To the late, go the spoils
Phil Mickelson wasn’t wrong. He was just punished first and most severely.
The Saudis are scary to get involved with. We know they killed Khashoggi. They have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because it's an opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.
Phil Mickelson
This week, Dustin Johnson abandoned the RBC Canadian Open, one of the two marquee events put on by his sponsor, to head to London to play in the first LIV golf event. A 48 man field, the highest prize money in history, no cut and 3 rounds. In the most merit based individual sport in history, this seems like good math. For his trouble, RBC dropped Dustin as a sponsored player, but he is being paid a guaranteed $125 mm so that should easy his suffering. There is not a lot I wouldn’t do for a guaranteed $125 mm and I’m pretty sure, you feel the same way, if you are being honest with yourself. It’s a hell of a lot better deal than Julia Robert’s or Demi Moore got in ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Indecent Proposal.’
Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and most recently Kevin Na are all joining Dustin, while Phil Mickelson, the first player to speak honestly about the LIV golf tour, remains notably absent from the player list. Virtue signaling and character take downs aren’t just for Joe Rogan any more.
When it comes to merit, few places are like professional golf. It’s what makes Tiger Woods success so unbelievable. And what makes failure on the last hole incredibly common for even the best in the world. Jean Van De Velda, anyone?
Golf is hard. It’s why I’m in love with it. Hope runs eternal, and you are always on the verge of winning your club tournament. And yet, one bad shot and you can ruin your round, miss the cut and head home without a paycheck. There are no gimmes, do overs or short cuts. And so, when a person is offered a guaranteed $125 mm in a sport where David Duval went from World number 1 to irrelevant in a span of two years, after losing the British Open to Tiger in 2000 when he took 4 shots to get out of a bunker, you figure out guarantees are a godsend.
Which brings me back to Phil. He wasn’t wrong but unfortunately for him, spoke his mind first. He pointed out the problems that exist on the PGA Tour and the way the players would gain power to fix them. But for being first, he was vilified. The Tour and the reporters that make a living on it targeted him relentlessly. Most people didn’t even know what he said… but boy, it must have been bad. “How can you support the Saudis??!” people screamed. Ummm, oil anyone?
Perhaps my favorite though comes from Christine Brennan, as she writes about the most recent development with Dustin Johnson.
Johnson and Garcia and the others, along with their role models Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, will say this is about their freedom as golfers to make money where they want to make it and escape the shackles of the repressive multi-million-dollar Tour life. But it’s not that. It’s all about greed; rich, pampered men wanting more and more and more.
The game of golf has told us forever that it is built on the pillars of honor and dignity, sportsmanship and fair play. Sadly, that façade has crumbled. Today’s game of golf, personified by Johnson and his pals, is about selfishness, combined with a stunning lack of moral judgment.
Really? They didn’t lockdown schools. Print money. Ruin small businesses. Force landlords to keep tenants that weren’t paying rent. Organize the future in Davos. Promote climate change over all other priorities when we have a global energy crisis. Or make a host of other ill advised policy choices with which the world will have to live with the consequences for decades to come. They play a sport. They follow the money. They take care of their family. And that is kind of the purpose of life, especially one where nothing is handed to you. But for Phil, it is a stark reminder, being first and right makes you enemy number 1, as Elon Musk is quickly learning. And like Elon, my respect for Phil increases by the day. They aren’t wrong, they’re just early.
The messenger to Cleoptra, who on learning Antony had married another threatened his eyes. "Gracious madam, I that do bring the news, made not the match. ..." And so began cancellation.
Great stuff as always David. Hate to NOT be seeing your writing on LinkedIn anymore. Those sissies are making the world worse off while THINKING they are doing good.