News in brief

By Neville Idour

TOUR PROS TO INVEST IN LEEDS UNITED?

Leeds United, one of Britain’s biggest football clubs, could well have three of golf’s biggest stars as part-owners. They would be part of the American investment group, 49ers Enterprises, in the imminent takeover of Leeds United.

Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are the players involved.

Fowler said: “We are looking forward to it and it will be fun to be a part of it. Leeds were relegated from the premier league to the championship on the last day of the season.’’

So they are keen to be part of a Leeds revival. The club is renowned for the atmosphere the fans produce at Elland Road and Fowler is looking forward to experiencing it.

Monahan Under Fire For Hypocrisy

Not surprisingly PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan has been under fire from all quarters in his about face in joining the LIV backers the Saudi public investment fund (PIF) and the DP World Tour in a new merged entity.

He has come under withering fire from many PGA Tour players who say he has betrayed them. He has even got offside with the US senate which has opened an investigation into the deal and several US politicians have also hit out.

He wrote to the US lawmakers and met with several members of congress. He claims the PGA Tour was left to go it alone in its battle to fend off attacks. Sounds like a war.

He gave reasons for his about face saying that “with the prospect of another decade of expensive litigation and the PGA Tour’s long term existence under threat we couldn’t afford to keep battling the PIF financially.”

What he didn’t admit was that if, at the very beginning, he hadn’t totally ignored Greg Norman’s repeated requests to sit down and discuss how the LIV concept could be part of the golfing calendar none of the acrimony and expense of the last 12 months or so could have been avoided.

Sadly for Monahan he has an undisclosed medical condition and has stepped away from running the PGA

Tour albeit until he recovers. It has obviously been a stressful time for him when at a recent meeting with players there was anger and several players calling for him to resign.

Jon Rahm summed it up nicely. “It gets to a point where you want to have faith in management. I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management.”

Harrington Wants Best Team For Ryder Cup

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington is unequivocal in saying Europe needs to field it’s strongest possible team for the Ryder Cup. This means LIV players should be allowed to play, in the wake of the recent deal.

“Luke (Donald) has got to pick his best team,” Harrington said of the Ryder Cup captain.

He said despite certain rules needing to be changed for those who have resigned he does not see that as an obstacle.

“Rules have been changed before. Let’s give everyone a clean slate.”

Harrington insists several LIV players would be worthy of selection.

“To suggest there aren’t any would be silly.”

One other possible issue could be the rifts between certain players, particularly the fallout between former close friends Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. Again Harrington takes a positive view.

“For a week playing in a team you get over it.”

DO PLAYERS WHO MISS THE CUT GET PAID?

The simple answer on most professional tours, including the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, is no.

There are some variables such as reduced field no cut events which the PGA Tour is increasing considerably and the LIV Golf.

The major championships do pay those who miss the cut possibly rewarding them for qualifying.

At the 2023 PGA Championship all those who missed the cut received $US4000. At the 2023 US Masters it was $US10,000. At the 2022 Open it was staggered in three stages of 10,476 pounds down to 6984 pounds.

At the 2022 US Open it was $US10,000.

For 2023, The PGA Tour has intro- duced guaranteed season payments up to $US500,000. The Korn Ferry tour will also have benefits and so too will the DP World Tour. So the answer is no but at the same time, in some cases now, is it yes?

Adam Scott Affected Emotionally

Adam Scott has always spoken frankly and openly when questioned. Whenever the LIV Tour came up for question you could rely on Scott to speak with empathy and commonsense about his fellow professionals.

When asked his feelings regarding the recent merger and the about face by the PGA Tour, he did not hide his feelings saying: “Actually I am caught up emotionally because I stayed on the PGA Tour and what we were told if we left. It was put to us that if we left we were never coming back. But it now seems there are going to be pathways back.”

It was crystal clear he and many other players would have joined LIV if they knew what they know now.

FIRST GLOBAL SPONSOR FOR LIV’S MAJESTIC’S TEAM

The LIV Golf team Majestic’s GC has secured a global sponsor OKX , the world’s second largest crypto exchange, according to a Golf Monthly report.

The team, which is co captained by Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson, are excited with the many benefits OKX will bring for the team and fans.

OKX is involved in several sports including Manchester City Football Club, McLaren Formula One, an Olympian and Formula one driver.

Poulter has also been sponsored by them and says OKX brings passion, technical expertise and creativity in everything it does.

This deal suggests growing LIV remains on course. As Greg Norman told staff: “LIV will continue to be a stand alone enterprise. Our business model will not change. We are not going anywhere.”

Dustin Johnson told Sky Sports they are doing the schedule for 2024 now.

Ten Liv Players For International Series Event In England

The Asian Tour’s International Series event in August returns to England and will headline 10 LIV players.

Close House, near Newcastle, is the venue. Lee Westwood who opened the course in 2011 is very much looking forward to it. The tournament will be played from August 17-20.

The other LIV players are Patrick Reed, Graeme McDowell, Abraham Ancer, Anirban Lahiri, Eugenio Chacarra, Jason Kokrak, Richard Bland, Brendan Steele and Dean Burmester.

GOLFERS PROMINENT IN 2023 FORBES HIGHEST PAID ATHLETES’ LIST

Twelve professional golfers feature in the latest list of the world’s highest paid athletes.

Seven of them are LIV players whose earnings in all cases are almost entirely on course. Conversely, in the other cases, off course earnings are significant and in the case of Tiger Woods mostly off course.

Topping them in sixth is Dustin Johnson with $US107 million. Phil Mickelson is seventh with $US106 million. Rory McIlroy is 15th ($US80.8 million), Woods 16th ($US75.1 million), Cameron Smith 17th ($US73 million), Brooks Koepka 18th (US$72 million), Bryson DeChambeau 20th ($US69 million), Jon Rahm 28th ($US68 million), Patrick Reed 32nd ($US52 million), Jordan Spieth 43rd ($US47.5 million), Scottie Scheffler 45th ($US47.1 million) and Sergio Garcia 46th (US$46 million).

Another Mcilroy Pronouncement

In almost god like fashion Rory McIlroy recently opined that Brooks Koepka deserves to be in the Ryder Cup but European LIV players don’t.

“Brooks deserves to be on the US team how he’s played but I don’t know if anyone else from LIV would on merit.” McIlroy said he had different feelings about the European team because of the way things have transpired.

“I don’t think any of them should have a part in the team.”

With the recent merger in mind anything is now possible and McIlroy’s opinions may come back to bite him.

Jon Rahm does not agree with McIlroy saying simply “It’s the best Americans against the best Europeans, period.”