The Saudi Golf Super League Fiasco

This week, golf instructor Jim McLean tweeted that Bryson DeChambeau was moving to the Saudi Super Golf League and that Phil Mickelson was ready to jump as well.

Mickelson recently went on a screed about how the greedy PGA is, making clear he was open to the idea.

"“For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. 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 Mickelson"

Let’s set aside the fact that the PGA Tour has provided the platform for Phil Mickelson to build an estimated net worth of $400 million dollars. And while DeChambeau is nowhere near that figure yet, he remains one of the top attractions on Tour. Don’t cry for Bryson, he’s likely on his way to cracking $100 million, too.

These are wildly rich and famous men. And if you listen to Phil, it’s not about the money.

But guess what? It is. It’s completely about the money.

Go ahead, whine all day about this “Tour Players of the World, Unite!” bologna. I can’t stop you from believing that Phil, Bryson, and all the rest are being treated like cogs in an evil, suppressive regime designed to milk them dry of their value and dignity.

There’s an old adage that says, “You are worth what someone will pay you.” That’s true. And the Saudi Golf Super League believes Bryson and Phil are worth a mountain of cash. I will not tell them they shouldn’t take it – but there are consequences.

In a twist, Phil and Bryson – as recent Major Winners – have exemptions to The Open, The US Open, and The Masters. The PGA Championship would very much be in doubt for any player that bolts the Tour for Saudi dollars.

Both Phil and Bryson see those exemptions as a way to continue to play in Majors without participating on the PGA or European Tours (assuming they will be banned as PGA officials have signaled.)

Assuming those exemptions are honored, that’s a neat little loophole.

But the PGA has options, too.

Pro golf generates billions of dollars. Greg Norman and the Saudis want a piece of the pie. The Saudi-financed Super Golf League is essentially a response to the near monopoly the PGA has on professional golf.

The PGA Tour’s global reach, marketing budget, tradition, and prestige are unrivaled. The Saudis want to make sure the purses in their league are the one thing the PGA can’t -or won’t – match.

Here’s the rub for the players. They would also do well to consider their endorsement deals.

Do the millions of sponsor dollars paid to Mickelson, DeChambeau, and others keep flowing when those players aren’t on PGA Tour broadcasts every week? Or when the PGA pulls all marketing featuring those players from online and broadcast vehicles?

Not very likely.

Do Callaway and Cobra keep dishing out tens of millions for those guys to be the faces of their brands? Maybe.

Should they? Probably not given the diminished stature, bad PR, and less visibility to American golf fans.

Speaking of fans, how will they react?

When Phil is jetting around Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and they need to buy the FOX Kuala Lumpur network package to see him, are they going to make that appointment-television? At 2:00 am?

The Home of Golf may be St. Andrews, but its current residence is, monetarily, in the United States.

Mickelson, DeChambeau, and everyone else who chase the bucks are going to learn a hard lesson many learn too late.

Everyone is replaceable.

No one is bigger than the game.

And right now, the PGA Tour is the game in professional golf. That’s not changing anytime soon.

There are thousands of pro golfers who would kill for a spot on the PGA Tour. Every year old stars leave the Tour and new ones emerge. It’s been that way forever and will remain so.

Golf, the PGA, and fans will survive without Phil Mickelson, DeChambeau, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, or any other player that wants to go.

There is a reason so many European Tour stars live in the US. That’s where the money, fame, and best lifestyle in the world exist.

Flying all over the world to play golf in 40-man fields, with fewer fans, smaller TV audiences, and staying in hotels in foreign lands, is not an existence most pros relish.

But everyone has a price, everything is for sale, and to some, apparently, the costs to reputation and legacy don’t matter.

In the most ironic twist, Greg Norman is the CEO of the golf Super League. Guess who is one of the wealthiest golfers in the world? Greg Norman. Guess who has a well-earned reputation for loving money more than golf? Greg Norman.

But honestly, who wants to be the next Greg Norman? I guess we’ll soon see.