So it looks like it's happening. For real.

Phil is in. DJ is in. Some journeymen, scrubs, international "veterans", and up and coming rookies are in. A few others like Young Rickie are rumored.

Tiger Woods reportedly turned down high nine figures to turn to the dark side.

Let's talk about LIV Golf here and keep the PGA Tour thread pristine for those who don't ever want to think or read about this crap.

Interesting move by DJ imo resigning from the PGA Tour. Guess he decided not to pick a fight over freedom to play, he'll just pocket his 100+ million and play LIV.

The interviews are pathetic, and those team names make the whole thing look really amateur.

Lol. Looks like Nicklaus had designs on getting involved. His own company sued him over it.

It is one thing to put your principles aside for money if you are broke and don’t have anything. But JFC, when you already have all the money you will ever need, it’s just gross.

Why get upset that guys took the bag? People quit their jobs everyday to make more money, All the power to them.

USGA decides to accept LIV players who qualified for US Open to play next week @ Brookline. I think there is a total of 11 players in that group.

I don't know how USGA could have done anything different (this year at least), without being accused of collusion w/ PGA Tour. R&A probably follows suit.

Let's see what ANGC does with their invites in 2023. They observe the right to invite (or not invite) anybody they want, and they likely have the reserves to put up a court fight if necessary. But I'm guessing the chance they don't invite players otherwise qualified at < 10%.

PGA Tour might be relying on OWGR to not rate LIV events so that those players eventually get phased out of major competition, except lifetime exemptions of course.

The Nicklaus thing is related to business matters in which Nicklaus is accused of failing to deliver on terms of a deal he made with Nicklaus Companies, including alleged negotiations with the Saudi investment fund sponsoring LIV.

Patrick Reed

I recently quit my job and took a new one for a lot more money. But as far as I know, the people I'm working for haven't killed anyone and chopped them up, or throw people off of roofs.

I don't think anyone is upset about players getting paid. But it matters to (at least some) people who it is that is making the payment.

Yeah, I agree that the USGA had no other option. To turn away qualified players would make a mockery of the "Open" designation. The R&A will be the same for this year at least.


Going forward, I think they tweak their exemption criteria. LIV players may have to get in through qualifying.

Reed and DeChambro the names of the day moving to LIV, though the story I skimmed said Bryson isn't resigning from the PGA Tour.

Literally no one cares about "who is making the payment" 99% of the time. Just pearl clutching.

I agree that this is the world that we live in.

I'd say in the 1% is "I don't want the biggest professional league in the sport I love being literally owned by the ****ing Saudi Government"

I find that to be an odd take.

The real issue is that a single person can easily convince themselves that their decision won't make a difference either way... so why not take the money. For example DJ could say, if I turn down $150 million, will that somehow make any difference in how the Saudi Arabian regime acts towards women, gays, reporters, etc.? Almost certainly it won't, so may as well take the money.

So in the end there is no reason to turn it down other than your own moral compass about who you will do business with.

Hard disagree.

We live in an era where pearl clutching is the rule for a meaningful percentage of the population, not the exception. See, e.g., twitter.

Eh maybe. If it's advertised by media people start to care.

Or maybe it's just the advertisers and pga are in bed with espn so they are pushing the narrative a bit more than how some pga sponsor uses defacto slave labor.

Could also see some backlash being the same feelings against the soccer super league.

Espn says dechambaeu jumping. Sounds like pga needs to strike a deal soon.

Yeah, no one with a straight face can act like this is a "normal" instance of someone just "taking the money." There are certainly degrees of "bad corporations" or what have you, but on the end of spectrum where yeah, people might actually care and judge where the money is coming from, is when it's an entity who literally murdered and dismembered a journalist. If you think that's fine and the money is worth overlooking that, then just say that, don't like this is a normal situation. It's the framing from those in support that irks me more than the fact it's happening. Grow a pair and just say you don't care because it's so much damn money.

Nothing in Capitalism or life is ever going to be 100% morally approved.

There's a difference between buying goods from a company that uses questionable labor practices and supporting a Nation State that is decades behind on basic rights for women and a fundamental right to justice and freedom.

Basically this. At some point we all make decisions on what we are OK with or ignore. Everybody does it.

It's also OK to have an opinion about people and what they do or accept.

From a Youtube channel I regularly watch, Has been asked to do stuff with the tournament I think and gets to do his own content,

I don't agree with what the Saudis do or have done at all. But this big push that anyone that plays on the LIV has no morals is BS. A bunch of big banks got caught laundering money for Mexican drug cartels. Those banks still sponsor PGA events and players, how come no one questions those morals? What about events in China?

Twitter is full of pearl clutchers but in regards to being a meaningful representation of the population it's not at all (imo). It's just one giant echo chamber.

Add in the US govt deals with the Saudis and let's not forget Tiger took appearance fees to play there.
NBA and Hollywood are owned by China

I'm hardly a fan of the Saudis, but I am a big golf fan and am very curious about this tour. I will be watching. I think overall Norman has done a great job getting it going and
those who mock the field, mock the team names, mock the format are really the lackeys.

Sure there are going to be issues, but I am interested see how the team concept works. I like seeing some of the different locations and lesser known Asian players.

The product the PGA puts out is so moldy and shopworn. Where is the drama in the endless cookie cutter 72 hole John Deere Opens, tiresome (Damon) hacks and hour
after hour of the grating Brandel Chamblee reliving his 42nd place finish in the Milwaukee Open thirty years ago?

When all you have to fight back with is intimidation and banning the players for life, you have to wonder.

Money talks, BS walks.