Golf thread

[cartman]

Just over 400 days since his crash, Tiger completes the first round of the Masters at -1 and at the moment is 3 shots off the lead.

[Thomkal]

Pretty amazing. Just glad Dustin Johnson is tied for the lead at the moment

[Ksyrup]

I don't follow golf at all, but news that LIV and PGA are merging came out of nowhere, right? I was bound to run across something that mentioned it before it hit as breaking news, I would have thought.

[PilotMan]

Yeah, feels very out of left field. I wonder if it's just a straight buy out for legitimacy given the money that LIV has tossed around?

[Flasch186]

It says merger


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[Atocep]

The PGA Tour will remain a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization, according to the release, and will retain oversight of the sanctioning of events, administration of competition and rules.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will join the policy board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operate its tournaments. Al-Rumayyan will be chairman of the new commercial group, with Monahan as the CEO and the PGA Tour having a majority stake in the new venture. The PIF will invest in the commercial venture.

LIV was failing. They weren't making the inroads with sponsors and networks that they needed to be a serious threat to the PGA. It just had so much money backing it that it could continue as long as they were comfortable losing money.

With the minimal details available it sounds like a win for both sides. The PGA tour kills its competition, gets more financial backing, and gets its golfers back. For LIV, their money people get power within the PGA tour and legitimacy within the sport.

[SirFozzie]

"We won't do business with you because it's not worth the blowback"

"Fine, we're going to steal your players and run our own tour."

"Don't like it, but still not worth it"

(time passes)

"It's been a bit... are you ready now?"

"Still not worth the blowback!"

"Ah, I see the operative word. "Worth" I have the fix here. (shows a check with a ludicrous amount of 0's at the end)"

"WELCOME VALUED PARTNER!"

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

"We won't do business with you because it's not worth the blowback"

"Fine, we're going to steal your players and run our own tour."

"Don't like it, but still not worth it"

(time passes)

"It's been a bit... are you ready now?"

"Still not worth the blowback!"

"Ah, I see the operative word. "Worth" I have the fix here. (shows a check with a ludicrous amount of 0's at the end)"

"WELCOME VALUED PARTNER!"

Did you literally bug their phones? Because I'd bet that is exactly how it went down.

[Ksyrup]

I'm on my phone and can't post a tweet so it will show up, but there's a tweet by some guy named James Hesky that is getting a ton a play. Damn!

[SirFozzie]

https://twitter.com/JamesHesky/statu...12128703406081

this one. eek.

[miami_fan]

Ok, that is quality right there. Crass and super insensitive to the point of being insulting to the 9/11 families but quality nonetheless.

#wewillneverforget

[PilotMan]

Oof but such a burn and valid

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Ok, that is quality right there. Crass and super insensitive to the point of being insulting to the 9/11 families but quality nonetheless.

#wewillneverforget

And I've been Team LIV all the way, but it's a quality burn regardless

[RainMaker]

Those golfers who took the money and went the LIV are making out like bandits. This is why you always look out for yourself in business. Those who stayed "loyal" to the PGA brand got roasted.

[NobodyHere]

I wished I watched the PGA so I could now boycott it.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I wished I watched the PGA so I could now boycott it.

Basically how I feel about Chik Fil A and Bud Light. Since it's what all the screaming mad people are doing for fun these days, I just feel left out.

[cuervo72]

Right, I said to myself "this is going to revolutionize the ways I don't watch golf."

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Basically how I feel about Chik Fil A and Bud Light. Since it's what all the screaming mad people are doing for fun these days, I just feel left out.

Woke Wannabe!

[bob]

I don't watch golf either, but I thought its been humorous that the golfers that went to LIV have been blasted for taking blood money. Why are golfers held to a much higher standard than the absolute tons of companies in the US that take Saudi money?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by bob

I don't watch golf either, but I thought its been humorous that the golfers that went to LIV have been blasted for taking blood money. Why are golfers held to a much higher standard than the absolute tons of companies in the US that take Saudi money?

Nobody really holds the WWE to that high of a standard.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by bob

I don't watch golf either, but I thought its been humorous that the golfers that went to LIV have been blasted for taking blood money. Why are golfers held to a much higher standard than the absolute tons of companies in the US that take Saudi money?

Because it's easier to call out individuals than faceless entities. It's the same reason ballplayers always take the brunt of the bad PR during labor fights with leagues.

[Ksyrup]

On a related note, I don't pay much attention to international soccer news but there have been a few high profile moves to the Saudi league. Has that caused much outrage?

[PilotMan]

Some, yes, but money ultimately makes bad things go away if there's enough of it to the right people. It's clear that's still the goal.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Because it's easier to call out individuals than faceless entities. It's the same reason ballplayers always take the brunt of the bad PR during labor fights with leagues.

Funny enough, I think in club soccer, the faceless entities have bore more of the bad PR than the individuals. Occasionally, a manager or a player of a club is asked an uncomfortable question or two or mild criticism but that is about it. The "clubs", the leagues, the confederations and FIFA all get more criticism.

[PilotMan]

In my line of work, we call people who are only interested in themselves, and their gains on the backs of others......scabs.



It's the equivalent of how I see the guys who played with LIV. They're scabs.

[sovereignstar v2]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

In my line of work, we call people who are only interested in themselves, and their gains on the backs of others......scabs.



It's the equivalent of how I see the guys who played with LIV. They're scabs.

lol

[JPhillips]

All of the guys that stayed with the PGA and believed what they were saying should get double prize money from now on. They really got screwed for believing there was something more important than cash.

[miami_fan]

Is the coast clear for the NBA to go all in on the Chinese money now? Or maybe even the Middle Eastern money? ICYMI

NBA Courts Investment by Sovereign Wealth, Pension Funds

The National Basketball Association is ready to play ball with sovereign wealth, pension, and endowment funds, provided these investors pass the money.

The NBA's owners recently voted to allow the increasingly flush institutions to buy relatively small, passive stakes in the league's teams, the sports business publication Sportico reported Thursday.1 The league had previously authorized investments by private equity funds.2

The new entrants will operate under similar terms, under which minority investments are approved by the league on a case-by-case basis and don't allow funds to have a say in how the business is managed. Private equity funds can own no more than 20% of a single team, and no team can sell more than 30% to any combination of such investors.1

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

All of the guys that stayed with the PGA and believed what they were saying should get double prize money from now on. They really got screwed for believing there was something more important than cash.

So it was basically a stupidity tax

Anybody who ever believed this whole kerfluffle was about anything other than money & power had to be pretty naive ... and I'm using that word just to be polite

[PilotMan]

In Jon's america the powerful control everything and the people love them for it, because they are too dumb to do anything, and they know it. All they need to worry about is keep the cogs of the powerful going so they never get trampled under the boot of ruthless efficiency and profit.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

In Jon's america the powerful control everything and the people love them for it, because they are too dumb to do anything, and they know it. All they need to worry about is keep the cogs of the powerful going so they never get trampled under the boot of ruthless efficiency and profit.

Did you read what I said? Or do you just fucking troll these days? Cause that's about all you seem to do around here for the past year or more.

I said it was about power & money from the jump. I didn't make a moral judgement in either direction about that, I stated what seems to be a rather obvious fact. But that doesn't stop you, as usual, from just imagining shit from that increasingly irrational mind.

If anybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or party affiliation was too fucking blind to have spotted that from the jump that ain't on me. And believe me, I saw plenty of that from both sides of the aisle.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

In my line of work, we call people who are only interested in themselves, and their gains on the backs of others......scabs.

It's the equivalent of how I see the guys who played with LIV. They're scabs.

I don't get the scab comparison. In your line of work, your union is fighting for higher compensation for your labor. They don't care who owns what percent of United or American Airlines stock. There aren't "moral" issues on the negotiating table. They're trying to extract the most amount of money from the company as possible. It's capitalism.

If Riyadh Air offered you 10 times what you're making now for half the work, would you work for them?

I have to agree with Jon on this one. If those golfers truly stayed because they thought the heads of the PGA cared about 9/11 victims or whatever else they claimed to the press, they're gullible rubes. Whether it's the PGA/PIF or United/Riyadh, the people in charge view you as nothing more than a means to an end. It might be depressing to accept, but that's how the world operates.

[PilotMan]

No, you're right. It's not a fully functional comparison. But the scabs I have worked with, are really only out for themselves. Bottom line is that everyone has a price, and money is powerful enough to cleanse the soul of whatever needs cleansing.


The middle east (Saudi, Qatar, and Emirates) all tried to use their money to take over the global aviation industry, and the pilots did their part to push for support that would have, you know, ruined the US aviation industry. Golf, World Cup, WWE, trump, it's all a part of the same process to exert influence and use money to put themselves at the center of the global table.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Did you read what I said? Or do you just fucking troll these days? Cause that's about all you seem to do around here for the past year or more.

I said it was about power & money from the jump. I didn't make a moral judgement in either direction about that, I stated what seems to be a rather obvious fact. But that doesn't stop you, as usual, from just imagining shit from that increasingly irrational mind.

If anybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or party affiliation was too fucking blind to have spotted that from the jump that ain't on me. And believe me, I saw plenty of that from both sides of the aisle.

Oh I don't imagine anyone around here needs me to put things into Jon speak. But you are team LIV and always have been. You love power, and you love the powerful who are unafraid to wield it. So you would be full on board with money, dirty or otherwise, being used to exert whatever disruptive means necessary to upset whomever. I'm not wrong.

Again though. Team LIV. Go Team, but you haven't made any moral judgements. I see.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

No, you're right. It's not a fully functional comparison. But the scabs I have worked with, are really only out for themselves. Bottom line is that everyone has a price, and money is powerful enough to cleanse the soul of whatever needs cleansing.

The middle east (Saudi, Qatar, and Emirates) all tried to use their money to take over the global aviation industry, and the pilots did their part to push for support that would have, you know, ruined the US aviation industry. Golf, World Cup, WWE, trump, it's all a part of the same process to exert influence and use money to put themselves at the center of the global table.

Yeah, it sucks but I also get it. I wouldn't want to work for certain people but I freely admit that I probably have a price.

And I don't have anything against the people who stayed. You should do what makes you happy. But I do think it's naive if they bought into the PR stuff that the PGA spouted about LIV. They should have known the PGA didn't really care about that stuff and would throw every golfer under the bus for an extra buck.

Tiger was the only one who I really think was smart to leave the huge money behind. He's got a brand that will be generating tons of money for decades to come. Would have been nice in the short term, but probably not so much in the long term. For a guy like Brooks Koepka though? You have to take that money. Especially when he thought his career was on a downward trajectory due to injuries.

[JPhillips]

As part of the merger, the PGA will control holes 1-8 and 12-18.

The Saudis do 9-11.

— James Hesky (@JamesHesky) June 6, 2023

[SirFozzie]

Looks like those who stayed loyal to the Tour will get pieces of equity in the combined company, while those who defected to the LIV tour will just have their contracts.

Jimmy Dunne outlines plan for PGA Tour loyalists, LIV players who want back - ESPN

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

As part of the merger, the PGA will control holes 1-8 and 12-18.

The Saudis do 9-11.

— James Hesky (@JamesHesky) June 6, 2023

This is the best joke I've seen this year!!!!

[SirFozzie]

Polonium overdose from the Saudis? (no, I'm not accusing them. Now if they had just merged with the RUSSIANs, I'd be a lot more suspicious)

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan recovering from medical issue - ESPN

[Ksyrup]

His BS levels reached near-lethal toxicity is my guess.

[SirFozzie]

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the stress of the last few months (with super-secret negotiations that couldn't slip out), and then being barraged unendingly by everyone caused him to flip out.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the stress of the last few months (with super-secret negotiations that couldn't slip out), and then being barraged unendingly by everyone caused him to flip out.

Blood pressure and/or heart issues would not seem unreasonable given his past year.