LIV Golf (Saudi PIF), "Mergers," and More

[dsc123]

Listened to a recent NLU podcast today.  They say rumors are that the PGL are floating $200m to $250m to Tiger.  They didn't say over what term, but that's double his lifetime tour winnings.  They also said the scuttlebutt is that the PGL has $1B in cash ready to back this. 

Of course, none of this is confirmed. 

[iacas]

Let's revive discussion here, as it's been in the news the last day or two.

First, the PGA says PGL players will not be eligible for the PGA Championship or Ryder Cup.

PGA Championship 2021: PGL, SGL players won't be allowed in Ryder Cup, PGAs | Golf News and Tour Information | Golf Digest

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Speaking Tuesday ahead of this week’s PGA Championship at the Ocean Course, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh was unequivocal in his organization’s stance against the proposed upstarts Premier Golf...

They'd ban people because PGA membership (class A) is granted to members of a recognized Tour.

Quote

The PGA Tour has notified its players that those who join the PGL or SGL will likely face a suspension or ban from the tour. Those penalties, at least for American players, will extend into the PGA of America’s jurisdiction.

“If someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the U.S., they're going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the tour,” Waugh said. “I believe the Europeans feel the same way, and so I don't know that we can be more clear than that.

“It's a little murkier in our championship, but to play, from a U.S. perspective, you also have to be a member of the tour and the PGA of America to play in our championship, and we don't see that changing.”

Premier Golf League: Revolutionary £250m series scheduled to begin in 2023 - BBC Sport

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The man behind the Premier Golf League and his $20bn backers are "ready to go" with their new 18-event series and are planning talks with the PGA and European Tours this summer.

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BBC Sport has learned that the Formula 1 style global competition is scheduled to begin in January 2023 and would include 18 tournaments targeting the top 48 male players in the world. 

A dozen of those events would be staged in the United States with the others "chasing the sun" around the world. Each competition would be worth $20m (£14m) with $4m going to the winner and last place picking up $150,000.

By way of comparison, the biggest purse on the PGA Tour for a single event is $2.7m from a $15m prize fund at the Players Championship.

There would be a team element with team principals choosing which scores from individuals from the four-man line ups would count.

Reportedly the PGL is not the SGL, which is the Saudi-backed (proposed) golf league:

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A rival Saudi-backed Super Golf League (SGL) was the talk of the sport during the recent US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. PGL's plans, which are entirely separate, look likely to stimulate conversation at next week's US Open at Torrey Pines.

To that end…

And…

The League - Premier Golf League

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The League is a dual championship, an individual Player Championship and a Team Championship, the best of both worlds.

 

[saevel25]

I am fine with the PGA tour protecting it's brand and trying to keep its players. If players want to go chase the money, then fine. If it gains traction then the PGA tour will probably fold. I am not sure how much money the courses make off the tournaments, but I am sure they will follow the money as well. If this league can't get majority of the top players to jump ship, then it wont go anywhere. 

The biggest issue would be not being able to play in two of the four majors. Since I think if the players jump to the PGL, they could still qualify for the Opens by going through qualifiers.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind the PGA tour restructuring. I wouldn't mind seeing some more team formats during they year. I think it would be cool to see golfers pair up for a year long team sport event with a tournament at the end. 

IDK, I do like the idea of the PGA Tour refreshing its brand a bit. I am not sure I am all for an entirely new league. 

[iacas]

The PGL wouldn't have team formats, except that teams would win bonus money based on how the individuals on the team fared that week.

[saevel25]

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

The PGL wouldn't have team formats, except that teams would win bonus money based on how the individuals on the team fared that week.

Oh, I still think team golf would be cool. 

[iacas]

So now there's a third?

Greg Norman plans to use 'sleeping giant' to grow new golf league

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A bombshell is about to rock the status-quo world of professional golf — more specifically the PGA Tour.

What? Launching spring 2022?

[cutchemist42]

I do find the PGA product boring and wish there were less events or more variety in them. 52 weeks of strokeplay is boring and I feel sports need offseasons or more weeks in between events to build up narratives and intrigue again. 

Look at F1 booming right now with people realizing 22 solid events builds up the events more. 

 

Will be interested to see the format of this new league as I think Norman's vision back in the 90s was a good start and the WGCs ended up being duds.

[iacas]

Golf legend Greg Norman set to run competing tour that hopes to begin play in 2022

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Greg Norman will put his successful business enterprise aside to become commissioner of a long-rumored and long-discussed golf league that hopes to begin play in 2022, and he is seeking to sign players to...

 

[iacas]

 

[BruceMGF]

Apparently I've been out of the loop, because I just heard of this today and I see it's been discussed here before.  I don't remember it being discussed on any telecasts I've seen.

Is this going to happen?  If players are banned from the PGA and other existing tours, what happens when the Super League no longer requires their services?

And if the Super League is so popular that the PGA and other tours aren't viable, where would this Super League find its "top players" in the future?

[iacas]

8 hours ago, BruceMGF said:

Apparently I've been out of the loop, because I just heard of this today and I see it's been discussed here before.  I don't remember it being discussed on any telecasts I've seen.

Is this going to happen?  If players are banned from the PGA and other existing tours, what happens when the Super League no longer requires their services?

And if the Super League is so popular that the PGA and other tours aren't viable, where would this Super League find its "top players" in the future?

It's in the news, yeah.

Ian Pouter may or may not have been offered between $22M and $30M.

Ian Poulter!

[iacas]

Phil Mickelson says PGA Tour's 'obnoxious greed' has him looking elsewhere | Golf News and Tour Information | GolfDigest.com

 

[Vinsk]

“They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

Phil didn’t produce the media. The equipment, the camera operators, the editing, etc. So it’s greed when a photographer asks to be paid for the wedding pictures that he/she takes? I mean, it’s not their wedding. 

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

“They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

Phil didn’t produce the media. The equipment, the camera operators, the editing, etc. So it’s greed when a photographer asks to be paid for the wedding pictures that he/she takes? I mean, it’s not their wedding. 

Do you think the PGA Tour — not the camera operators, whatever — but the PGA Tour should have gotten paid $1M for any of the editions of The Match?

[Vinsk]

17 minutes ago, iacas said:

Do you think the PGA Tour — not the camera operators, whatever — but the PGA Tour should have gotten paid $1M for any of the editions of The Match?

Did the PGA Tour not pay for any of the expenses for the matches? I’m asking, I don’t know how they worked.  This doesn’t sound too much different from artists having to pay to have rights to their own music from the labeling managers. Like the whole riff with Taylor Swift and her music? I’m a bit biased in that I don’t think Phil is the best spokesperson when it comes to greed.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Vinsk

[iacas]

32 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Did the PGA Tour not pay for any of the expenses for the matches?

I don't think so.

But Tiger and Phil are PGA Tour "players," so as I understand things, they owe money to the PGA Tour for staging a "golf" event.

32 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

This doesn’t sound too much different from artists having to pay to have rights to their own music from the labeling managers. Like the whole riff with Taylor Swift and her music? I’m a bit biased in that I don’t think Phil is the best spokesperson when it comes to greed.

Do you side with the labels or Taylor Swift?

[DeadMan]

What shots do the PGA Tour own media access to that Phil thinks are so valuable? His most iconic shots are at Augusta or the US Open. 

Seems like he wants to mint some NFTs and is annoyed the tour won’t let him mint NFTs backed by their media. 

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Do you side with the labels or Taylor Swift?

On the surface it seems a bit ridiculous that she has to pay for the rights on what she created. But I guess it’s a two way street in that her popularity probably wouldn’t be as fierce had she no one to mass market and distribute her creations. So I guess it comes down to how much is owed? I certainly know TS isn’t hurting for money, nor is Phil. I don’t know what either ‘contracts’ state but if they agreed to it, well maybe it’s the law of the land.