I'm surprised that only Phil Mickelson has had his reputation tarnished and not Greg Norman who is spearheading the Saudi Tour against the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour wears its meritocracy on its sleeve. Like any number of capitalist enterprises, it likes markets sans strong competition. And similar to other sports organizations, the Tour benefits from its reach into countries all over the world, some whose ruling classes and societies make the Saudis look rather benign in comparison.
To me, the severe reprisals to Lefty's comments had a lot more to do with sending a message to would-be competitors than a concern for the afflicted people of Saudi Arabia. Golf at all levels is monetized by a small segment of people who, like us, love the game. Some of these have achieved a lifestyle near par with the players they supposedly serve. I can see how the prospect of a new league drawing some of the stars- independent contractors, so they say- can generate an extreme response, merit be damned. Maybe Norman is seen by the Tour bureaucracy as someone not to mess with.