Thread: Golf-Mickelson among 17 golfers suspended by PGA Tour for playing LIV event

The PGA Tour suspended longtime fan favourite Phil Mickelson and all other members who decided to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series that began on Thursday and said anyone else who makes the jump will face the same fate.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sent a letter to members not long after play in the lucrative breakaway series began outside London to address the 17 golfers who he said "decided to turn their backs" on the U.S.-based circuit.

"These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons. But they can't demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as you," Monahan wrote. "That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners.
"You have made a different choice, which is to abide by the Tournament Regulations you agreed to when you accomplished the dream of earning a PGA Tour card and – more importantly – to compete as part of the preeminent organization in the world of professional golf.

Mickelson, who counts six major championships among his 45 PGA Tour wins, former world number one Dustin Johnson and 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia are among the higher-profile golfers in the 48-player field at Centurion Club this week.
According to the memo, players who join the LIV series that threatens to blow apart men's professional golf, are no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour events, including the Presidents Cup and all other tours sanctioned by the circuit.
Even if players resigned from the tour ahead of the first LIV Golf event, as Johnson announced this week, they will not be permitted to play as a non-member via a sponsor exemption or any other eligibility category.




Both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour had declined requests from members who had asked for releases to compete at Centurion where $25 million is up for grabs, including $4 million for the winner.

'VINDICTIVE' DECISION
Players who decided to take part in the inaugural LIV Golf have faced plenty of criticism given the alleged human rights abuses by the Saudi Arabian government.
The PGA Tour's decision triggered a quick and scathing response from LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and has lured players over with a $255 million purse spread over eight events this year.
"Today's announcement by the PGA Tour is vindictive and it deepens the divide between the Tour and its members," LIV Golf said in a statement.
"It's troubling that the Tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing.
"This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond."
Monahan did not say how long the suspensions, which also impact former major winners Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen, would be in place.
"What's next? Can these players come back?," wrote Monahan.
"Trust that we're prepared to deal with those questions, and we'll approach them in the same way we have this entire process: by being transparent and respecting the PGA Tour regulations that you helped establish."
The decision by the PGA Tour, which does not run golf's four majors, came after the United States Golf Association said it would allow LIV golfers to play in next week's U.S. Open if they are exempt or had already qualified.
The Royal and Ancient, which runs the British Open, said it was not planning to comment on entry conditions until after the U.S. Open while organisers of next May's PGA Championship said it would be premature to speculate.
Organisers of the Masters, traditionally held in April, did not respond when asked if they were evaluating entry conditions for the year's first major.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Jon Boyle, Toby Davis and Ed Osmond)

Golf: Golf-Mickelson among 17 golfers suspended by PGA Tour for playing LIV event | The Star

Originally Posted by pickel

It's no surprise to me that the players I like the least jump ship to the murderous regimes attempt at "sportwashing". Blood money.

Like them or not a bunch of guys making a choice to go for the money. Their choice but choices have consequences. PGA well within their right to suspend them.

Originally Posted by Norton

Like them or not a bunch of guys making a choice to go for the money. Their choice but choices have consequences. PGA well within their right to suspend them.

Not big into golf so me no unnastan. Aren’t there several other tours these guys play in? Don’t the Euros and Asians have their own tours besides the PGA they play in?

I saw the players list and apart from DJ most are nearing the end of their careers and no longer can cut it with the youngsters.

Not to mention there are far fewer tournaments so more time for bodies to recover which will really help Bryson Dechambeau.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

I saw the players list and apart from DJ most are nearing the end of their careers and no longer can cut it with the youngsters

Noted same so can't really blame them. I would do the same.
Tiger might be next.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Not big into golf so me no unnastan. Aren’t there several other tours these guys play in? Don’t the Euros and Asians have their own tours besides the PGA they play in?

This may help Why LIV Golf is the most controversial tournament in sport right now | World News | Sky News.

Originally Posted by Norton

Tiger might be next.

Tiger reportedly turned down almost a billion dollars to play.

Originally Posted by DrWilly

Tiger reportedly turned down almost a billion dollars to play.

Definitely file under "reportedly".

Even the Saudis aren't that gullible.

^
When LIV folds, they'll have plenty of time to spend with their families. And I think you're overestimating their chances in court.

LIV won't fold, they've got unlimited money behind them and the truth of it is it's really a giant pissing match between Saudi and the UAE funded DP World Tour (formerly European tour till they bought it last year) with unlimited money behind them as well as to who can put on the biggest show. Arab heads of state and squillionaire Sheiks have reputations to keep, and this is their latest project to one-up each other. Just as whichever soccer teams they've both bought around the world won't go broke, neither will these golf tours.

We'll see how the court cases pan out but keep in mind the players don't get paid a dime by the PGA in salaries, the paperwork between them is more of an agreement than a contract and the players are all independent contractors who have chosen to go do some work for another company, and as a result of this they've been told they can no longer do any work for the company they've been doing some work for. In any other business or industry the lawyers would tear shreds off the original company for blocking the potential revenue of their clients under unfair work acts and discrimination laws. And keep in mind, some players want to keep playing on both tours and meeting the obligations of the PGA tour to keep their cards while others have full exemptions and can play any PGA events they want to anyway. Well not any more they can't, and in America the lawyers will be lining up their 9th penthouse overlooking Central Park to represent them.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

I saw the players list and apart from DJ most are nearing the end of their careers and no longer can cut it with the youngsters.

Not to mention there are far fewer tournaments so more time for bodies to recover which will really help Bryson Dechambeau.

Wonder if the disqualification from the PGA includes the Senior PGA for the over 50 crowd? Kinda looking forward to Tiger playing the senior tour. Might reinvigorate my interest.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Wonder if the disqualification from the PGA includes the Senior PGA for the over 50 crowd?

It includes all the tours under the PGA umbrella.

Originally Posted by Norton

Tiger might be next.

I read he turned down 9 figures.

Originally Posted by Headworx

As for the PGA and other tours banning players, good luck with that and they'll need it once it gets to court. The LIV players have been told their legal expenses will be on the house, unlimited lawyer money in America generally means you will win. The PGA suits will be shitting themselves over this, players like DJ and Mickelson will say being banned has cost them a potential billion dollars in sponsorship and prize money as independent contractors and demanding compensation. It'll get ugly...

Pro sport is all about the best in the world and the big money. I know nothing about golf. But if another sanctioning body started paying bigger money, wouldn't the PGA get overtaken by it ?

Looks to me like someone is shooting themselves in the balls over some contradictory moral grand standing.

Originally Posted by Backspin

I know nothing about golf.

I do. Played it my whole life, followed all the worldwide tours forever, spend a lot of time reading golf news and publications, and gamble on the game pretty much every weekend.

Originally Posted by Backspin

But if another sanctioning body started paying bigger money, wouldn't the PGA get overtaken by it ?

This is exactly what the LIV tour are in the process of doing right now in the minds of many, and what the PGA are so afraid of. You can't compare the 2 tours as far as the quality of players goes right now but the LIV tour is 1 day old, who's to say that will be the case in 3 or 5 or 10 years time? For a tour that was "dead in the water" according to many just a few months ago, it didn't look dead to me while watching it last night.

Originally Posted by Headworx

We'll see how the court cases pan out but keep in mind the players don't get paid a dime by the PGA in salaries, the paperwork between them is more of an agreement than a contract and the players are all independent contractors who have chosen to go do some work for another company, and as a result of this they've been told they can no longer do any work for the company they've been doing some work for.

Think Kerry Packer and ODI cricket in the 70s.

the amounts of money are obscene - so the Saudis have so much excess money they can afford to throw away a billion or so to aging golfers - it don't sit right.
It comes as no surprise that Greg Norman is the flag bearer - the guy has had his arse on sale for the whole of his career.
Participating is supporting the obscenity.

Originally Posted by DrWilly

Think Kerry Packer and ODI cricket in the 70s.

A bit different as in the cricketers who jumped ship were being paid salaries by the governing bodies they had contracts with. If the PGA were paying their players salaries I'd have more sympathy for them, but they don't pay the stars of the show they want sole control of a dime while they dictate the terms and hold (held) all the cards. This is the sort of thing Mickelson was on about when he said the LIV tour will give the players some leverage because they had none before.

Some may not know that all the PGA players who've played in the last 3 Saudi Opens (same money backing as LIV ) had to get releases to go there and it was under the proviso they played in extra PGA tournaments or at events they didn't like to play like the Pebble Beach pro-am and Waste Management, which are both circuses without a tent. In short, they had zero leverage and had to either accept the PGA conditions or not go.

Golf has escaped scrutiny untill now.
It has been happily stuck in the stone ages which has contributed to its purity / success.
Once the media sink there teeth in to it , you're guaranteed the mediocrity , destruction of what you once took for granted.

Golf the last bastion (sic )

Reminds me of when the Maktoum said he was going to "bury F1" because Bernie fucked Dubai over the F1 race (they did rather treat him like a c*nt in fairness).

And didn't A1 do well.

You can throw money at something but fans aren't stupid.

Well, maybe Geordies.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

they did rather treat him like a c*nt

well he is is one

Originally Posted by malmomike77

well he is is one

But he owned F1.

Another peerless counterargument from harriet.