PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA | In the moment, it’s often difficult to gauge the long-term impact of potentially transformative events.
No one likely imagined the world-changing effect of Alexander Graham Bell saying, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you” into the first telephone, but here we are, phones having grown into new appendages for people.
Exactly what the PGA Tour’s multibillion-dollar agreement with the Strategic Sports Group means still feels more conceptual than concrete.
It was immediately hailed as an investment that will make the PGA Tour better across the board, though it wasn’t able to shield Pebble Beach from the sheets of rain that soaked the seaside during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and dampened some of the week’s natural charm.
“It’s going to be used to better everything: better the fan experience, to better our product, to better our social media, better our membership. It’s a total restructure, if you will,” said Justin Thomas, who conceded that he didn’t know all details of the deal.
For that kind of money – an initial investment of $1.5 billion with another $1.5 billion available down the line – it had better make things better.
But what exactly does “better” mean?
Everyone made their own choices, and there are some who were never approached by LIV who will be rewarded by being in the right place at the right time.
It’s not certain to end the game’s civil war between the tour and LIV Golf. It might eventually, if the leaders of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund are willing to share minority-investor status with the group of pro franchise owners who now have a piece of the tour’s soul.
There’s a chance, however, that it keeps the two sides apart, and what many want more than anything – a reunification of the game’s best players – may be no closer than it was before the SSG papers were signed.
The immediate winners in this deal are tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who probably secured his long-term future with the tour by getting this to the finish line, and the players who will have an equity share in their own organization, the one they tacitly operated until the Saudi threat arrived and they grabbed the steering wheel.
Whether the players who stayed with the PGA Tour deserve a bonus for doing so, they’re getting one. As Rory McIlroy has said more than once, everyone made their own choices, and there are some who were never approached by LIV who will be rewarded by being in the right place at the right time.
The very thing that has created this mess in professional golf – gobs and gobs of money – is still at the center of everything. The reality is the PGA Tour needed the money, and now that it has that, it can decide whether it needs or wants the Saudi money and influence.
The tour said in a statement that discussions are continuing with the PIF while Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, said in a note to players that the investment is great for the game and his organization is focused on its third season, which began last week.
The SSG deal may not have eliminated the threat of LIV Golf poaching more players in the future if there is no deal, but it did secure the PGA Tour’s financial future – no small step.
Is it better for the fans?
“That’s the number one priority, as far as I’m concerned,” said Adam Scott, one of six players on the Policy Board. “There have been nice things happening for the players now and happening for the players in the future that’s unique in professional sports. But ultimately no one will benefit from any of that if the fans aren’t excited to keep watching the best golf tournaments in the world.”
Figuring out how to make it better for the fans is a critical next step because there has been a growing fatigue with the noise and movement over the past two years – and don’t even bring up the number of commercials on weekend telecasts.
Finding ways to get the top players together more often remains an essential element of enhancing the product.
The SSG consortium is made up of owners and leaders who understand how to maximize their products. It’s not unreasonable for them to demand the players do more – spend more time with fans, commit to playing more tournaments and understand that golf remains a niche sport that has somehow found a way to reward its best players as if they are Patrick Mahomes despite drawing 1/50th of the viewers.
That should come with strings attached. Entitlement has crept into the pro game, and it is a turnoff. The investors didn’t get into this to be philanthropic. They will expect a return and should be proactive even if not every idea is a stroke of genius.
There is a Pollyanna scenario in which the SSG deal leads to reunification in the pro game. In reality, there are only a handful of players on LIV whose absence is felt on the PGA Tour. Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, the old version of Dustin Johnson and perhaps Joaquín Niemann.
The rest are past their primes or never had a prime.
Should it get to the point where there is an agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, there is still the question about how to treat the players who left.
“It’s certainly mixed on how players feel about that,” Policy Board member Jordan Spieth said.
“As far as decisions to go elsewhere and just welcome back, I don’t think it’s a direct road. I mean, they made decisions and … there has to be something for it.”
Rickie Fowler
McIlroy has taken the stance of peacemaker, suggesting those who left should be allowed to return with no penalty.
“I think it’s hard to punish people,” McIlroy said.
He may be in the minority among his peers.
“As far as decisions to go elsewhere and just welcome back, I don't think it’s a direct road,” Rickie Fowler said. “I mean, they made decisions and … there has to be something for it. Whether how small or big, that’s not up to me.”
For decades, the PGA Tour has been a shining light in pro sports. It hasn’t been perfect, but it has defined the sport, given billions to charity and been the aspirational goal of players and fans alike.
Its existence challenged like never before, the tour found a way to push through. The tour appeared to be operating from a position of weakness for a time, but the new deal has returned the tour to a position of strength.
Where it goes from here is the billion-dollar question.
Top: Jay Monahan (left), shown sealing a deal with Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry, may have secured his long-term future with the PGA Tour.
CHRIS CONDON, PGA TOUR VIA GETTY IMAGES