Category: Opinion

Once again, the PGA Tour sticks their head up their rear end.  This time by making Jon Rahm withdraw from The Memorial Tournament due to a positive Covid-19 test.

In a week when emails from Anthony Fauci surfaced putting into question the handling of the pandemic and the truth behind its origins, you would think the PGA Tour would have used a commonsense approach when addressing this issue.

After all, the fans are back, and who knows how many of those walking around, without masks and any type of social distancing, were positive themselves.  There’s common knowledge Covid-19 testing is spotty at best and unreliable at worst.

Rahm was leading the tournament by 6 shots, a tournament record for a 54-shot leader.  At the start of the week, Rahm was advised by the Tour that he became in contact with a person who was Covid positive and therefore he was subject to contact-tracing protocols.

According to the Tour, Rahm tested negative all week, but a recent test, conducted after the end of the second round, had come back positive.  Mind you, Rahm was still playing and was asymptomatic.

If this was such a big deal, to the point of withdrawal; why was Rahm not notified immediately and removed from the golf course, along with his two playing partners? 

The Tour medical adviser requested a second test from the original test which came back positive.  Knowing the importance of the situation the Tour medical adviser should have requested a second sample from Rahm.  It has been proven, time and time again, Covid testing is not 100% reliable.

Instead, the Tour waited until Rahm completed his round to notify him of his misfortune.  Unfortunately, the tour continues to implement some ridiculous protocols and Rahm had no choice but to withdraw from the tournament.

This is sickening to the core.  Not only has the CDC and Anthony Fauci been wrong all along about Covid-19, but if the tour was really that serious about it, they should have not allowed fans back into its venues.  It is all about the money for Jay Monahan folks. 

What about his four playing partners, Scheffler, Cantlay, Morikawa, and Schauffele?  The PGA Tour cleared them to play, but they do not tell you why or under which protocols they were cleared.  Again, if the Tour was that serious about it, the other four players should have been removed and quarantined.

My biggest disappointment comes for the tournament host, Jack Nicklaus.  Nicklaus should have been more vocal about it and intervened on behalf of Jon Rahm.  Instead, he just gave some empty words of encouragement and moved on with business as usual.

Regardless of who wins this tournament, to me, and many fans, the champion will not be a legitimate champion.  This was poorly handled, and my heart goes out to Jon Rahm.

The PGA Tour has become a sport product not worth buying. 

This Memorial Tournament will not be a memorable one and for a good reason.

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!

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.