Penton: No winner in golf’s civil war
By Bruce Penton
It’s almost as if the shooting has stopped in professional golf’s civil war of 2022.
All is now quiet. The final volley of firing took place the day after the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s flagship event, the Tour Championship, as the last of the significant players to cross over from the PGA Tour to the Saudi Arabian-sponsored LIV Tour made their way to the land of milk, honey, gobs of money and 54-hole, no-cut events.
The most prominent player of the final seven PGA Tour players to join LIV was Cam Smith, the Australian with the mullet haircut who is ranked No. 2 in the world and coming off a scorching 2022 season in which he won the Players and the Open Championship. LIV commissioner Greg Norman said the implication was clear: LIV was winning the battle for professional golf.
We’ll have to wait and see about that, especially considering 18 of the world’s top-20 players remain on the PGA Tour (though LIV has 12 players ranked No. 21 through 50).
Results of two court cases between the two rival leagues is currently a 1-1 tie; more litigation to follow. But as the LIV Tour and its 48-player fields played their fourth of eight 2022 events in Boston in early September and heading for Chicago later this month, the future of the pro game is vey much in a state of flux.
LIV says its existence has already improved pro golfers’ lives, thanks to the PGA Tour’s rapid escalation of prize money and other financial perks aimed at counteracting the LIV riches. PGA Tour proponents say the LIV tournaments are mere exhibitions, with nothing at stake but huge prize payouts. Official World Golf Ranking points, a source of qualification for most of pro golf’s majors, are not available to the LIV players, a bone of contention headed for court.
So Smith, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Joaquin Niemann are players who will be sorely missed by the PGA Tour. Patrick Reed has talent, but he and his dubious character won’t be missed. Abe Ancer, Taylor Gooch, Kevin Na and Matthew Wolff were occasionally good, but not great players. The rest of the LIV roster consists of aging vets with little to no win equity, players who will be quickly forgotten as their places on the PGA Tour are taken by talented players graduating from the colleges and secondary tours.
But one thing LIV players have that their friends on the PGA Tour do not: Plenty of life-changing, up-front money from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. There’s no TV contract, the players’ images and legacies have been stained and in my mind, it’s almost as if the LIV players have retired from pro golf. The piracy has stopped for now, but no winner of the war has been declared.
Dave Fabrizi, via Facebook, on MLB’s playoff schedule ending with a possible Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 5: “If they happen to have a rainout, the game might be shown at halftime of the Bills-Jets game on Nov. 6. I can hardly wait.”
Michael Thompson, on Twitter: “Too bad Dodger announcer Rick Monday didn’t marry actress Tuesday Weld. Then she cudda bin Tuesday Monday.
Janice Hough, of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, on sloppy play by the Giants’ bullpen and defence in a recent game: “That licorice ice cream and the pickle pizza at the State Fair don’t seem quite so awful by comparison.”
Adam Herman, on Twitter: “Every women’s hockey biography is like, ‘she has a master’s in biochemistry and is a cancer researcher at Sloan Kettering’ and every men’s bio is like, ‘his favourite cereal is Fruit Loops.’”
Brad Dickson of Omaha, who revels in lampooning Nebraska Cornhuskers’ recent football play: “I’m looking at the Huskers’ schedule and I’m pretty sure Gretna High could finish 5-7 with this schedule.”
Super 70s Sports, on Twitter: “Bo Jackson was briefly suspended by MLB for performance enhancement in 1989 after he tested positive for being Bo Jackson.”
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “Brett Favre claims he had a thousand minor concussions when he played football. A minor concussion can make you forget your app passwords; a major concussion can make you forget to wear pants.”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Illinois’ Canadian running back, Chase Brown, had 151 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as the Illini beat Wyoming 38-6. Two words summed up the Cowboys defensive game plan — Chase Brown.”
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Injury of the week — Ravens coach John Harbaugh reports that team mascot Poe, carted off with a knee injury, is indeed out for the season with ‘a serious injury to his drumstick.’”
Another one from Perry: “Pitcher Bartolo Colon says he’ll finally retire from professional baseball after pitching one more season of winter ball in his native Dominican Republic. Just think of his farewell tour as One Last Whiff of Colon.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca