The Saudi Golf League Is Dead and Buried

Supposedly backed by a near-endless supply of Saudi money, and most definitely fueled by enormous amounts of hubris, the proposed Saudi (Super?) Golf League appears to be dead and buried.

While it is possible that some version of the tour may one day exist, the possibility of it reaching any relevant status has come and gone. In retrospect, that lofty goal was never realistically attainable.

The general idea certainly has some appeal. Golf’s elite players squaring off in limited field events 12 to 14 times a year for enormous sums of money…. What’s not to like for players, sponsors, and golf enthusiasts?

From the beginning, it was not the “what” that was the problem. It was the “who”.

The mere mention of Saudi Arabia gives pause to any rational and compassionate human. The list of grievances and atrocities against its own citizens and those of the world is overwhelming in both number and severity.

The fact that the United States continues to count Saudi Arabia among its allies is inexcusable. But I’m no student of world affairs, political, economic, or otherwise. It is a complicated world, no doubt.

This is what is not complicated: Many golfers have chosen to turn a blind eye and tee it up in Saudi Arabia for one reason – enormous sums of money. That is their right.

Thankfully, a large number of players have also chosen to stay away.

What was on the table with the SGL was not one tournament each year. It was a series of tournaments designed in large part to cover the Saudi’s many human rights violations with splashes of feel-good sports moments. The term has become knowns as sportswashing.

Not surprisingly, Greg Norman is largely involved in the SGL. He has long wanted to be the frontman of a world tour that would challenge the PGA Tour. He proposed such an entity in the early 1990s.

The PGA Tour would have none of it. They also took much of that idea and ran with it, creating the World Golf Championships. Norman has relished the opportunity to get even ever since. It’s understandable.

But Norman doesn’t have the money or the trust of the right people to make such a tour happen. He didn’t have it then and he doesn’t have it now.

So he aligned himself with a group that had the money to burn. Or they, the Saudis, aligned themselves with Norman.

Whatever the case, regardless of the amount of cash and ego on hand, the tour was doomed for one major reason. They simply couldn’t convince the right players to turn their backs on the PGA Tour for ridiculous amounts of guaranteed cash.

The young players on the PGA Tour squashed the SGL by having personal and competitive character.

“You could say that about so many countries, not just Saudi Arabia, but a lot of countries that we play in that there’s a reason not to go, but for me, I just don’t want to go,” said Rory McIlroy. “One hundred percent, there’s a morality to it as well. I think the atmosphere looks better at the events on the west coast [USA] and I’d much rather play in front of big golf fans and play in a tournament that really excites me.”

The quote above is from 2019, and is about his thoughts of going, or not going, to Saudi Arabia for just one tournament. If he’s not willing to go for one tournament, it is doubtful he would ever be interested in tying his entire career to them.

Especially not when the PGA Tour laid down the gauntlet with the threat of a lifetime ban for signing on with the SGL.

For some older players, the proposed money might have been too much to overlook. Lee Westwood called the decision a “no brainer.”

For Phil Mickelson, the SGL appears to have been an opportunity to affect change on the PGA Tour.

“They’re scary [expletives] to get involved with,” Mickelson reportedly said. “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.

“They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the Saudi golf league] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”

But those comments have not gone over well with Phil’s fellow tour players.

“He’s done a lot of great things for the PGA Tour,” said Justin Thomas. “It’s a big reason it is where it is. But him and others that are very adamant about that, if they’re that passionate, go ahead. I don’t think anybody’s stopping them.”

“I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down, obviously,” added Rory McIlroy, “but I thought they were naïve, selfish, egotistical, ignorant.”

“It was just very surprising and disappointing. Sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.”

Whatever Mickelson’s actual motivations (and I for one am taking him at his word) he’s not sitting in the most comfortable position at the moment. Only time will tell how the whole ordeal might affect Phil’s legacy. There are several books that will come out this year that could further damage Lefty’s persona.

Reading Mickelson’s comments make one word come to mind – the same word that has come up when watching him attempt some wildly conceived golf shot. The word, of course, is “why?”.

As far as Norman is concerned, this is just par for the course. His business dealings have in many ways mirrored his playing career -flashes of brilliance, often accompanied by disastrous flameouts.

Here’s to hoping that the SGL falls into the latter category. Not because the PGA Tour is a perfect entity. That is not the case.

Saudi Arabia simply is not the answer. It never was and it never will be.