PGA to merge with LIV

[Ben Hollerbach]

Taking the money stopped being evil the day the PGA Tour announced it was taking the PIF money.
Hypocracy of all players died when the righteous, upstanding, organization stooped down to take their share. Even if the deal with the PGA Tour dies, their public willingness in the deal absolved all grief from the players.

[Craig Sweet]

Will the 54 Hole Tour be required to use the "rollback ball"?

[Charlie Goerges]

Taking the money stopped being evil the day the PGA Tour announced it was taking the PIF money.
Hypocracy of all players died when the righteous, upstanding, organization stooped down to take their share. Even if the deal with the PGA Tour dies, their public willingness in the deal absolved all grief from the players.

So taking the money didn't stop being evil, he just found out that both sides were evil. It was not a net increase in evil to take the money anymore.

[Tommy Williamsen]

All this just makes me sad. I loved baseball growing up in New York in the fifties. It was the best place in the country to be a 1950s baseball fan. The 1994 strike did it for me. Baseball lost a fan. I've tried to get excited about major league baseball, but I can't. I don't care anymore. I am beginning to feel the same about professional golf. All this just makes me sad.

[John Kavanaugh]

Adam Silver brought back the NBA. There is hope. Maybe Tiger and Rory could start their own tour.

[Bruce Katona]

JK:

What an idea.....maybe Rory & Tiger can do team golf in the off-season, with spectators, in a controlled environment to eliminate weather conditions?

That's why you earn the big bucks !!

[Bruce Katona]

I read Nancy Armour's Opinion piece in this morning's USA Today; much of which is re-hashed from the last high profile PGA Tour defection.  The facts are the facts and she cited them accurately.


What I find interesting is how someone in the media can pontificate about how this was a sell-out, yadda, yadda yadda.  She's entitled to her opinion and is paid for her work.


I'm thinking, though I could be wrong, that if Newsweek, Reuters, Forbes or the WSJ offered to double or triple her salary to move to a media outlet which is a bit more conservative the USA Today (which is a pretty decent media choice), she'd jump ship as its an advantage to her career and family - I could be incorrect; however.


Anyway, did anyone see the Rick Shiels podcast with Bryson D this week.  Pretty entertaining stuff - obviously Bryson knew what what going on.

[Charlie Goerges]

I read Nancy Armour's Opinion piece in this morning's USA Today; much of which is re-hashed from the last high profile PGA Tour defection.  The facts are the facts and she cited them accurately.


What I find interesting is how someone in the media can pontificate about how this was a sell-out, yadda, yadda yadda.  She's entitled to her opinion and is paid for her work.


I'm thinking, though I could be wrong, that if Newsweek, Reuters, Forbes or the WSJ offered to double or triple her salary to move to a media outlet which is a bit more conservative the USA Today (which is a pretty decent media choice), she'd jump ship as its an advantage to her career and family - I could be incorrect; however.

That would be normal. What would be weird is if she, as a journalist, jumped to a paper owned by someone who kills journalists on the regular.

[Cliff Hamm]

Saudi Arabia did not condemn the attack on Israel by Hamas. This is on top of everything else. Case closed

[Pete_Pittock]

Best chance to get on LIV tour is to play on the Arizona State men's golf team.

[Mike_Trenham]

Wells Fargo will call it after 2024.  Increased purse requirements $9.0mil in 2022 up to $20.0 mil is not sustainable.  Elevated purses keep players and shed sponsors. 


This is worse news for the PGA Tour than the loss of Rahm.

[Rob Marshall]

Wells Fargo will call it after 2024.  Increased purse requirements $9.0mil in 2022 up to $20.0 mil is not sustainable.  Elevated purses keep players and shed sponsors. 


This is worse news for the PGA Tour than the loss of Rahm.

I have no desire to watch either tour at this point. A giant cluster. Not even Erik can fix this. I’ll watch the majors. Nothing else. Not PGA not LIV. Congratulations to the most prolific choker in PGA tour history and a degenerate gambler who thru his friend under the bus in order to avoid Martha Stewart’s old jail cell. Looks like you won.

[Kalen Braley]

Rob,

It doesn't change much for me actually.  I know Rahm is a damn fine player, but I've never been a fan, especially this last season when he seemed to whine and complain about everything in his post round pressers, guess its been weighing on his mind for awhile now. Rahm is a big loss yes, but so was Cameron Smith, DJ, and a few other 'bad boys'.  But the real threat has gotta be Honda and now Wells Fargo pulling out.  That's a big ouch and more will likely follow without some kind of deal.

As it relates to golf, I'll still probably watch what I've been doing for years now.

1) The West Coast Swing - Love the venues and when its 20 outside with 6 inches of snow, its a nice diversion.
2)  Majors
3)  The big events aka the newly elevated events where most of the top 50 world players will in fact still be there.

I tried giving LIV a try, I really did, even watching more than an hour straight one time, but its just not for me due to a laundry list of broadcast, format, and content reasons (much less my issues with ownership and douche bag Norman)

[Edward Glidewell]

The LIV format is the real problem -- even if you ignore any of the Saudi etc. issues, it's not very entertaining. The team aspect is silly and the 54 hole small field events are just kind of boring.


Finau and Hatton apparently about to follow Rahm out of the door, though. I don't think any of these moves, even Rahm, really move the needle in terms of significantly increasing interest in LIV, but they do hurt the PGA Tour in general.


Sponsors pulling out because it's not worth it is a much bigger problem, though. I wonder how much they considered that when creating/promoting the new large purse events; Wells Fargo said they'd have been happy to continue to sponsor at the previous purse but it didn't make sense at the new, significantly higher price point.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Sponsors pulling out because it's not worth it is a much bigger problem, though. I wonder how much they considered that when creating/promoting the new large purse events; Wells Fargo said they'd have been happy to continue to sponsor at the previous purse but it didn't make sense at the new, significantly higher price point.

https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article282736968.html

[Tommy Williamsen]

So now Shohei Ohtani signs for 700 million. It’s all insane.

[Tim_Cronin]

So now Shohei Ohtani signs for 700 million. It’s all insane.

Rahm is going to leave LIV now and go to the Dodgers.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

So now Shohei Ohtani signs for 700 million. It’s all insane.

Baseball isn't the most popular sport in the U.S. (football by a mile and a half), but it's more popular than golf by a large margin. And… that's for ten years, with a lot of it deferred.

[William_G]

Rory would from the Pga Tour if he had won the Masters

[Craig Sweet]

And there is this.....


https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/dec/10/saudi-arabia-lacks-community-and-political-dignity-to-be-a-global-football-hub

[Tim Martin]

So now Shohei Ohtani signs for 700 million. It’s all insane.

The initial reporting on Rahm was he was going to sign for $600 million. After the deal was inked and made public that number dropped to $500 million. This morning I read that it’s actually $300 million. Although still a gigantic number it now appears to be half of what the media outlets were originally saying. Finally I wish I could unsee the photo of a smiling Jon Rahm and Greg Norman.

[Mark_Fine]

The world and now golf is going through some rough divisive times.  I try to remain optimistic and hopeful that this me first attitude will cycle quickly with not too much more damage.  I no longer watch professional golf unless it is played on a course I have some interest in seeing and even then I rarely tune in. Sad

[Rob Marshall]

So now Shohei Ohtani signs for 700 million. It’s all insane.

The initial reporting on Rahm was he was going to sign for $600 million. After the deal was inked and made public that number dropped to $500 million. This morning I read that it’s actually $300 million. Although still a gigantic number it now appears to be half of what the media outlets were originally saying. Finally I wish I could unsee the photo of a smiling Jon Rahm and Greg Norman.

What kind of money are they offering to Finau and Hatton? They aren't moving any TV needles. I would really like to know why Rahm flipped on his previous position. "Growing the game" is getting old.

[John Foley]

Watched a bit of the Grant Thornton yesterday and today. Very enjoyable. Got me thinking, I love playing golf, reading and watching golf. Not sure I really care who's playing on the tube though. If Jon Rahm next popped up on any match I turn on I wont miss him. Haven't missed Phil, DJ or Cam Smith either. I'd watch Denny McCarthy, Celine Boutier or Steve Alker if they were on. Still give me enjoyment. If Jon Rahm wants to go play for the circus money, do we really care? He'll be at Augusta in April and Pinehurst in June. I hope he's battle tested and ready and if he's not who cares.


In the end the game will endure. We'll get out and play, enjoy the course and our companions.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Watched a bit of the Grant Thornton yesterday and today. Very enjoyable. Got me thinking, I love playing golf, reading and watching golf. Not sure I really care who's playing on the tube though. If Jon Rahm next popped up on any match I turn on I wont miss him. Haven't missed Phil, DJ or Cam Smith either. I'd watch Denny McCarthy, Celine Boutier or Steve Alker if they were on. Still give me enjoyment. If Jon Rahm wants to go play for the circus money, do we really care? He'll be at Augusta in April and Pinehurst in June. I hope he's battle tested and ready and if he's not who cares.

I think you're in the minority on that one John. I think most like seeing the best players playing against each other somewhat often (or seeing them at all, which we don't on LIV).