As negotiations continue between the PGA TOUR and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, there has been much debate, discussion and conjecture about what the future of golf looks like. Far too much time has been spent by players, administrators and fans since June 2022 slinging insults and criticism than actually working out how professional golf can move forward. First of all it was the 'human rights' and 'moral outrage', then it was mocking the LIV Golf concept and taking apart its field, the reality is that it has all been about the control of the game which the PGA TOUR and others have taken for granted over the years.
The established Tours faced its first 'threat' 30 years ago, with Greg Norman's1994 World Golf Tour, which was to be backed by and broadcast on FOX in the United States, and feature 8 events in its first season including tournaments in Canada, Scotland, Japan and Australia, with 4 in the US. The World Golf Tour was to feature the top 30 golfers on the SONY Rankings (now OWGR) and 10 sponsors invites per event, with purses of $4million (3-4 times the average PGA TOUR purse, and double that of the Majors in 1994). The proposal fell apart when the PGA TOUR threatened players with bans, and the Majors did not guarantee places for WGT participants, and players who were initially interested, withdrew their support. 2 years later the International Federation of PGA TOURS was formed, and the World Golf Championships launched in 1999, essentially stealing Greg Norman's idea and embedding it within the PGA TOUR schedule.
A plan to launch the Premier Golf League came to light in 2021 and the early part of 2022, which was an 18-tournament 54-hole league which would feature teams and individual play, very similar to what LIV Golf has launched. Each event was to be shotgun starts for the first two days, with a traditional tee-time system in use for the final round. It was proposed 12 of the events would be played in the USA, with 6 events in other destinations around the world. The Premier Golf League was backed by the 'World Golf Group' of wealthy investors, and they made approaches to several top golfers, including Rory McIlroy. Ultimately the plan did not come to fruition, but the opposition from the PGA TOUR and establishment was still fierce, despite the fact that the World Golf Group confirmed that they did not have any Saudi money, and that they wanted to work with the establishment to create the Premier Golf League.
The facts are that the $20bn worth of the World Golf Group paled into insignificance when compared to the resources of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which is why LIV Golf has launched, and the Premier Golf League has not. Saudi Arabia's first involvement with golf came in 2019 with the launch of the Saudi International, some 30 years after its friends in the United Arab Emirates saw golf as a great vehicle to drive tourism to the region. The first Dubai Desert Classic took place in March 1989, and featured just 9 of the world's top 100 golfers, but it soon became a popular fixture on the European Tour, and in 1995 it was the first Live golf tournament ever shown on Golf Channel in the USA. That edition of the tournament featured 6 of the world's top 8, including World Number 1 Nick Price, World Number 2 Greg Norman and winner, World Number 7 Fred Couples. Within 6 years the tournament had gone from having 9 of the world's 100, to having 22 of the top 100, and many of the great names of golf in the field.
The Dubai Desert Classic was growing, and so was the city. In 1989 Dubai's population was 444,000, by 1995 this had grown to 650,000, and now, some 35 years after the first Dubai Desert Classic, Dubai has a population of more than 3 million people. Dubai has played a huge part in the development of the modern European Tour, from partnering with the Tour to create the Race to Dubai in 2009, to assuming title sponsorship of the Tour in 2022, creating the DP World Tour through a $2billion 10-year sponsorship deal. Yet I do not hear anyone question how Dubai will make this money back, in the same way they do about the Saudi's and LIV Golf. Showcasing Dubai to the world is how they are making their investment pay, with more than 17 million visitors annually. Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index 2019 found that tourists spend more in Dubai than in any other country. In 2018, the country topped the list for the fourth year in a row with a total spend of $30.82 billion (At $30 billion, Dubai takes in the most global tourist dollars by far (consultancy-me.com)
This $30.82 billion is 15 times the investment into the European Tour, for just one year.
So in Dubai, Saudi Arabia has a clear inspiration to use golf as a way to inspire its own young and rapidly growing population, but also put itself on the map and attract visitors from all over the world. So it can be argued that among all its sporting investments in Boxing, Football, Tennis and Golf, it is our sport which stands to be the one that is most important to Saudi Arabia in the long-term. So far from getting bored, Saudi will be in it for the long haul, and that can only be good news for golf. The first Saudi International, played at Royal Greens in Jeddah, and staged on the European Tour, attracted a phenomenal field of global golfers including all of the World's top 3 golfers, 4 of the top 5 and 22 of the world's top 100. It was won by Dustin Johnson, and it was a dream way to launch a new tournament, in a region which has been critical to the modern development of the European Tour.
Then, just over a year later, the Covid19 pandemic changed everything. Golf, as the rest of the world did, shut down, and the European Tour was in a precarious position. It was reported by Bunkered that in May 2021 European Tour CEO Keith Pelley was present at a meeting in Malta, where it has been suggested the Tour was offered the chance to be a part of what has become LIV Golf. The proposal was to invest into the European Tour, with a suggested value of $700-800million, giving the Tour equity in LIV Golf, and ownership of a franchise. The overwhelming sense was that the SLG or LIV Golf was to be part of the existing eco-system of men's professional golf.
Pelley denies an offer was made, and the now DP World Tour formed a strategic alliance with the PGA TOUR instead, and then the all-out offensive towards LIV Golf, Greg Norman and the Saudi's began. In the absence of a deal with the DP World Tour, or PGA TOUR, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, through LIV Golf Investments turned its attention to the Asian Tour. The Saudi International was removed from the European Tour, and became the flagship event of the Asian Tour, in a 10-year deal, and the International Series was launched.
The International Series is a set of 10 tournaments on the Asian Tour which carry larger prize funds than regular tour events, and create a pathway to the LIV Golf League. The Asian Tour was on the brink of extinction following the Covid19 pandemic, and PIF/LIV Golf rescued it, something which the wider golfing world has completely neglected to cover during this entire saga. Instead their attention has been focused on diminishing LIV Golf, mocking its product, taking apart its field, questioning the motives of the Saudis and pouring cold water on its attempts to 'grow the game'.
In February 2022 it seemed like the whole plan for the 'Super Golf League' was set to fall apart, with the likes of Dustin Johnson ruling himself out of joining it, and Phil Mickelson being quoted as saying that the Saudis were "Scary m**herf***ers". Rory McIlroy, a staunch opponent of a breakaway league, even said that the concept was "dead in the water" at the 2022 Genesis Invitational. Fast forward to the night of 31 May into 1 June 2022, and LIV Golf stunned the world with its first confirmed field, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen. Within 24 hours of the announcement the PGA TOUR issued suspensions to their members, due to the fact they had denied releases to play in an alternate tournament.
The bad blood, the insults, the criticism and the negativity has flowed ever since, particularly in the direction of LIV Golf, its players and those who enjoy it, from the establishment and their fans. The whole saga has bee reflective of society in the 2020's, divided and entrenched in opposing positions. Incredibly, on 6 June 2023, less than a year after the first LIV Golf event, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, and Saudi PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan shocked the world, announcing in an interview on CNBC that they were working towards merging the assets of the PGA TOUR, LIV Golf and DP World Tour into a new, for-profit company.
The two parties were committed to resolving things by December 31, 2023, but investigations by the US Department of Justice, and the PGA TOUR since agreeing investment from the Strategic Sports Group have seen the deal held up.
Incredibly, nearly 11 months after the self-imposed December 31 deadline, there is still no deal between the PGA TOUR and the Public Investment Fund, and the future of men's professional golf is about as clear as a day in St Andrews when the Haar comes in. Former DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley previously criticised the Saudis for not playing within the eco-system of golf, as they have done in Formula 1, Tennis, Football and other sports, but it was within the gift of Pelley more than 3 years ago to bring them into the eco-system and create something truly spectacular, if not for the whole of golf, then for the European Tour.
Since 2021 Formula 1 has raced in Jeddah at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and Saudi oil giant, Aramco has been a major sponsor of F1 Team Aston Martin, and F1 itself. In Tennis, the PIF has become the title sponsor of the ATP Rankings, and has staged a series of exhibitions within Riyadh Season, ahead of likely staging the year-end ATP Finals from 2026. There has been reports that they are also behind a potential plan to restructure the calendar and form an F1-style circuit featuring the 4 Grand Slams and 8-9 other premier tournaments.
In Football the Saudi PIF are the majority shareholders at Newcastle United, and they have spent billions in recruiting star players for the teams of the Saudi Pro League, as well as staging the Spanish Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup in recent years. Of course, the biggest investment of all will come in the shape of being the sole host nation for the FIFA World Cup 2034. You could add together all the criticism of this by the media and it would not come close to the animosity we have seen against LIV Golf from the golf media which is beholden to the establishment, and it is that animosity which has been the predominant reason why golf is yet to fully benefit from the investment and involvement of Saudi Arabia.
For inspiration about the future golf could have, we need to look no further than the Saudi investment into Boxing. The country first dipped its toe into hosting big time boxing back in 2018 when George Groves and Callum Smith collided in the World Boxing Super Series in Jeddah for the WBA (Super) and The Ring super middleweight titles. Then 12 months later Boxing looked towards Saudi Arabia again when Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz clashed in their rematch for the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO World Heavyweight titles in Diriyah, near Riyadh. 3 years on it was Joshua again who was the centre of attention, for another rematch, for the same titles, with Oleksandr Usyk, in Jeddah in August 2022. So far, Saudi was just being a host to an event, but in October 2023, as Frank Warren puts it, the Game was Changed.
Saudi Arabia was about to wow the world with a spectacular opening to the 2023-24 Riyadh Season, featuring the somewhat bizarre main event between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, but this was not just the launch of Riyadh Season, it was the launch of a partnership, between Saudi Arabia, and the entire sport of professional boxing.
What is Riyadh Season?
Riyadh Season is a series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. The event was introduced in 2019 by the General Entertainment Authority as part of the larger Saudi Seasons initiative in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
Riyadh Season is typically scheduled from October through March, falling between the early-winter and early-spring, with seasonal events and experiences dispersed into "zones" such as the Boulevard City, Boulevard World, Roshn Front, Al Malazz, and National Museum Park districts, and major events such as concerts, music festivals, and sporting events (particularly boxing and mixed martial arts events) promoted under the banner held at venues such as Mohammed Abdo Arena and Kingdom Arena. (Wikipedia)
The undercard has long been forgotten from this event, but it was the incredible opening ceremony, the ring coming out of the floor and Ngannou knocking Fury to the canvas may never be forgotten. At the time, the claims of it being "game changing" were scoffed at, but we didn't have to wait too long to see that those claims were indeed too true. 2 days before Christmas Riyadh Season, and Turki Alalshikh brought promoters Queensberry, Matchroom, Wasserman and Top Rank together for the 'Day of Reckoning'. It was a card which had more stars than the galaxy, including Anthony Joshua, Dmitry Bivol, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, Jai Opetaia, and Filip Hrgovic.
The night opened doors for some, and closed doors for others, and it became apparent that Riyadh Season was going to become the new home of big time championship boxing. This was the true start of bringing rival promoters together, to work on the same show, putting together cards which many could only dream of, and uniting a fractured sport. Not only is the sport fractured by different sanctioning bodies (BBBOC etc), governing bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO and WBA), promoters (Queensberry, Matchroom, Top Rank, Golden Boy, Wasserman etc), but it is also fractured due to the rival broadcasters (DAZN, ESPN, Sky, TNT etc). HBO were the dominant broadcaster in the sport of boxing in the past, and they had relationships with most of the world's top fighters and promoters, but with HBO severing ties with particular managers, and promoters, and other broadcasters such as SHOWTIME emerging, the sport became even more fractured, and arranging top fights became harder than ever before.
Just over 2 months later attention returned to Riyadh for 'Knockout Chaos' and the intriguing main event between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, Joshua destroyed Ngannou in the way we all expected Tyson Fury to, and announced his return to the top table of the Heavyweight division.
If we needed confirmation of Saudi Arabia's commitment to boxing we got it with the staging of the most anticipated fight in modern boxing, between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World. The fight was delayed from February to May due to Fury getting cut during sparring, and Usyk won a split decision to add the WBC title to the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles he already held.
Then in June came the event which shows how the rival tours in golf can come together, and can work together. Matchroom v Queensberry 5 v 5 was a resounding success, not for Eddie Hearn, who saw his team thrashed 5-0, but for the sport. It is certain that this event will be repeated, in Riyadh, and in the UK, and it sparked debate about other similar competitions in the sport, such as Golden Boy v Top Rank, or Queensberry v Wasserman and Matchroom v Boxxer.
For decades the Americans kept a stranglehold on big time boxing, but hearing the demands by fans for global events, Riyadh Season sponsored two global events in Los Angeles and London in August and September respectively.
Daniel Dubois spectacularly defeated Anthony Joshua at Wembley, defending his IBF World Heavyweight Championship belt, and putting himself in the picture for fights against Usyk or Fury down the line in 2025.
There has been speculation, all but confirmed by Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, that the next phase of the Saudi involvement in boxing, is to create a global league for the sport, making it like UFC, where the titles are fought for under one banner. It is very possible that Saudi Arabia, and the promoters, could bring the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO together to create a global league similar and even better than, the World Boxing Super Series. This would crown an undisputed champion in every weight division every couple of years, with major shows put on in Riyadh, London, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Tokyo, Mexico and other destinations around the world.
Surely the key stakeholders in golf have been watching what has transpired in boxing, and have concluded that this is the direction we have to move in, or we may miss out entirely, and remain fractured, with an unfulfilled global potential. Last October the Governor of the Public Investment Fund, and backer of LIV Golf, Yasir Al-Rumayyan was invited to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and he played in the same group as former R&A CEO Martin Slumbers on Thursday, before joining his predecessor, Peter Dawson on the Friday at Carnoustie.
The atmosphere seemed tense between Al-Rumayyan and Slumbers, and it came as no surprise that two days after the tournament it was announced that LIV Golf had their application for OWGR points rejected. This was yet more nonsense from the establishment to protect their own products, to the detriment of the sport at large.
12 months on, and after much more debate, the owner of Newcastle United returned to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and played in the same groups as PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, and former World Number One Rory McIlroy. Last time Yasir played in the Dunhill there was an almost immediate news break, of the rejection for OWGR points, interestingly this time around there has been radio silence. Surely something will be announced, and soon.
Golf is the ONLY sport where the players dictate the schedule. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen don't tell F1 that they are not going to drive in Monaco or Baku, and Manchester United do not refuse to go and play on a wet, windy Tuesday in Stoke. It is time for the administrators of this great sport, to take control and drive the sport forward at the professional level. Allow the players to unionise, and help shape things, but the players cannot any longer dictate where and when they are going to play, it is hurting the sport.
The organisations (PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, LIV Golf, Sunshine Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia) should merge, and create a completely new entity, brand and platform - and call it WGC, a bit like UFC, but for Golf. The International Federation of PGA Tours launched the World Golf Championships 25 years ago, but yet again it was self-interest, instead of the wider good of the game, which saw that series primarily played in the United States, and dwindle down to a single tournament, and now nothing.
WGC has the potential to be an incredible brand, and body for the future of professional golf, and could include offices at Sawgrass, Wentworth, Sentosa, Melbourne, Johannesburg, Tokyo and Dubai.
Structure the tournaments in a way which will incentivise players to play across the world, and pits the best against the best throughout the year, and do it as follows:
Division 1
Championship Tour - 14 premier global events, featuring fields of 120 players and including Nedbank Golf Challenge (Sun City, RSA), Hero Dubai Desert Classic (Emirates GC, Dubai), Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (Miyazaki, Japan), Australian Masters (The Grange, Australia), BMW PGA Championship (Wentworth, England), OMEGA European Masters (Crans Montana, Switzerland), Genesis Invitational (Riviera, LA, USA), Arnold Palmer Invitational (Bay Hill, Orlando, USA), The Players Championship (Sawgrass, Jacksonville, USA), The Memorial Tournament (Muirfield Village, Ohio, USA), Charles Schwab Challenge (Colonial, Texas, USA), Western Open (Chicago, USA), Tour Championship (East Lake, Atlanta, USA)
International Series - the World's great National Opens, featuring fields of 144-156 players including RBC Canadian Open, VISA Argentina Open, EZP Brazil Open, Mexico Open, AMGEN Irish Open, Genesis Scottish Open, FedEx Open de France, Open de Espana, Open D'Italia, Investec South African Open, Magical Kenya Open, ISPS Handa Australian Open, New Zealand Open, Singapore Open, Korean Open, Japan Open, Volvo China Open, Hero Indian Open, and Saudi Open presented by PIF
Pro-am Series - 4 premier pro-celebrity tournaments played at four of golf's most iconic destinations including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am (Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point), Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie), Dimension Data Pro-am (Fancourt, South Africa) and the Sandbelt Invitational (Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath and Victoria GC)
Division 2
Regional tours, similar to what exists now including US Tour, Tour de Las Americas, African Tour, Asian Tour, Australasian Tour, MENA Tour and European Tour - these tours would include current events, and events from within feeder tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour, Challenge Tour and equivalents
What about Team Golf?
Currently LIV Golf has 13 franchises which have just four team members, the franchise numbers would expand to 18, maybe more, with the aim of being backed or part-owned by major golfing brands such as Nike, Adidas, TaylorMade, Callaway and Titleist. Each franchise would sign between 24 and 40 golfers to its roster for the season, or period of their contracts. This would have no bearing on the tournaments that the players are eligible for though, unlike the current LIV Golf system.
The team portion of all events across the Championship Tour, International Series, Pro-am Series and regional tours would be held across the first three days of every event outside the Majors. The leading 4 individual scores each day would count for the team score, similar to the LIV Golf system now. There would be a Team Championship staged every year and played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Riyadh Season, and played under floodlights, bringing further innovation to the world of golf, and making it more suitable for a global audience in terms of time zones.
Music on the Course? Party Holes? Shogun Starts?
Music on the course would be limited to the single hole, which would be a stadium hole at each of the Division 1 events (Championship Tour, International Series and Pro-am Series), but shotgun starts would only be used as a way of making up for lost time, due to a weather delay etc.
Tournaments would be played under 72-holes with a cut, but with one key difference. The cut would take place after 54 holes, allowing the team elements to conclude prior to the individual final round battle for the title.
What about the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai?
What about them? They didn't exist prior to 2007, and the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour have acted like they are part of the fabric of the sport, they aren't, nobody cares about them, they are contrived systems to try and create false drama. The WGC would be played with a single season-long ranking, with levels of points awarded at the Majors, Championship Tour, International Series and Pro-am Series, as well as the regional tours. The Champion is the golfer who gets the most points, simple.
So how do we get there?
On Tuesday 17 December, at Shadow Creek Golf Club, near Las Vegas, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in 'The Showdown'. Promoted by BZ Entertainment, 'The Showdown' will be the successor to 'The Match', which was broadcast by Warner Bros Discovery-owned TNT/BR Sports in the USA. This is said to be the first in a five-part series under 'The Showdown' franchise, and there is little doubt that whilst not sanctioned or endorsed by either the PGA TOUR or LIV Golf, this will be seen as the PGA TOUR v LIV Golf.
So why not make it official, and go the whole hog, and make it 'PGA TOUR v LIV Golf: The Showdown'?
PGA TOUR vs LIV Golf: The Showdown could work as follows:
Two teams of 12 golfers
Day One - Fourballs x6
Day Two - Foursomes x6
Day Three - Singles x12
PGA TOUR is captained by Jay Monahan, he decides the pairings for days one and two, and LIV Golf is captained by Greg Norman, who also determines the pairings for days one and two. In a twist to the usual team matches, each pairing and single selects their opponent. For example, the PGA TOUR's first announced pairing could be Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, and they are able to see the chosen pairings for LIV Golf, they select their opponents from the list of six teams, and so on. 12 1/2 points are required to win.
Following its limited debut in 2024, PGA TOUR vs LIV Golf: The Showdown would move to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and be played in November 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028, being a showpiece event within Riyadh Season. The matches would be played under floodlights.
The Showdown would run for five years, including this December's event, and would conclude at the end of 2028, this period would allow the PGA TOUR, PIF, LIV Golf, DP World Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour to work on the future structure of the WGC, and properly launch in 2029.
In the meantime the best from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would be able to compete on both circuits, and on the DP World Tour, and other tours worldwide under the following conditions:
LIV Golf players could play on the PGA TOUR through sponsors invitations to regular season tournaments outside the Majors, The Players Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs (up to a maximum of 6 events)
LIV Golf players who are qualified to play in The Players Championship through the eligibility criteria would be welcome to enter
PGA TOUR players could play in LIV Golf events as Wildcards during the regular season
The Major tours would work with LIV Golf to create a somewhat unified schedule which ensures that golf's premier events are not up against each other throughout the season until the end of 2028
The new WGC would launch officially on January 1, 2029 with the season calendar running from January to November.
If the rivals can finally come together in the spirit of cooperation, and embrace the investment from Saudi Arabia, rather than trying to take the moral high ground, then this sport can move forward, as one to a bright, global future, just like Boxing. If it doesn't then it will be a fight to the death, and the only thing which truly dies, is the sport.
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