.

The speculation about his future has been intense after a recent trip to Saudi Arabia to learn more about its rich culture and to collect a sizable appearance fee. The No Laying Up team suggested that multiple players had been told by DeChambeau that “he is no longer playing on the PGA Tour.”

DeChambeau offered this rebuttal:

SI.com’s Bob Harig shared this from Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau's agent: "Bryson is planning on defending at Bay Hill provided he is healthy enough to compete. The only reason he is not in LA this week is due to his injuries. Any other report is false.”

Last week DeChambeau played down the seriousness of his injuries, blaming them on a fall and not on his much-hyped speed training.

Turns Out, Charley Hoffman Just Really Wanted Attention

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After a sparkling third round 79, sponsor ambassador Charley Hoffman met with media to clarify his various charges against the rules, governing bodies and PGA Tour. It’s quite a bizarre transcript.

While I realize we’re talking about someone who will never be confused as a former Oxford and Cambridge man, a few things become clear after reading Hoffman’s remarks. If you are paired with him, watch him like a hawk. And if this is the best the PGA Tour can do for its Policy Board when all bright hands are needed on deck, the future is not bright.

Q. Things often get sort of lost on social media, so I just wanted to ask what you really meant with the Instagram last night.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: What I meant and what I said, I mean I think I explained it fairly well, but obviously not a huge fan of the USGA and how they govern us all the time.

“Govern us all the time.”

Those pesky rules always in place!

I was under the, or, under the impression that the rule had changed. And I was frustrated when the rule hadn't changed, why it hadn't changed and I think there's some sort of -- I mean obviously we have a PGA TOUR liaison that helps with the USGA and helps in figuring out what the rules should and shouldn't be.

Sounds like someone really doesn’t like playing by the rules.

And it just, it didn't make any sense at that point in time why that rule hadn't changed, especially this exact tournament when it happened to Rickie Fowler, he ended up winning the golf tournament, but it could have cost him the golf tournament.

But as -- and as I told the rules officials last night it's like, everybody says, We're going to change it for the better, we're going to do this and that, we're close or whatever but nothing seems to get done.

Just to be clear, Hoffman had more than one option, chose to drop in the difficult location and is now whining because his ball moved after he placed it. The rules were there to help him in multiple ways, as were the first and second opinions he called in. (The rules staff responded as detailed here.)

And unless you come out on a platform like I did it somewhat influences a change. That's what I meant by the rulings and everything else.

Yes you can really feel the groundswell.

Q. You wrote that you wonder why guys are looking to join another tour. Do you feel like a lack of accountability or a rules issue are why guys --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I think it's a whole, a whole -- everything. You got to look at yourself as a policy board member and look at your self in the face, as I said, what can I do better as a player director, what can the executive committee do, executive directors do better to make sure that we are the best tour in the world.

And if it's -- the PGA TOUR's rewarding us by using social media in their platforms now, but they don't like it when you don't say something that may not be up to their standard. But you're rewarded on it.

Apparently Charley missed the meetings where it was explained that attempts to get attention or negative publicity would not factor into the PIP. Must have been busy reading the Rules of Golf!

I'm by no means trying to win the Player Impact Program, but I wanted to get my point across that there's rules out there in the game of golf that should be changed.

Because Charley doesn’t like them and declined the safer option.

I had no -- I wasn't near the golf ball, I had no intent to hit at the golf ball and the ball moved after I dropped it twice and I have to put it down where the ball landed. I have no control over that, I turn my back and the ball goes in the water. How is that a rule that is good for the game of golf and how we play? I mean, not one person at a country club would have took another penalty for that, why is it, in professional golf, are we doing that? It's not the first time it's happened.

Charley should draw up some Rules his ownself. Really dig in to the literature, the plight of the PGA Tour pro and publish his version of the rules.

So you have to use what I have because obviously what we, what the players have said and our person that sits on their board and sits with them, it hasn't gotten through to them.

And I talked to the USGA last night and hopefully they got the point and hopefully it does change.

What a fun Friday night for that USGA official.

So hopefully a little bit of hard times for me going through this, probably going to catch a ton of crap, will make the game better and I hopefully the PGA TOUR and the policy board and everybody gets together and we keep everybody here and we play in the U.S. the best game of golf in the world and we have the best players play week-in and week-out here in the United States.

Nice recovery there. But uh…

Q. You made a pretty giant leap though going from this rules infraction to, you know --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yes.

Q. -- players --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Strategically.

Q. Yeah?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I, if I just griped about a rule no one probably catches it. No one says anything.

Q. How much thought did you put in --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: A decent amount. So I put a jab in there on purpose just so that the media would catch it.

So clever! What other kinds of bait and switch do you pull?

Q. And Jay Monahan's name too?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: And Jay, yeah, it was "Sorry, Jay", that I was doing this, because I have a great relationship with Jay and I have nothing for admiration about what Jay does for this TOUR and how hard he works.

So it was a "Sorry, Jay" because I know he's going -- this isn't an easy time for the PGA TOUR. So that's why that "Sorry, Jay" that that's why I said we need to do better, we as player directors, as executive directors, commissioners, everybody, we need to do better to make sure we keep everybody here in the U.S.

With you on the case, I’ll take the Saudis and their silly oily money.

Q. You're one of the few players on the policy board. Is the system in place not working?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I think it works really good, but we have, we have a threat. I mean, that's real. I mean, you can't hide under a rock and say it's not.

And I, there's no way that I, it's ever crossed my mind to go over and play for a competitor and -- ever -- and it was never -- if it came across in that Instagram post that I have been reached by them, I have not been reached by them, it came across wrong. I added that so the media would catch it, so I would prove my point on the rules side.

What a chap!

Waste Management must be feeling so good about the endorsement deal. Because he really is a waste of a spot in the tournament.

Bohannan: This Time The Tour Is Listening To Players But In NIL World Is That Enough?

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The Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan considers the latest players v. brass showdown in golf. He highlights some of the differences between the last 1960’s battle the players had with the PGA of America that led to the breakaway PGA Tour and brings up a key point.

While the stakes and issues have changed—no TikTok and NFT’s back then—Bohannan notes that this time the leadership has listened and made adjustments with more money that comes in going out to players. While it’s debatable whether PIP’s and Comcast Biz Solutions Top 10’s do much to make the sport more fan friendly, they have satisfied some players into supporting the PGA Tour model.

However, something else may be driving player thinking (or greed?).

Mickelson’s point is that images of Mickelson, or any player playing in a tour event, are controlled by the PGA Tour. If you want to use a photo of a PGA Tour player for commercial purposes, well, the PGA Tour controls that image, not the player. So the tour has to be paid for use of the image.

That might seem normal, since other sports have similar regulations. But in a day when college athletes are making hundreds of thousands of dollars since the U.S. Supreme Court announced it is the athletes that control their name, image and likeness, should PGA Tour players have the right to control their NIL rights, or is that something the tour must control to operate successfully?

It’s a bizarre conundrum since players want the perks of guaranteed money and more control while remaining independent contractors. But to have the opportunity to profit off their success in new media, it also costs money to put on the show making them NIL-worthy.

Whether Mickelson is an outlier in not having a good sense of this is increasingly unclear. He’s not spoken about how this is about the future and his desire to see the next generation better taken care of, suggesting he’s more interested in short term gain.

But if there are more thinking like him based on the anecdotal NIL situation, this may be the deciding factor for players on the fence about trusting Greg Norman with their future.

PGA Tour Executives Respond To Mickelson...Anonymously

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Golf.com’s James Colgan spoke to multiple PGA Tour executives who took issue with Phil Mickelson’s “obnoxious greed” remarks from that liberal democracy, Saudi Arabia. But at least he signed his name to his opinions even if they suggest he’s only about the money at this point.

A rebuttal was surely warranted given some obvious fibs and exaggerations by Mickelson. Yet not finding one Tour executive willingly going on the record highlights how much the organization is all bluff and no backbone. Given Mickelson’s hostility, the Tour would be well within their rights to push back on the record.

As with giving players waivers to play in Saudi Arabia with almost no meaningful strings, rebutting anonymously only says to the world: Phil was wrong but not wrong enough to sign our names to it.

Regarding the Global Home’s return volleys, Colgan writes:

In conversations with GOLF.com, PGA Tour executives painted a far different picture of the economics of golf’s largest professional tour, characterizing it as a highly successful, multi-billion-dollar business model built around its media-rights deals — and with constituents who’ve largely been content with that structure. (It should also be noted that the Tour operates as a federally registered non-profit, which means though it donates large sums to charity it also is sheltered from paying hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.)

“I’ve never seen anybody be really interested in how we generate the money,” one Tour executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told GOLF.com. “There’s some conversation about it now because, you know, Phil’s making stuff up that’s just not true. But in general, they’re happy that there’s a lot of money that comes from it.”

While it would be tough to call a generational star a liar and sign your name to it, if ever there were a time, it might be when the entire enterprise is facing disruptive forces who will chop you up and incinerate the remains.

Predictably, Mickelson’s assertion that he had to pay $1 million each time to play in The Match was refuted, as it should have been.

As Mickelson rightfully pointed out at the Saudi International, the Tour charges a fee for those who wish to stage a golf telecast outside of the Tour’s media partners, as was the case with The Match. But, the Tour confirmed, Turner Sports paid the $1 million rights fee, not Mickelson himself, as he alleged. It’s even possible Mickelson profited from that rights fee, a Tour source said, because more than half of such fees are added to the revenue pool that the Tour redistributes to players. The same would be true for the Tour’s new Netflix series or any other media-rights deal.

There was also this clear rebuttal to Mickelson’s crypto-craze fueled claim of $20 billion in digital rights for the taking if only the Tour would get out of the way.

“Whatever gets generated goes to the players, the same way all other media rights do,” the executive said. “If we could make $20 billion on it, we would, believe me. But no one’s figured out how to do that exactly just yet.”

And they won’t.

"For Mickelson, actions will speak louder than words"

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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.