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

[jmanbooyaa]

Tiger attempted to play with a reconstructed leg.  Brooks got highlights in his hair. So basically the same. 

[Shindig]

2 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

DUDE! As long as they have the marshmallows out, I for one would love to see Bryson, Phil,  Brooks, and Sergio in a rousing game of Chubby Bunnies! 

It would be the most insightful thing I've heard any of them say in quite a while.

19 minutes ago, jmanbooyaa said:

Tiger attempted to play with a reconstructed leg.  Brooks got highlights in his hair. So basically the same. 

Tiger played 91 holes in a major on one leg.

[Friz]

It seems like the argument "the PGA was forcing us to play" is completely based on the idea of "if I don't play this week, I'll fall behind in the FedEx Cup."  But thats never how the FedEx Cup has worked....the guys at the top aren't there because they've played the most events, its because they've played the best golf in a few events.  Get some wins, get some top 10's, and your FedEx Cup status will be just fine after a week off.  Finishing 30 times in 50th place gets you fewer points than finishing 6 times in 20th place.  You've always been better off picking the spots you think you can do well and preparing for those events than trying to play everything and just scrapping up whatever points you can get.

And what is their solution anyway?  Should the PGA Tour just cancel a bunch of tournaments and implement bye weeks in the middle of the season where no one can play and fans have nothing to see?  Is that good for their second favorite talking point of "growing the game of golf"?

These guys are all just using canned talking points and statements that don't hold up to a little bit of scrutiny.

[turtleback]

I guess if they only want to play a few times and still get a whole bunch of money the Bloody Hands tour is the place for them.

I'm going to be very interested in the fan reaction when they play in NJ at the end of July.  There are lots of family and friends of 9/11 victims and first responders around and I'm guessing they might not be fond of those that have decided to feed from the Saudi trough.

[GolfLug]

How about American courses that are hosting LIV tour? Why are they not in the hot seat?

[woodzie264]

On 6/26/2022 at 5:28 PM, boogielicious said:

LIV Golf heads to Oregon, where local officials aren't happy | AP News

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Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf is getting a chilly reception in Oregon, its first stop in the...

 

@GolfLug^^^^^^^

[GolfLug]

41 minutes ago, woodzie264 said:

@GolfLug^^^^^^^

So there's some. Not enough IMO.

[woodzie264]

36 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

So there's some. Not enough IMO.

Agreed, hopefully the others will follow suit

[iacas]

3 hours ago, turtleback said:

I'm going to be very interested in the fan reaction when they play in NJ at the end of July.  There are lots of family and friends of 9/11 victims and first responders around and I'm guessing they might not be fond of those that have decided to feed from the Saudi trough.

I didn't think of that but yeah, that could get ugly.

[weberd27]

We have our first PGA Tour - LIV golf lawsuit: Lawsuit seeking class-action status filed against PGA Tour in Palm Beach County

I don't see this having much merit.  I am a member of a professional bowling organization and there's a conflicting event clause in the membership rules.  I'm assuming the PGA tour suspensions are relating to a similar rule.  I wish they would state the rule verbatim out there.

[DeadMan]

11 minutes ago, weberd27 said:

We have our first PGA Tour - LIV golf lawsuit: Lawsuit seeking class-action status filed against PGA Tour in Palm Beach County

I don't see this having much merit.  I am a member of a professional bowling organization and there's a conflicting event clause in the membership rules.  I'm assuming the PGA tour suspensions are relating to a similar rule.  I wish they would state the rule verbatim out there.

FYI the attorney that filed this is a huge joke. This lawsuit isn’t going anywhere. A lawsuit by a LIV player would be much more interesting. 
 

For anyone wants to read up on the lawyer here, he has his own page on the Southern Poverty Law Center: 

Larry Klayman

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by DeadMan

[Aguirre]

I do think the PGA Tour should have implemented a FedEx cup scoring system that capped events. Like twenty. On the ATP Tour, your best 18 results count towards your ranking. So if you play 18 tournaments, all 18 count. If you play 30, your best 18 count. So there still is an advantage to playing extra events, as you more or less drop your lousiest results. 

Regardless, this "forcing him to play" stuff is incredibly hollow. You don't have to win the FedEx Cup. Besides, a golfer as good as Reed could easily still qualify for the top 125 in 20 events. He will just have to perform at a premium during the playoffs. Think of it as a veteran laden NBA team with a lot of talent that due to load management time off for their 30+ year old guys finishes as a three seed in their conference. Hey, you're in. Your sacrifice is you may have three series where you don't have home court. 

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

FYI the attorney that filed this is a huge joke. This lawsuit isn’t going anywhere. A lawsuit by a LIV player would be much more interesting. 

Ha ha ha.

Quote

The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, claims Klayman purchased admission to three PGA Tour events and "is committed to" purchasing tickets to the Players Championship and the Honda Classic. As a result, Klayman claims "the proposed plaintiff class of similarly-situated Florida residents have suffered damages greater than $30,000."

So f***ing dumb.

[saevel25]

Ugh, I wish we had better ways to deal with these sorts of idiotic law suits. Such of waste of time and money. 

[GolfLug]

27 minutes ago, iacas said:

So f***ing dumb.

Lol. Something to the effect of 'you miss 100% of shots you don't take'. 

21 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Ugh, I wish we had better ways to deal with these sorts of idiotic law suits. Such of waste of time and money. 

 

[70sSanO]

Maybe I've interpreted this incorrectly, but it just strikes me that the underlying reason is not really about fewer events.  And while the amount of money is obviously so enticing, but even that may not be the main reason for some.

Patrick Reed, among others, are talking about how the PGA Tour is not listening to the players and making necessary changes.  I never quite understood exactly what type of major change could be made, other than increased prize money and a different distribution.

But with the revelation that LIV golfers are paid a negotiated amount to just show up and play, it seems, at least to me, that the real reason could be wanting a negotiated contract that pays a certain amount regardless of tournament outcomes.

It may be that desire to be paid like a baseball player, just as an example, who shows up each game, goes about his business, maybe batting .300, hitting 30 HRs while his team wallows outside of the playoffs and he collects millions.  Regardless of the stark differences in available money between the PGA and MLB, it sure seems like that is really the life these golfers want.  And it seems that is what LIV is offering, or maybe I should say over offering.

While I may not agree with what LIV is doing, I do understand the appeal of a contract over time; especially as one is getting past their prime.  It can't be lost on these golfers what some professional athletes are getting paid, with a portion being guaranteed.  A PGA Tour pro who has career earnings of over $25M is probably doing pretty good; especially while maintaining a top 125 in the sport.  But in other sports...

John

Edited June 30, 2022 by 70sSanO

[saevel25]

Fred Couples talks LIV

'I'm done with it': Fred Couples dismisses LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson

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On Wednesday, Fred Couples expounded on his feelings about the upstart LIV Golf tour and the PGA Tour stars who have contracted with it.

 

[jmanbooyaa]

I heard that Matt Wolff is just taking the money now as his retirement. Young dude who is burnt out already and will most likely be out of golf in the next few years. Not because of injury just lack of enthusiasm for the game.