The PGA Tour Thread

Cosmo Kramer · 22-02-2022 2:12pm

McGee in a 16 man playoff for one place in the Honda Classic.

Birdies the first hole of the playoff, but another golfer makes eagle so he's gone.

PGA Tour golf is a tough slog for non card holders.

Shank Williams · 22-02-2022 7:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666020#Comment_118666020

Where it comes from is that Phil needs to cover his nut, he’s a degenerate gambler and needs the cashflow

Motivator · 22-02-2022 8:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118674581#Comment_118674581

Would you stop. $102m in prize money earnings, about 18 - 20% of that is deferred so he’ll get it when he retires. Add in his endorsements and his investments and he’s worth close to $400m all in. He might be a gambler (and investor off insider knowledge) but in absolutely no way shape or form is he in need of cash. He might want more, but he certainly doesn’t need it.

Motivator · 22-02-2022 8:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118672835#Comment_118672835

Those Monday qualifiers are absolute bear pits. Can’t remember what tournament it was last year but a guy shot 64 (-8) in one of the early tee times in the Monday qualifiers. There were 1 or 2 spots up for grabs. With 10 groups remaining on the course he was leading by a couple of shots so changed his flights and booked accommodation for the tournament proper. Got on to his manager and organised himself for the pro-am. At close of play in the qualifier he wasn’t in the top 7. Missed out altogether. Imagine shooting bogey free -8 and NOT getting into the tournament? The standard is ridiculous in the USA.

Why more players aren’t following the Koepka model is beyond me. Any of those American lads that are playing consistently well on the Korn Ferry would win on the European Tour. I was at one of the bigger Korn Ferry events in 2019 and a few weeks later was at the Irish Open. The gulf in class was so evident you wouldn’t believe it.

eagle eye · 22-02-2022 8:59pm

Mickelson was estimated to be worth $400+ million last year. He has a bunch of business investments.

Shank Williams · 22-02-2022 9:12pm

needed to engage in insider trading to try and pay off gambling debts in 2012

eagle eye · 22-02-2022 9:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118675195#Comment_118675195

Have you a link to that?

Mantis Toboggan · 22-02-2022 10:14pm

Apparently his pension is worth millions also but was willing to walk away from it all. That's his legacy ruined.

Shank Williams · 22-02-2022 10:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118675232#Comment_118675232

https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/phil-mickelson-paid-vegas-businessman-nearly-2-million-gambling-debt/amp/

SeeMoreBut · 22-02-2022 10:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118675232#Comment_118675232

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/15608179/phil-mickelson-not-charged-sec-allegedly-profiting-insider-stock-tip

not charged but still. If he was innocent why pay back

22-02-2022 10:24pm

Statement from Mickelson. Going to spend some time in the box Rory put him back in to reflect on things.

SeeMoreBut · 22-02-2022 10:29pm

Same Phil who stuck a knife in Tom Watson back after a Ryder cup. Phil’s record in Ryder cup isn’t something that he can tell others what they’re doing wrong

Shank Williams · 23-02-2022 12:19am

Great news for golf fans- one less also ran yank for them to keep cutting to on pga coverage

Motivator · 23-02-2022 1:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118676084#Comment_118676084

Ah to be fair to him, up until last week the man was a legend. He’s obviously a clown personally and thought higher of himself than other players and the Tour did. He’s past his best and past it by a number of years but he’s still capable of magic as we saw in the PGA.

His legacy is ruined in America, I won’t be letting what’s going on at the minute reflect badly on how good a player he was in his prime.

CMcsporty · 23-02-2022 1:07pm

It's been a masterclass in self sabotage when you consider it was only 9 months ago he was walking up the 18th at Kiawah with the crowd and the golfing world eating out of his hand.

It's ego and greed out of control. It happens to allot of these guys. Everyone telling them they are the great man etc..

I always thought of him as David Simms.

I must say it's focused my attention on the events played in SA over the last few years. Only a few wks ago these players turned up at "PIF powered by SoftBank investment advisors":

Phil, Bryson, DJ, Reed, Na, Bubba, Finau, Xander, Casey (Mr U-Turn UNICEF), Sergio, Poulter, Westwood, Fleetwood and unfortunately McDowell and Lowry.

Lowry a few weeks ago: “Look, obviously there’s no hiding from the people writing about this tournament or what they’re saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I’m not a politician, I’m a professional golfer.

“I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there.”

I would be the first to castigate McIlroy if he played the event and came out with that guff. Big fan of Shane but he really doesn't need to play that event to earn a living...and to play the family card...give us a break! I will be interested to see if he takes any Qs about it this wk.

Weepsie · 23-02-2022 1:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118676378#Comment_118676378

Americans will probably forget in about 2 weeks. They idolise all sorts of dickhead over there (and these shores too) because of their sporting prowess and are willing to overlook all sorts of **** human behaviour.

It's often glamourised and used to sell the celebrity and it's lapped up.

Motivator · 23-02-2022 10:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118677787#Comment_118677787

Lowry is worth about €25m he’s got no worries when it comes to providing for his family but I admire his honesty. He’s dead right.

I might get castigated for this one but Lowry is another Simms type character I feel. It just because he drinks Guinness and wears an Offaly jersey that he gets away with it I think. I wasn’t in his company one night but I was very very close to it and I was a bit surprised at what I saw. Would be unfair of me to go into the details as I could have just caught him having a bad day which we’re all entitled to have. I dunno though, the phrase “too sweet to be wholesome” comes to mind.

Money makes the world go round don’t forget that. I’ll be honest, if I was in the position to go and play for 4 days in Saudi Arabia I would go in a heartbeat for the type of money these guys earn. Deep down, they couldn’t give a toss about where the money comes from or the human rights record in that country. McIlroy to be fair has stood his ground for a long time on it and Lowry was being honest about why he played it so I’ll give him credit for that.

Trampas · 24-02-2022 8:55am

Norman out again saying legally the pga tour can’t do anything.

Its the provide to family that annoys people. These are millionaires talking like they’re on industrial average wage. Nobody forces them to splash the cash with first or private flights.

houses costing a fortune. They choose to do it.

Good to see golf back on east coast. Something to keep an eye on during the day

Innish_Rebel · 24-02-2022 10:10am

I would have been one who was very disappointed with Lowery going to Saudi event this year - but he has added some clarification:

"I signed a deal after The Open in 2019 to play three years in a row when the Saudi International was a European Tour event,” he said. “It just so happens that my deal ran into this year, and I had to play this year as well, so that’s the reason I was there"

Doesn't absolve him fully in my eyes but does at least offer a better explanation as to why he went this year...

eirman · 24-02-2022 2:08pm

https://www.sportbusiness.com/2022/02/they-are-not-scared-saudi-breakaway-league-continues-to-cast-shadow-over-pga-tour/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=London+AM_2022-02-24

“They are not scared” | Saudi breakaway league continues to cast shadow over PGA Tour

Bob Williams, US office

February 24, 2022

The proposed Saudi-backed super league has proven a dangerous distraction to the PGA Tour in recent weeks (Credit: Getty Images)

Koepka and Fowler both deny McIlroy’s claims that LIV Golf project is “dead in the water”
Threat of rival tour likely to spark change, including increased prize funds and more defined offseason
Monahan says PGA Tour has “zero complacency” despite players spurning Saudi advances

Despite an increasing number of leading golfers having spurned the advances of the Greg Norman-led LIV Golf Investments, the proposed Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway league continues to cast a large shadow over the PGA Tour.

The main topic of conversation at every recent PGA Tour event, including at this week’s Honda Classic at PGA National in South Florida, has been the so-called Super Golf League.

For major stars such as Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka, and Rickie Fowler, as well as lesser-known players such as Matt Jones and Joaquin Niemann, it is a subject that has come up in every press conference, whether they want to talk about it or not.

And with Phil Mickelson having fanned the flames with highly controversial comments that have so far cost him two sponsorship deals, with perhaps more to come, it remains a huge distraction for the PGA Tour, which is eager to put an end to the issue and move on.

“All this talk about the [Saudi] league and about money has been distracting to our players, our partners, and most importantly our fans,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told the Associated Press.

At a players’ meeting at PGA National this week, Monahan reiterated his stance that any player who signs with LIV Golf would not be welcomed back. “I told the players we’re moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision,” he said.

After Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau joined the likes of Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Koepka in pledging their futures to the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy went so far as declaring the Saudi project “dead in the water.”

Not so fast, said four-time major champion Koepka. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Honda Classic, the American said he believes that some players will still “sell out” and join LIV Golf despite the intense backlash that Mickelson has endured.

“I think it’s [the Saudi league] still going to keep going,” Koepka said. “I think there will still be talk. I think – everyone talks about money. They’ve got enough of it. I don’t see it backing down; they can just double up and they’ll figure it out. They’ll get their guys. Somebody will sell out and go to it.”

Fowler, the former world No. 4 player, agreed that the Super Golf League is not going away any time soon.

He was speaking from a position of real insight, having previously played in an Abu Dhabi pro-am tournament with Majed Al Sorour, the Saudi Golf Federation chief executive, and His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

“I don’t see it going away. They are not scared about the situation,” Fowler told reporters. “It’s been interesting to learn the ins and outsides of both sides but it has been an interesting week or so.”

‘There is zero complacency here’

Monahan emphasized that the PGA Tour is focused on “legacy, not leverage”, and that while LIV Golf may potentially be able to offer vast sums of money, it cannot compete with the history and tradition of the PGA Tour.

This, he noted, was most recently shown by Niemann last week receiving the Genesis Invitational trophy from tournament host Tiger Woods, the Chilean’s idol growing up.

Nonetheless, the creation of the Super Golf League could ultimately spark meaningful change in the PGA Tour that would benefit the players going forwards.

“Do I think the PGA Tour is the best place to play currently? Yes. Do I think it could get better? Yes,” Fowler said.

When asked by SportBusiness how he thinks the PGA Tour could improve, Fowler responded: “It doesn’t necessarily have to do with money. I won’t go into details but stuff has been mentioned. I’ve met with Jay and he’s sitting down and meeting with players continuously over the weeks.”

Among the issues reportedly brought up at this week’s players’ meeting include a restructured fall schedule among top players to have a more defined offseason and an extended break that will not punish their world rankings position; more transparency as far as the PGA Tour’s financials and dealings; and increased prize funds, with the Players Championship will likely rise from $20m (€18m) to $25m by 2025.

The prize funds have already begun to be addressed, with the PGA Tour last fall detailing sharply increased purses during 2022.

Norman has already gone on a preemptive attack, sending a memo to players and agents that questioned the PGA Tour’s ability to ban players.

“In our view and in the eyes of the law, the PGA Tour’s threats are utterly impermissible under competition and other laws,” Norman wrote. “None of us should stand for these egregious acts of bullying by the PGA Tour.”

Monahan certainly does not feel that the Saudi threat is over.

“There is zero complacency here,” he said. “We will continue to talk to the players and continue to listen.”

Mantis Toboggan · 24-02-2022 2:23pm

Would like to see the PGL trialled, think it has potential.

The Big Easy · 24-02-2022 3:13pm

I feel sorry for Phil in all this. I think most fans have the wrong end of the stick when it comes to why Phil is losing his sponsorship. It's not because he was was willing to do business with the Saudis but that he called them "scary bast#$%s". Saudi Arabia is a very important ally of the US and it's major companies have a lot of business and interests there. This is the reason KPMG and Workday are cutting Phil loose.

If he hadn't referred to Khashoggi and disparaged the Saudis generally he won't be in any trouble other than his current PGA Tour sanction (I know nothing official, but Phil's not taking a "break" with the Players and Masters around the corner).

Let's face it, they're all pretty greedy, the PGA Tour is not innocent in this, they've cannibalised the European Tour and continually play events in Asia seeking to hoover up all the sponsorship money on offer over there.

From a selfish perspective I'll be sad not to see Phil at Augusta.

Deeper Blue · 25-02-2022 7:10pm

Sad to see Matt Wolff propping up the field at the Honda, +17 and six shots worse off than the guy in second last.

It looked like he was coming back into form a few months back, hopefully it's just a shocker of a week and not his mental health issues returning.

Dr. Bre · 25-02-2022 7:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118693000#Comment_118693000

Ye I mentioned on another thread he was runner up to Bryson in 2020 US Open . Also the PGA that year he went well also - morikawa won that . Hopefully he can find form again !