Saudi-Backed "Super League" In Offer Mode, PGA Tour Commish Vows Possible Expulsion
/Ewan Murray revealed the latest edition of a proposed upstart tour, this time fully backed by Golf Saudi proposing largely the same Premier Golf League proposal they invested in. This time the lucrative proposal comes minus the Raine Group, without much prospect of Tiger Woods able to play soon, and follow the Super League football debacle.
Oh, and Golf Saudi is backed by a Crown Prince who sports plenty of irredeemable qualities.
That said, the updated stories report on a rebuttal from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan vowing immediate suspension and possible expulsion.
A few things of note from Murray:
The PGA Tour, though, is unmoved. Monahan articulated to players that he will fiercely abide by regulations that protect the PGA Tour membership, which guard against those trying to cause fiscal or reputational harm to the organisation. Anyone signing up with the Saudis will straight away lose PGA Tour status.
Despite reports elsewhere, the Guardian understands players do not yet have contracts and offer letters signed by the Saudis. The brief delay to that scenario has been linked in part to the ESL debacle. When the paperwork does become formal, leading players will be offered equity in the new tour. In what has been likened by one individual with understanding of the negotiations to a football transfer, there will also be huge signing on fees as incentives.
Going through the contracts, crossing out “Premier” and “Super”?
The PGA Tour is well aware the Saudis have been on a Florida-based recruitment drive for a concerted period but has stressed to its own players the lack of solid proposals in relation to tournaments or media deals. There were no questions from the floor on the Saudi scheme, let alone any of the ructions speculated upon elsewhere, after Monahan’s wide-ranging speech.
No questions?
I remain intrigued by the team concept and other elements, but it’s hard not to wonder about this:
The two-times Open champion Greg Norman is believed to be among those advising the Saudis. Norman’s spokesperson offered no comment when approached.
The Telegraph’s James Corrigan broke a similar story not long after Murray’s and included several details worth filing away, including possible $30 million offers for Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose.
While the majority considered the Premier Golf League to be dead in the water after significant Tour efforts to kill the idea, Telegraph Sport can reveal that formal offers worth $30m to $50m up front are being mulled over by 11 players, including - alongside Johnson and Rose - Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler.
Phil Mickelson has purportedly been offered $100m as the de facto head of the rebels.
Corrigan also says the Saudis want replies quickly with a September Ryder Cup looming. But if the PGA Tour and European Tour are serious about suspensions, Corrigan said word of participation might have consequences.
That means this affair could even affect the Ryder Cup in September and, if that was the case, the Kingdom, in its ever increasing mission to ‘sportswash' its reputation, could see the plan badly backfire.
“This will all kick off in the next few weeks, starting with this meeting tonight,” a source told Telegraph Sport. “It will be fascinating to hear how aggressive Monahan was with his language to the big names. The Saudis believe the Tour can’t expel members and it could end up in a big legal fight.”
Maybe that’s why he stuck to possible expulsion. Good call, legal team!
Rex Hoggard added this from the player’s mandatory meeting where Monahan spoke.
According to one player who attended the meeting, Monahan said he was not aware of any communication between officials with the Super Golf League and any of the major championships or various media companies that might be included in a new broadcast agreement.
Then again, technology allows for the easy launch of a streaming deal and those deals only come with enough recognizable names.
