If it’s true that Phil Mickelson has been offered eight or nine figures to play golf in the not-so-secret Saudi-backed golf league, then perhaps he should take it.
Go.
The same for Bryson DeChambeau, who is said to have been pushing the new idea which promises life-altering riches but may come with the cost of never playing the PGA Tour again.
Jason Kokrak said he wants to make all the money he can in the shortest amount of time.
If Ian Poulter or Henrik Stenson want to trade a shot at the Ryder Cup captaincy for $30 million plus tournament earnings, that’s their choice. Maybe a person can never have too many Ferraris.
After the noisiest week of conversation about the proposed new golf league, a universal truth has been proven again.
It’s all about the money.
There’s not a non-disclosure agreement that can hide that.
When Mickelson – who has won more than $94 million in PGA Tour prize money not to mention the tens of millions he’s made in endorsements based on his tour success – said in a Golf Digest interview that he’s tired of the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed,” he’s staked out his position.
It’s about the money.
It always is.
That’s why Mickelson wears those sunglasses and why he carries that coffee when he plays. It’s not just about looking cool.
Mickelson has also provided a Merriam-Webster worthy definition of irony.
What we’re being reminded of is golfers aren’t any different than anyone else when it comes to money. They may say the right things about playing for the love of the game and spreading the gospel of golf but they’re in it primarily for themselves.
It’s understandable. It’s the most selfish game.
They love to say they’d tee it up for free. That’s not a choice the best players are forced to make.
Given the choice of six- and seven-figure appearance fees to play the Saudi International or teeing it up with a friend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, one had six of the top 20 players in the world while the other was played on the Monterey Peninsula.
What’s happening now is tacky, as we southerners like to say.
Not because it threatens the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour but because it’s so blatantly about the money. There’s a whole human rights/morality discussion that goes along with the Saudi initiative but the players are looking at the financial opportunity.
They aren’t wrong to weigh their options but is the goal to play in a different place or just play for more money? Will they really be getting more control of what they do? Big-money guarantees come with big promises.
If you’re wondering, 124 players made more than $1 million on the PGA Tour last season. Not a bad work environment.
This is like a contract negotiation in football or basketball. It’s a bottom-line issue.
The PGA Tour is about the money, too. The tour put out a detailed release last year spelling out all the increases that kick in this year as a result of new media rights deals and pressure from players to give them more.
The tour should be rightly proud of the prize money being offered. The Players Championship purse is $20 million this year. The average tournament purse is $9.1 million. The FedEx Cup playoffs are worth $75 million.
There’s a $50 million bonus pool for the 10 most influential players. There’s another $20 million fund awarded to the top-10 performers on the tour. There’s even a $50,000 stipend for players who tee it up 15 times in a season.
Mickelson made it sound like it’s the least the tour can do, saying the Saudi threat has helped by “creating some leverage for players to have a leg to stand on and try to make the work environment better on the PGA Tour.”
This is the same Mickelson who boasted online about winning the $8 million bonus from the Player Impact Program.
It’s also the same Mickelson who did not do interviews at the American Express Championship, where he has been the de facto host, or the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego where he lives.
He did, however, unload on his home tour while in Saudi Arabia last week where he was being paid handsomely to play. Not Phil’s finest moment.
Mickelson complains about the tour controlling the rights to what he does. Just like the NBA, the NFL, MLB and other sports organizations do with their players and Mickelson has skewed his argument with exaggeration and inaccuracies.
Like any other dominant business, the PGA Tour can be made better when it’s pushed to be better. Competition is a good thing and being forced to respond to a perceived threat can strengthen a company. It’s happening with the tour and the players are benefiting, though Mickelson is suggesting it’s too late and not enough.
It will be interesting to see how long the line of players lining up behind him is.
If the Saudi effort is successful – and there’s reason to believe it will be to some degree – it’s because the promise of more money made it happen.
If Mickelson at age 51 believes it’s worth the leap, even if it means not playing on the PGA Tour any more, that’s his decision. It will change his legacy – he damaged it with his comments last week – but he can point to six major championship trophies and say, “Here’s what I did.”
The prospect of being guaranteed $30 million or more – plus winnings in extremely lucrative events – is enough to force a reckoning for players. Not all of them are worth what they’re reportedly being offered but that’s not unique to this.
It’s not just about the money because there is plenty of that on the PGA Tour. It’s about how much money.
And it’s about who values that more than anything else.
Top: Phil Mickelson during the 2022 PIF Saudi International
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