BleedGopher
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per Axios Sports:
The Saudi-backed golf tour once felt like a legitimate threat to the PGA Tour. It now appears dead on arrival, and one of the biggest names attached to it may never recover.
Driving the news: The proposed tour, funded by the Saudi royal family and run by Greg Norman, has been making waves for months. But most Americans first heard about it last week, when comments Phil Mickelson made to golf writer Alan Shipnuck made headlines.
"They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with ... We know they killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
— Phil Mickelson
The aftermath: Rory McIlroy blasted Mickelson, saying his comments were "naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant." Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau — the two biggest stars vaguely attached to the project — publicly backed out, declaring their allegiance to the PGA Tour.
The last word: It's unclear whether Mickelson was chasing money or using the Saudi league as leverage to change the PGA Tour — perhaps a bit of both. What is clear is that his reputation and legacy are now in peril.
"The last amateur to win on the PGA Tour. The leap when he finally won his first major. [Winning] his sixth at age 50. ... Mickelson had it all — the adoration, the wealth. With his most daring and audacious play for control, [he] might only be able to salvage the latter at a great cost."
Go Tom Lehman!!
The Saudi-backed golf tour once felt like a legitimate threat to the PGA Tour. It now appears dead on arrival, and one of the biggest names attached to it may never recover.
Driving the news: The proposed tour, funded by the Saudi royal family and run by Greg Norman, has been making waves for months. But most Americans first heard about it last week, when comments Phil Mickelson made to golf writer Alan Shipnuck made headlines.
"They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with ... We know they killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
— Phil Mickelson
The aftermath: Rory McIlroy blasted Mickelson, saying his comments were "naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant." Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau — the two biggest stars vaguely attached to the project — publicly backed out, declaring their allegiance to the PGA Tour.
- Mickelson issued an apology on Tuesday, but the damage had already been done. KPMG, which has sponsored him since 2008, ended the relationship. Amstel Light also cut ties with the 51-year-old.
- Of note: Mickelson ranks eighth among the world's highest-paid athletes in terms of endorsements, raking in $42 million last year alone, per Sportico (subscription).
- If the tour does flame out, it would be mark the second failed breakaway league in the past 10 months, joining the European Super League (soccer) that collapsed in April.
- "Who's left to go?" said McIlroy over the weekend. "I just can't see any reason why anyone would go."
The last word: It's unclear whether Mickelson was chasing money or using the Saudi league as leverage to change the PGA Tour — perhaps a bit of both. What is clear is that his reputation and legacy are now in peril.
"The last amateur to win on the PGA Tour. The leap when he finally won his first major. [Winning] his sixth at age 50. ... Mickelson had it all — the adoration, the wealth. With his most daring and audacious play for control, [he] might only be able to salvage the latter at a great cost."
Go Tom Lehman!!
