Golfers taking Saudi money and splitting the sport

This is not tournament golf, it's a clown show exhibition roughly based on the game of golf. The names of the teams are hilariously cringe, Ironheads, Stingers, Crushers, Acers, Punch, Hy Flyers. 🤣

This nonsense will be short lived expensive folly, they can't even give away the TV rights.

"It's OK when we do it"

It's easy for the likes of McIlroy and Justin Thomas to pontificate as they are elite players who enjoy guaranteed financial security i.e. even if their game deserted them then they’re set for life. They don't need the money but some joe schmoe who is struggling to keep his card by earning half a million dollars, who needs to make cuts, who stresses over booking (or not booking flights and hotels) for the Booz Allen Classic might have his head turned by the prospect of financial security.

You might empathise with such players who have an opportunity to quit their grinding but there is obviously some extreme cognitive dissonance going on with those other elite players who are already financially secure who have joined up about the source of funding. These guys are professionals who will seek out the maximum amount of money they can in the shortest amount of time possible even if it that means disregarding morals or scruples. The PGA commissioner saying their decision was money based was pathetic. Well, duh. These are professionals, they play to make wonga, as much of it as possible. I guess to have become an elite golfer in an individual sport in the first place means possessing a healthy dose of self-centredness and self-absorption in order to excel which can lead one to be capable of mentally disregarding events such as Jamal Khashoggi’s murder which they were not involved with. Mickelson at least is self-aware enough of what the "scary motherf*cker" Saudis are all about but he thinks he can enforce change on the PGA Tour by embracing them. It's classic cognitive dissonance i.e. I'm only taking their $200 million because I feel I can do some good for my professional peers on the PGA Tour. Nobody buys it but in the end money talks even if it means selling out your reputation. Greg Norman, the template for the “make as much dosh as possible” professional, has always tried to form a world tour. I guess his dissonance is that he’s allowing for more options for professionals but he’s pocketing mind boggling amounts of money in doing so.

Love how the recent radio debates on this was all about golf selling itself out to dodgy folk.

Why was there no such outrage when the likes of Newcastle, Man City and Barca (More than a club my ar$e) sold their souls for money?

So far it's only a bunch of wash outs blatantly signing on for the paycheck.

Dustin Johnson, DeChambeau washouts?

DeChambeau is a giant fúcking bellend.

Since his open win because of apparent hip and wrist injuries he hasn't done much, doesn't bode well for a guy that relies on heavy hitting.

He is not even in top 20 and just this week said he wasn't going to jump ship.

Sounds like he has, maybe because he was told he is passed his prime.

Johnson is a strange one, he definitely had it in him to attempt the quadruple and write his name into the history books, he says he will still compete in the majors (if he is invited) but I don't think you can compete at the highest level playing exhibition sort of golf.

TBF to him though, he came out and said he is doing for the money. So fair play to him for that.

Will be interesting to see if they get lifetime bans though and the level of regret from some of them when this clown show goes títs up.

Indeed, the point was he is in his prime, he clearly isn't.

Schwartzel won $4 million for 54 holes of golf.

For comparison, A PGA Tour player, based on a generous $1.5 million for a tour win, would need to win 3 tournaments and play 216 holes to exceed that amount. Or at a minimum win twice and place high up the leaderboard (i.e. top 5).

Any journeyman tour pro would be enticed by the prospect of having the playing week of their career and win such money. Or if they play rubbish get a cushion of guaranteed prize money.

US blood money? The PGA tour is funded by massive sponsors like Mastercard, FedEx, John Deere, etc. as well as big attendances.