Category: Opinion

Should Professional Golfers receive Special Exemptions into the Major Championships?

The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, & The PGA Championship Trophies

Absolutely not!

Making the field in a Major Championship is earned, is not a “gimmie”.  The Major Championships are the Mount Everest of golf.  Players spend hours training and working hard on their games to reach the world ranking necessary to qualify for these tournaments.

Through the years, Championship Committees have given special exemptions to players for all kind of reasons.  Do I think is right?  No, I do not.  I have never been a fan of special exemptions.  I think it cheapens the tournament and is a slap on the face of players who worked hard to earn the spot.

Enter Rickie Fowler.  Fowler received an exemption by the PGA of America to play the 2021 PGA Championship.

Fowler has been off his game for quite some time.  He missed The Masters and did not qualified for the PGA Championship.  Do not ask me why the PGA of America gave Fowler an exemption, other than they used some obscure category; been a member of the 2018 Ryder Cup team.  2018?  Are they serious?

They also gave an exemption to American John Catlin who has been playing in the European Tour.  In my opinion, Catlin was more deserving than Fowler.  For one thing, Catlin has won once this season in the European Tour while Fowler had 0 Top 10’s in 17 starts this season on the PGA Tour. 

Fowler has been pretty much an afterthought this season in every single tournament he has participated.  Sure, he seems like a nice guy, but personality does not win tournaments. 

Listening to PGA Tour Radio commentators insisting Fowler “deserved” the exemption was laughable. Based on what? Because he’s a social media sensation? If that’s the new standard, heck, Tony Romo should be given full exempt status on the tour. Be serious, please.

Well, at least Fowler did not embarrass the PGA of America.  He made the cut, and registered a T-8, sneaking into the top 10 for the first time in quite some time.  Perhaps Fowler still be able to buy himself a good game this year.  He can sell you a cheap mortgage, but his game needs some serious refinancing.

In my opinion, the PGA of America got this one wrong. 

You want to play in a Major Championship?  Earn it!

The Super League; the Hypocrisy of the PGA Tour and Human Rights

In the last few weeks, the Golf Super League has become a sore subject for the PGA Tour, the European Tour, and the governing bodies.  Understandably so, for these entities the monopoly has been good and profitable.  For me it has become an issue of blatant hypocrisy.

Now, the powers have recruited their minions in the media to peddle a narrative about the Super League and their funding sources.  There is no secret Saudi Arabia is funding the endeavor, but for the PGA Tour to be outraged by this is hypocritical at best.

The European Tour has a sanctioned event played in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi International, with big names attending and handsomely paid for their appearance.  I have not seen any outrage from the governing bodies.

But let us get to the meat and potatoes of this new anti-Saudi campaign.  They claim the money is coming from a country with serious human rights violations.  That is correct, Saudi Arabia has a dismal human rights record, and it should be held accountable for it. 

If human rights violations are the barometer used by the ruling bodies to make their case against Saudi Arabia, they are in for much bigger surprises.

Let us start with one of the biggest human rights violators in the world, China.  One of the most prestigious tournaments on the schedule, the WGC-HSBC Championship is played in China.  Where is the outrage by the folks at the Golf Channel and PGA Tour Radio? 

China’s persecution of human rights defenders, internet censorship, lack of freedom of religion, are only a few of the long list of continuous human rights violations promoted by the Chinese Communist Party.

Another place where the tour has a footprint is India.  India is another country with major human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, restrictions on freedom of expression, unfair trials, and unlawful attacks and killings of its citizens.  This is just to name a few.

South Africa is also a serious human rights violator, but the European Tour has no problem conducting their business with the South African government.  Among their violations:  excessive use of force, unlawful killings, gender-based violence, to name a few.

This is just a short example of the hypocrisy perpetrated by the golf ruling bodies when it comes to Saudi Arabia and the Super League.

If the people at Golf Channel, PGA Tour Radio, PGA Tour, European PGA Tour, the R&A, and PGA of America, want to condemn Saudi Arabia for their dismal human rights record, by all means, but you can’t have a double standard when it comes to human rights violations.

These organizations need to do some serious soul searching about their business practices and how they support countries who are major players in the human rights violation arena. Otherwise, it is time to put a lid on it and let the free market decide.

Opinion: Is the PGA Tour afraid of the Super League Golf ? Absolutely!

Do not leave the PGA Tour or else pally! Image courtesy of Getty Images.

PGA Commissioner Jay Moynahan threatens players with possible expulsions from the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy says “is a money grab”, and PGA of America CEO, Seth Waugh, says “be careful of what you wish for”.

Well, well, well, that is easy to say by someone like McIlroy who has made millions on endorsement deals and PGA/European Tour victories.  But ask the guy looking from the outside, or who’s career is on the downside, and he may think is a great idea to earn a set salary while playing golf for a few weeks a year.

What is the Super League Golf?  According to ESPN.com, “Originally, plans were for an 18-event schedule from January to September with 48-player fields and $10 million purses each week, with a season-ending team championship.  The Premier Golf League would offer the top players $30 million up front with a share of the teams they would be part of. Those teams would compete week to week, with individual results also logged and big-money purses for each tournament”.

It sounds like good old competition to me.  The PGA of America and the PGA and European Tour posture on this appears to be disingenuous to say the least, more life mafia type strong-arming.

Speaking of money grabs, the PGA Tour has established a $40 million Player Impact Program which will only reward the top 10 players on tour based on their popularity and not their skills.  That is a nice “money grab” like McIlroy would say, and for under achieving advertising magnate Ricky Fowler, that should be a nice pay day.

Give me a break!  I thought professional golf was about entertainment, giving back to the community, etc., etc., etc.   Excuse me, it is about business and profits, otherwise Moynahan would not be sweating bullets and issuing threats like a third world dictator.  If the PGA Tour is such a good an honest product; what is there to be afraid of?

This season alone, the PGA Tour is looking at giving out over $500 million dollars between the FedEx Cup, tournament wins, and bonuses.  Do not forget, in 2022, they will kick a $700 million television deal with NBC, which for sure will contribute to higher purses and bonuses.

Of course, the European Tour is lock in step with the PGA Tour in their opposition to the Super League.  But let us not forget, the European Tour is pretty much a lap dog of the PGA Tour since the PGA Tour has a controlling stake of the Euro Tour.  Who says money grabbing is not a good thing?  Right Rory?

Let us face it, the PGA and European Tour are afraid the top players are going to be lured by the idea of making millions of dollars in what, for all intent and purposes, is nothing more than a very lucrative Tuesday Night Men’s League.

I look at it with a different lens.  Moynahan is threatening players, independent contractors, with expulsion from the Tour.  But who would be the ultimate loser? 

Who the fans want to see?  Dustin Johnson or the 125th player on the money list?  If Johnson decides he wants to join the league; are you going to expel the #1 ranked player in the world from the Tour?  Do not be a fool Jay!

On the other hand, if the 126th player on the money list could make several millions by playing on the Super League Golf: why not?

For marquee players like McIlroy is easy to seat there and open his mouth about money, after all, he does not have to worry about it.

At the end of the day, it is a business and competition is always healthy.

I, for one, would love to see the Super League Golf come into fruition.  The PGA Tour has made several boneheaded moves in the last year, and frankly, I am ready for an alternative.

I just want to watch golf for its entertainment value, and if the PGA and European Tours cannot deliver a bias free product, then perhaps is time for a new and fresher option.  Let the free market decide.