ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND | What my colleague John Hopkins calls “golf’s civil war,” the escalating dispute between the PGA Tour and the upstart LIV Golf, was front and center at the Open Championship here last week.
On day one of championship week, news broke that the U.S. Department of Justice had opened an investigation into PGA Tour rules and the possibility of anticompetitive behavior. The investigation began in June, but The Wall Street Journal broke the news on July 11. It is understood that notice of the investigation also was sent to the U.S. Golf Association, the PGA of America and Augusta National Golf Club.
The PGA Tour acknowledged the existence of the investigations, saying in a statement, “This was not unexpected. We went through this in 1994, and we are confident in a similar outcome.” The tour views this as harassment rather than a serious legal threat.
Days later, it was revealed that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, questioned the timing of the news of the investigation in a letter to President Joe Biden. “I am concerned about whether members of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, or any other member of your administration, was involved in the investigation recently being made public. I also have questions about whether your administration had any contact with the Saudi Arabian government about the investigation, either before it opened or afterwards.” This came on the eve of Biden’s trip to the Middle East, including a stop in Saudi Arabia.
Golf’s civil war has now become geopolitical. And highly personal.
On the Saturday before Open week, the R&A disclosed that LIV Golf frontman Greg Norman, a two-time Open winner, had been uninvited to the Celebration of Champions, the four-hole exhibition that took place on Monday. “In response to enquiries regarding the R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions’ Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion,” the R&A said in a statement. “The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf, and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the championship and its heritage. Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend. We hope that when circumstances allow, Greg will be able to attend again in future.”
Norman, who won the Claret Jug in 1986 and 1993, also was not invited to the Champions’ Dinner on Tuesday. Norman called the slight “petty” despite the fact that he chose not to participate in the first playing of the champions event in 2015 at St. Andrews.
In a similar vein, Phil Mickelson, the 2013 Open champion, was “encouraged” not to participate in either event. He relented and was, for the most part, an invisible man in St. Andrews. He shot 72-77 to miss the cut and left town quietly.
It was a rough public-relations week for LIV Golf. Jack Nicklaus, in town to receive honorary citizenship in St. Andrews, reaffirmed his opposition to what LIV Golf is trying to do. He was joined, somewhat forcefully, by fellow Open champions Rory McIlroy, again, and Tiger Woods.
At his traditional Wednesday pre-Open news conference, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers did not mince any words.
“I believe the model we’ve seen at the Centurion and Pumpkin Ridge is not in the best long-term interests of the sport as a whole and is entirely driven by money,” said Slumbers, noting the sites of LIV Golf’s first two events. “We believe it undermines the merit-based culture and the spirit of open competition that makes golf so special. I would also like to say that in my opinion the continued commentary that this is about growing the game is just not credible and, if anything, is harming the perception of our sport which we are working so hard to improve.”
Several interesting facts were uncovered during a week in which the leadership of the global game assembled:
- A popular notion advanced by some associated with LIV Golf is that the entity does not have to make a profit. That is not true.
Regarding the involvement of the Saudis’ Public Investment Fund, capital is required to generate a return on investment, in financial terms. Current lavish spending might be akin to early-stage venture-capital investment, but at some point, the business has to become financially viable. That will require a global media-rights deal, corporate sponsorship, and the vague notion of revenue created by team ownership.
- There has been confusion as well as a bit of disinformation about LIV purses and player contracts. Each of the 48 players has a different deal with LIV. Some have guaranteed contracts and tournament earnings are above and beyond the contract guarantee. But others effectively got an advance, and tournament earnings don’t become cash earned until the contract guarantee is earned back. When a lesser-regarded player such as Pat Perez says he made $900,000 for his T29 finish and team victory in his LIV Golf debut at Pumpkin Ridge, chances are his bank balance didn’t move all that much.
- The name Mark King was on many industry leaders’ lips. King, who has been CEO of Taco Bell since 2019, had a nearly four-decade career in the golf-equipment industry, culminating with a 12-year stint as CEO of TaylorMade Golf. King is a passionate and skilled golfer who has inspired great loyalty among those who have worked for him. What role he might fill at LIV remains to be seen, but he is not one to play second fiddle to anyone.
There was a sense among the game’s leadership that compromise was out there, and certainly there were plenty of rumors about what that compromise would look like. A prerequisite, most agreed, was that Norman would have to depart. Hence, the credence of the King rumor.
- A previously scheduled board meeting of the Official World Golf Ranking took place last week, and though some observers expected news related to LIV Golf, that was not planned. The only news was that LIV, which sponsors 54-hole, no-cut events compared with the major pro tours’ standard 72-hole tournaments with no guaranteed money, finally had applied to receive points. This application first must go to the technical committee, and then to the board. There is no timetable for this, and the board could require the new pro circuit, which made its debut June 9 in England, to prove viability over a 12-month period. This will cause LIV players to see their rankings plummet and jeopardize their ability to play in the major championships if they are not otherwise eligible.
Expect to see the OWGR as a central part of the DOJ investigation and any legal action LIV might choose to advance.
Welcome to pro golf’s civil war. It is tarnishing the game, supporting a narrative of wealthy, privileged athletes making greedy decisions. It is harming institutions, destroying reputations, chasing corporate sponsors out, and confusing consumer golf fans. It is creating camps – PGA Tour vs. LIV – and threatening friendships.
This madness has got to stop before the damage worsens and becomes irreparable.
Top: The R&A's Martin Slumbers gives his pre-tournament press conference before the Open Championship.
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