Midweek Musings, Damn You, Rory, Edition

I had a leisurely morning planned, which included a day of rest from my blogging obligations.  Then Rory opened his pie hole, and here we are.

Peace In Our Time - Playing the role of Neville Chamberlain in this morning's performance is.... Well, I know this is over the top, but I've been unable to confirm that Rory is en route to Berchtesgaden.  But the lede to this item seems to have, well, buried the lede:

After winning the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup in August for the third time in his career, Rory McIlroy is in Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship for a chance to sweep the season-long titles on both pro tours.

Despite being winless on the European circuit, McIlroy leads the DP World Tour Rankings thanks to three straight top fives after his win in Atlanta. Over 10 starts, McIlroy has seven top-five finishes with his worst performance coming in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (T-12).

Just a ridiculous year.

Wait, Rory is leading the Race to Dubai without anything better than a Top Five?  Wow, as we continue to parse the LIV threat, we need to never lose sight of how profoundly unsustainable the Euro Tour is.  

But, while that's an ongoing issue, that's not what compelled me to the keyboard this morning, that can be found herein:

And so it goes on. Only 24 hours after Greg Norman informed the world that “every PGA Tour player should be thanking LIV, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy,” McIlroy responded in kind. Speaking in Dubai two days before the DP World Tour Championship, the Northern Irishman gave what is surely his most definitive—and certainly most definite—verdict on the LIV Golf CEO’s conduct and comments that have done so much to create the on-going impasse between the controversial Saudi-backed circuit and the combined might of the PGA and DP World Tours.

“There's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen,” McIlroy said on Tuesday. “I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, look, you've got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences. Then things can happen. But right now, it's a stalemate because there can't be any other way.”

Some of you might find my close of photos provocative, but first we'll let Rory finish his thoughts:

And on Tiger?

“I'm very thankful for everyone in golf, and I've said this a million times: Tiger is the reason that we are playing for as much as we are playing for,” said McIlroy, who has grown so close to Tiger in recent years that the two are now business partners. “Tiger is the reason the stature of our game is where it is. The generation of Tiger and the generation coming after Tiger have all benefited from him and his achievements and what he's done for the game of golf. I don't think Tiger should be thankful to anyone for anything. I think everyone else in the game should be thankful.”

This is just so weird and, I think, counter-productive, but I can't figure out if he's speaking with Jay's approval, or whether he's gone rogue.  He did, to be fair, have some better words that will unfortunately get exactly zero coverage:

“In terms of I guess anything that Greg says, but that comment, it depends what you're looking for out of golf,” McIlroy said. “Am I thankful that LIV has provided more opportunities for the

top players to earn more? Yes. But ultimately will that make me happier at the end of my career? No. There's a lot of things that people play golf for and do their jobs for, and it's not just about money. It's about other things. It's about fulfilment. It's about trying to get the best out of yourself. It's about the satisfaction of turning up and sort of trying to play to your potential.

“Those are the things that certainly make me the happiest about playing golf. Some people, they might play for other reasons. But for me, I'm happiest when I'm playing my best and it doesn't matter how much I'm going to make. But at the same time, it's the sporting achievements that are the things that get me going.”

I simply can't understand why he wouldn't have said only that and nothing more.  That in and of itself is quite the effective putdown of Norman and the LIVsters, but message discipline doesn't seem to be on the menu, does it?

Obviously, his calls for Norman's head on a pike will grab the headlines, although I think that's the secondary issue here.  But he's acknowledging that the Shark has gotten under his skin, which seems to this observer an admission against interest.  But, given the rumors currently circulating, is it helpful for Rory to put his finger on scale?  Does it make the Saudis more or less likely to dump Norman?  

As an aside, has Rory thought through Norman's actual importance?  Your humble blogger finds the man comically inept, but I've never considered him anything more than a useful idiot for the Saudis.  his departure changes none of the facts on the ground, so what purpose is served in over-reacting to his nonsense, including those comments about Tiger.  

But the far larger issue is Rory's ongoing mewling about a deal, in which he seems quite the solitary sentinel.  The question I keep asking myself (and you) is whether he has Jay's approval in suing for peace, because I included that controversial photo for a reason, as things didn't work out well for that guy on the left of the phot (nor for the guy on the right, as well, but at a rather large cost to the rest of us).  It seems pretty obvious to this observer the Rory is showing weakness to the Saudis, and that's why I keep asking about Jay's involvement....

Is the Tour in such a weak position that it should be sung for peace?  I don't see it that way, as the LIV roster features a few relevant golfers, but mostly a ragtag assortment of has-beens and never was.... Of course, we don't know where things stand with additional defections, but that's exactly where I find Rory's comments so potentially calamitous.

For instance, the Cantlay-X-Man rumors have been out there for a while, so shall we step into their shoes for a moment?  Yeah, pretty sweet, aren't they?  But Greg Norman is on Line 2, and he's offering a nine-figure check, so what's a fellow to do?  You make a list of pros and cons, the former including just the one bullet point.  Oh, if you were to make it publicly available, it might include playing less, spending more time with the family and growing the game, but we can ignore that...

The cons would be the more amusing, and could include being banished from polite society or a PReed pairing, but the real impediment would be future access to those enhanced PGA Tour events and, more importantly, unimpeded access to the majors (neither of the two in question has won one, so they'll continue to qualify mostly through their world rankings).

So, I'm a simple guy, but the man most credited with holding things together (active player division, specifically excluding Tiger) sees fit to remove the most significant impediment constraining further defections?  Because, if there's to be a deal, it'll inevitably include amnesty for those defectors, so which team are you on, Rory?  Because I don't think you understand the logical ramifications of your comments.  

Alan, Asked -  Just a couple of other quick things for you today, first some anaerobic blogging of the latest Ask Alan, which dropped yesterday and has all sorts of juicy bits:

#AskAlan, Tony Finau now has equaled the great Russell Henley in wins. Given your recent podcast discussion of five-win players with Ryan French and Michael Bamberger, is Finau overrated or underrated? @the_agrippa

He was overrated, but now Finau is properly rated: a mega-talent who has learned how to win and is on the precipice of big things. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

A mega-talent?  I won't pretend to know how good Big Tone will prove to be, as that putter remains an open issue to me.  But can't we at least agree that such an issue can never be decided in November in Huston?

OK, so here's where the fun stuff begins:

What’s the Pat Perez/Phil dust-up about? I read once in a detective novel that, “All crime is

about sex or money.” My bet is sex…you?? @Mfurlong

Well, it ain’t about money. In the course of reporting my book on Mickelson, I kept hearing of his rift with Perez, a fellow San Diego native. They have a lot of history. Perez has always fancied himself a Tiger guy, which means he has never been warm and cuddly toward Phil. But what inspired Perez to spout off on various podcasts lately was Mickelson doing something that deeply offended Perez and his wife, Ashley. I approached Pat a couple of times to see if he’d go on-record, but he declined. A handful of players and caddies told me they heard of the incident directly from Perez, but the details are so inflammatory I didn’t feel comfortable putting the story in the book without direct confirmation. This whole situation is still clearly festering with Perez so we’ll see if he chooses to make the details public. If so, that will certainly set off a firestorm.

Hmmm, and I've always been reliably informed that, when they say it isn't about the money, that it's about the money....

But a sex scandal involving Phil and Perez ( let me just add that I'm a bit unclears as to when this incident occurred)?  That's just what this LIV saga has been missing, and based upon Alan's statements, there could be a further three scandals of a similar nature.

But why is Perez airing this now?  If he's blabbed to caddies and fanning the flames on multiple podcasts, it can only be because he wants the story to come out, no?  I think the only logical strategy is to ensure a deep strategic popcorn reserve.

Chiara Noja wins on the Ladies European Tour. How is someone born in 2006 winning an event on tour? I have a hybrid in my bag older than that. #AskAlan @EatandSleepGolf

It’s funny you’d say that—I recently found a hybrid in my garage that’s at least 10 years old but was the exact loft (22 degrees) I had decided I needed. I took it to Bandon Dunes and hit it so good, and now I’m wondering why I ever dropped it from my bag! But, yes, Noja is such a charming story and one heckuva talent. The ease with which she pulled off the win reminded me of the young Lydia Ko. And Nora’s upright, athletic swing evokes Nelly Korda, who, by the way, made some noise last weekend too. It was awesome to see Nelly win again after this season was complicated by a blood clot in her arm. She’s back to number one in the world, where she belongs.

I'll admit it, I don't have sufficient bandwidth to worry about the LET....

But here it gets real:

Who’s on deck for the next round of recruits for LIV for next season? @frazerrice

This is the $64,000 question, although another zero or three will be required to consummate the deals. It was interesting to see Mito Pereira in a photo from Sergio Garcia’s recent charity fundraiser—every other player in the picture is pledged to LIV. Was Mito just supporting a friend and a good cause or is that a sign of things to come? Feels like the latter. Every win now leads to inevitable speculation. Since LIV struck out with Hideki Matsuyama, will it now make a run at a resurgent Ryo Ishikawa? Seems like a natural fit. Beyond these names, I’ve learned to steer clear of speculation because what William Goldman once said of Hollywood also applies to LIV recruitment: Nobody knows anything.

Wait, Mito hasn't gone to LIV yet?  The ratio of rumors to competitive relevance has long been out of whack for Mito, so he should probably just go already.

On this story from yesterday:

After hearing about Matt Fitzpatrick’s brother’s Q School exemption, I can see the LIV golfer’s side a bit more clearly. Maybe the PGA Tour is also a tad corrupt. Is this quid pro quo for Matt staying on the Tour? #AskAlan @david_troyan

It has that aroma, but there is also a simple explanation: The PGA Tour U folks screwed up in allocating points and Alex Fitzpatrick was the only college kid with the wherewithal and/or resources to lawyer up and fight. Now, does the Tour have a keen interest in keeping the reigning U.S. Open champ happy by taking care of his little brother? Sure. But on a different subject, a Tour official once told me that most of the things that cynical reporters and jaundiced fans think are grand conspiracies are really just mistakes/incompetence that have to be corrected on the fly. I think that’s what happened here.

Alan missed an opportunity here to cite Occam's Razor, which I use to create the illusion of erudition.  But I think Alan understates what a bad look this is, and the long-term corrosive effects of such favoritism.

Is Harrington going to revolutionize Champions Tour golf? Discuss. #AskAlan @KevinMKinsella

Umm, no. But Padraig is going to win plenty of tournaments and certainly brings badly needed star power. Because of LIV, the Senior Tour is potentially going to lose out on a generation of headliners. Mickelson, obviously, but also Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, who are all 45-plus. Who is left in the pipeline to bring energy to the Champions Tour in the coming years? I love Stewart Cink (49), but he does not inspire passion like those European Ryder Cup heroes do. Ditto Zach Johnson (46). It’s pretty slim pickings for the foreseeable future.

That he could use that r-word with Langer taking a run at Hale Irwin's win total is quite amusing.... let's see how Padraig's game holds up when he's in his 60's, no?

This is its own interesting sidebar, although there is quite the category error in the question:

It seems like the LPGA players playing in the Aramco Series are not being held to the same standard as LIV Golf, even though both are funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund…..what gives? @ScottKirchoff2

That’s because the money in the women’s game is a fraction of what the dudes make; the lucre is career-changing for some of the gals playing the Aramco Series, whereas LIV feels indulgent in the extreme, with really rich golfers just getting richer. That’s not entirely fair, as LIV has its share of Andy Ogletrees and James Piots—young players just looking for opportunity—but most of the focus is on the DJs and Mickelsons, with career earnings well into nine figures. For them LIV is a choice, while the Aramco feels more like a necessity, which is why folks have been more forgiving of LPGA players accepting Saudi money.

This is not the venue for long-form answers, but this subject would seem to demand one, no?

To me, the Saudis have blundered horribly, which we can see in that category error I noted above.  With that Aramco Series, the Saudis have operated cooperatively within the existing ecosystem, and created additional opportunities for the ladies.  Not only have they staked out some real estate within the golf firmament at bargain basement prices, but the initiative directly addresses one of the criticisms of their regime, their treatment of women.

Obviously the women's game doesn't have the same kind of prominence, but their entry into the big leagues was done in a manner that directly threatened the strongest tour on the planet, and guaranteed a war to the death, which I still see them ill-positioned to win.  More important than my battlefield assessment, though, is the question of what they might achieve by winning?   More on that in a bit....

First, let's wrap Alan:

#AskAlan: Take us through the alternate reality where Tiger doesn’t crash and wreck his leg. Does LIV get off the ground with Tiger playing 10-15 events and expressing his loyalty to the Tour in every presser? @stege1630

Oooh, this is such a good hypothetical. But let us not forget that Tiger’s back was a mess even before his car accident. His reconstituted spine was never going to allow him to slog through 15 tournaments a year, and even 10 feels ambitious. I think the crash made it clear to Woods that his days as a contender were pretty much over, which helped nudge him into the role of elder statesman/activist/de facto commissioner in the Tour’s battle to thwart LIV. So even if Tiger had a good foot, I don’t think this current moment would look that different.

Like Alan, I though Tiger was stick-a-fork-in-him done before the accident as well, so I mostly agree with his take.  But I was always skeptical of the Phil-Tiger bromance, and I suspect that Phil's embrace of LIV to settle scores with Ponte Vedra Beach would have inevitably sent Tiger surrying away, so i think it changes nothing.

Exit Strategy - I'm going to leave you with a long-read non-golf item, the relevance of which I think you'll readily grasp.  I'll just remind you that your humble blogger is on the fence about the efficacy of sportswashing, but that the one analysis that most intrigued me was that which postulated that the Saudi's motivation was to be found in the success of the Emirates in such undertakings, so what could be more timely:

Qatar World Cup 2022: Sportswashing, security and soccer

This is a piece you should read in full, as there's much of interest as that World Cup kicks off.  Obviously there's deep-rooted corruption involved, and I've not yet watched the Netflix documentary on this subject.

The first point to make, is that Qatar and other Arab states have been active investors in football for quite some time:

Qatar's myriad sporting investments

Europe is the powerhouse of global soccer, the continent boasting the world's most prestigious clubs and most prestigious competitions. In Deloitte's 2022 Football Money League, its table of the 20 clubs that generate the highest revenue in the game, all of the teams are from Europe. Only one club in the top six, Manchester United, has not benefited from significant financial backing from the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), a closed shareholding organization based in Doha that reinvests into Qatar's sports and entertainment industries, owns the biggest club in France, Paris Saint-Germain, and has recently acquired about a 22% minority stake in Portuguese team SC Braga. Qatari sponsorship agreements stretch even farther around the globe in soccer and other sports.

 Why football?  This is the bit that made me laugh:

"In the past, many sports had a similar reliance on money from tobacco sponsorship until it was outlawed in many parts of the world. But they survived, football survived.

"When American owners began to buy into the Premier League almost 20 years ago, I spoke to one of them and asked what the reasons were, and he said that no other business gets a billion viewers twice a week. He also said they were idiots for taking so long to realize the power of football. So while the game is reliant on Middle East money, it doesn't always have to be like that."

I keep thinking that no one has told the Saudis that, as compared to the billion viewers that tune in to a Premiere League game, six people watch a golf tournament.

As for the sportswashing allegation, the Qataris present as having more basic commercial objectives: 

Securing the right to host the World Cup was never about casting a veil over those elements of Qatar's society. Instead, it was a calculated decision to expose itself to Western scrutiny to make gains elsewhere. For roughly three decades, Qatar has been working on a course toward where it is now, according to Chris Doyle, a director at the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, a nonprofit organization that promotes human rights, conflict resolution and civil society in the Arab world.

"If you go back to when the previous emir [Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani] came to power in 1995, Qatar was sitting on a large gas field but not exploiting it," Doyle told ESPN. "It was extremely conservative and hadn't seen the explosion of construction that we've seen now.

"It was very closed to the outside world, one of the more conservative states in the Arabian Peninsula, and he attempted to change this in a number of ways. Al Jazeera [the 24-hour English news channel owned by Qatar] was a part of that, opening up the media space, also having the American [military] base at Al Udeid, but probably more important in this respect was the huge changes in education, bringing in western campuses to Qatar."

Quite the fine distinction they draw, no?  Do you find this a compelling argument?

Qatar has arguably had the most uncomfortable ride. Unlike Saudi Arabia, whose human rights issues have long been established -- and other well-known countries like Russia and China that have hosted the Olympic Games -- Qatar had no global image to launder. The awarding of the World Cup 12 years ago was, in essence, the nation's international introduction. Without the World Cup, the country's issues with human rights, the treatment of migrant workers (an issue that existed in the country before the World Cup), the rights of women and the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community might have gone unchecked.

Same-sex relations are illegal, and men convicted of having them can face seven years in prison, while other laws ban unmarried sexual relations, independent of orientation. According to the U.S. State Department's 2021 Country Report on Human Rights, unwed women risk prosecution if they report pregnancies and "there were cases of hospitals reporting unwed mothers to authorities."

Say that again?  They have a long list of human rights abuses, but they're not trying to launder those because they think we don't know about them?

I'll leave you to read the remainder, though you might feel the need for a shower when you've finished.  This is very topical, given the LIV threat in golf, and especially so since Rory seems very content with a continued large role for the Saudis in our game.

The analogies break down in a number of important areas, not that I have thought it through to any great degree.  In football, they're buying franchise in the existing Premiere League, obviously tying their ROI to that institution.

In golf they seem to have embarked on a more confrontational and destructive strategy but, as we watch the World Cup, we should keep in mind that this might well be the Saudis objectives.  Though, they do seem to be going at it in a rather curious manner.

That's it for today, kids.  I'll see you when I see you....