WILL WILSON
TUESDAY SAW YET MORE FALLOUT FROM THE PROPOSED 'SUPER GOLF LEAGUE' IN RELATION TO PHIL MICKELSON, AND HIS IMPENDING SUSPENSION FROM THE PGA TOUR FOR HIS COMMENTS ABOUT THE PGA TOUR, SUPER GOLF LEAGUE AND SAUDI ARABIA TO THE MEDIA AND IN AN AUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY DUE TO BE RELEASED BY GOLF WRITER ALAN SHIPNUCK. MICKELSON RELEASED A 500+ WORD STATEMENT ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE PGA TOUR POLICY MEETING AT THE HONDA CLASSIC.
IN THE STATEMENT MICKELSON SHOWED CONTRITION, HE APOLOGISED AND EXPLAINED THE PRESSURES HE HAD BEEN FEELING FOR OVER A DECADE, DUE TO THE SPOTLIGHT ON HIM FOR 30 YEARS AT THE TOP OF GOLF, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE HE SAID THAT STRIKES A CHORD WITH ME AND THAT SHOWS THE SUPER GOLF LEAGUE WILL COME TO FRUITION LATER THIS YEAR.
"Golf desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption. I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new. I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.
IN THE STATEMENT MICKELSON SHOWED CONTRITION, HE APOLOGISED AND EXPLAINED THE PRESSURES HE HAD BEEN FEELING FOR OVER A DECADE, DUE TO THE SPOTLIGHT ON HIM FOR 30 YEARS AT THE TOP OF GOLF, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE HE SAID THAT STRIKES A CHORD WITH ME AND THAT SHOWS THE SUPER GOLF LEAGUE WILL COME TO FRUITION LATER THIS YEAR.
"Golf desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption. I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new. I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.
My experience with LIV Golf Investments has been very positive. I apologize for anything I said that was taken out of context. The specific people I have worked with are visionaries and have only been supportive. More importantly they passionately love golf and share my drive to make the game better. They have a clear plan to create an updated and positive experience for everyone including players, sponsors, networks, and fans."
OF COURSE MICKELSON STILL FACED CRITICISM FROM LARGE PARTS OF THE MEDIA, ALL OF WHOM ARE EMBEDDED WITH THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
SKY SPORTS LEAD COMMENTATOR EWEN MURRAY: "Having watched Phil Mickelson for 30 years, admired his undoubted talent, and marvelled at his excellence, his sheer brilliance and his outstanding short game, how on earth can it come to this?. So terribly sad, so desperately unnecessary, so stupid."
GOLF CHANNEL'S RYAN LAVNER: "So apparently that was a bad time to get a root canal! But one thing was particularly striking about Phil’s 530-word statement, two words that never appeared: “PGA Tour.”
Feels like he’s alone on an island.
BUNKERED'S MICHAEL MCEWAN: "It’s not much of an apology when all you’re feeling sorry for is yourself."
ASIDE FROM THIS GOLF WEEK'S EAMONN LYNCH EVISCERATED MICKELSON AND HIS APOLOGY ON GOLF CHANNEL, AND CONTINUED HIS OPPOSITION TO A NEW GOLF TOUR, MUCH ELSE OF WHAT WAS SAID ON SOCIAL MEDIA WAS TOO OFFENSIVE TO PUBLISH ON A CREDITABLE WEBSITE.
BUT THE REACTIONS FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ARE ONCE MORE AN ILLUSTRATION OF THEM BEING WOVEN TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, AND ITS SIMPLY STUNNING TO SEE THE REACTION FROM TENNIS LEGEND MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: "Phil Mickelson’s willingness to entertain a Saudi-sponsored golf tour is shameless." NAVRATILOVA POSTED ON TWITTER ON MONDAY. I WONDER IF SHE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE UAE-BACKED GOLF TOUR OR THE TENNIS EVENTS IN DUBAI, ABU DHABI AND QATAR?
OF COURSE THE LIKES OF SKY, NBC GOLF CHANNEL, CBS AND OTHERS WHO HAVE ENORMOUS CONTRACTS TO SHOW THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR WILL CONTINUE TO SLAM MICKELSON AND SLAM THE "SAUDI GOLF LEAGUE" AS THEY LOVE TO CALL IT. BUT I THINK IT IS ONLY FAIR FOR ME TO STICK UP FOR MICKELSON TO SOME EXTENT.
I DON'T AGREE WITH HIS COMMENTS ON THE PGA TOUR'S "OBNOXIOUS GREED" AND HIS COMMENTS ABOUT THE SAUDIS AND RESHAPING THE PGA TOUR ARE ABSOLUTELY OFFENSIVE TO MOST PEOPLE, IT WAS STUPID IN THE EXTREME TO PUT THAT CONTEXT TO CHANGING THE GAME OF GOLF. GOLF IS IRRELEVANT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THE WORLD, WITH HUMAN RIGHTS FAR MORE IMPORTANT, BUT AGAIN IF WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES THEN WE REALLY SHOULD BE CONSISTENT, AND THAT MEANS PANNING THE NOW DP WORLD TOUR FOR BEING FUNDED BY A DUBAI-BASED COMPANY WITHIN AN EMIRATE OF THE UAE THAT HAS A TRULY APPALLING HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN AND LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.
YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISON BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UAE IN MY FEATURE 'GIVING THE GAME A SHEIKH UP'.
OF COURSE EVERYONE IN THE MEDIA AND ON THE PGA TOUR WILL SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE SPORT AND NOTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. THEY ARE WRONG.
A RECENT REPORT FROM BUNKERED SHOWED THAT GOLF CLUB MEMBERS ARE GETTING OLDER THAN EVER BEFORE, WITH LESS YOUNG PEOPLE PLAYING THE GAME - According to an annual report produced by accountancy firm Hillier Hopkins, nearly two-thirds of members are over the age of 50, with a third over 61. It also found three-quarters of members were male. SEE REPORT HERE.
A NEW, EXCITING, ELITE, GLOBAL PLATFORM CAN ELEVATE THIS MAGNIFICENT SPORT EVEN HIGHER AND DRIVE PARTICIPATION AND INTEREST IN GOLF ACROSS THE WORLD AND IN THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD. THE SAME OLD PGA TOUR AND FORMER EUROPEAN TOUR ARE FAILING TO DELIVER THAT TRULY GLOBAL PLATFORM, WITH 22 OF THE 25 STRONGEST FIELDS IN 2021 BEING AT AMERICAN-BASED TOURNAMENTS, WITH 1 IN SCOTLAND, 1 IN ENGLAND AND 1, YES, IN SAUDI ARABIA.
GOLF NEEDS TO CHANGE, AND PHIL MICKELSON HAS RECOGNISED THAT. EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN RECKLESS IN HOW HE DELIVERED THE MESSAGE.
OF COURSE MICKELSON STILL FACED CRITICISM FROM LARGE PARTS OF THE MEDIA, ALL OF WHOM ARE EMBEDDED WITH THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
SKY SPORTS LEAD COMMENTATOR EWEN MURRAY: "Having watched Phil Mickelson for 30 years, admired his undoubted talent, and marvelled at his excellence, his sheer brilliance and his outstanding short game, how on earth can it come to this?. So terribly sad, so desperately unnecessary, so stupid."
GOLF CHANNEL'S RYAN LAVNER: "So apparently that was a bad time to get a root canal! But one thing was particularly striking about Phil’s 530-word statement, two words that never appeared: “PGA Tour.”
Feels like he’s alone on an island.
BUNKERED'S MICHAEL MCEWAN: "It’s not much of an apology when all you’re feeling sorry for is yourself."
ASIDE FROM THIS GOLF WEEK'S EAMONN LYNCH EVISCERATED MICKELSON AND HIS APOLOGY ON GOLF CHANNEL, AND CONTINUED HIS OPPOSITION TO A NEW GOLF TOUR, MUCH ELSE OF WHAT WAS SAID ON SOCIAL MEDIA WAS TOO OFFENSIVE TO PUBLISH ON A CREDITABLE WEBSITE.
BUT THE REACTIONS FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ARE ONCE MORE AN ILLUSTRATION OF THEM BEING WOVEN TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, AND ITS SIMPLY STUNNING TO SEE THE REACTION FROM TENNIS LEGEND MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: "Phil Mickelson’s willingness to entertain a Saudi-sponsored golf tour is shameless." NAVRATILOVA POSTED ON TWITTER ON MONDAY. I WONDER IF SHE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE UAE-BACKED GOLF TOUR OR THE TENNIS EVENTS IN DUBAI, ABU DHABI AND QATAR?
OF COURSE THE LIKES OF SKY, NBC GOLF CHANNEL, CBS AND OTHERS WHO HAVE ENORMOUS CONTRACTS TO SHOW THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR WILL CONTINUE TO SLAM MICKELSON AND SLAM THE "SAUDI GOLF LEAGUE" AS THEY LOVE TO CALL IT. BUT I THINK IT IS ONLY FAIR FOR ME TO STICK UP FOR MICKELSON TO SOME EXTENT.
I DON'T AGREE WITH HIS COMMENTS ON THE PGA TOUR'S "OBNOXIOUS GREED" AND HIS COMMENTS ABOUT THE SAUDIS AND RESHAPING THE PGA TOUR ARE ABSOLUTELY OFFENSIVE TO MOST PEOPLE, IT WAS STUPID IN THE EXTREME TO PUT THAT CONTEXT TO CHANGING THE GAME OF GOLF. GOLF IS IRRELEVANT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THE WORLD, WITH HUMAN RIGHTS FAR MORE IMPORTANT, BUT AGAIN IF WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES THEN WE REALLY SHOULD BE CONSISTENT, AND THAT MEANS PANNING THE NOW DP WORLD TOUR FOR BEING FUNDED BY A DUBAI-BASED COMPANY WITHIN AN EMIRATE OF THE UAE THAT HAS A TRULY APPALLING HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN AND LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.
YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISON BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UAE IN MY FEATURE 'GIVING THE GAME A SHEIKH UP'.
OF COURSE EVERYONE IN THE MEDIA AND ON THE PGA TOUR WILL SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE SPORT AND NOTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. THEY ARE WRONG.
A RECENT REPORT FROM BUNKERED SHOWED THAT GOLF CLUB MEMBERS ARE GETTING OLDER THAN EVER BEFORE, WITH LESS YOUNG PEOPLE PLAYING THE GAME - According to an annual report produced by accountancy firm Hillier Hopkins, nearly two-thirds of members are over the age of 50, with a third over 61. It also found three-quarters of members were male. SEE REPORT HERE.
A NEW, EXCITING, ELITE, GLOBAL PLATFORM CAN ELEVATE THIS MAGNIFICENT SPORT EVEN HIGHER AND DRIVE PARTICIPATION AND INTEREST IN GOLF ACROSS THE WORLD AND IN THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD. THE SAME OLD PGA TOUR AND FORMER EUROPEAN TOUR ARE FAILING TO DELIVER THAT TRULY GLOBAL PLATFORM, WITH 22 OF THE 25 STRONGEST FIELDS IN 2021 BEING AT AMERICAN-BASED TOURNAMENTS, WITH 1 IN SCOTLAND, 1 IN ENGLAND AND 1, YES, IN SAUDI ARABIA.
GOLF NEEDS TO CHANGE, AND PHIL MICKELSON HAS RECOGNISED THAT. EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN RECKLESS IN HOW HE DELIVERED THE MESSAGE.
