Atlanta, GA–Rodney King’s plea of conciliation bears little weight with the warring PGA Tour and LIV, who continue to throw punches at each other proving that there is no resolve to “just get along.’’
Recent developments have been fast and furious, beginning with a players-only meeting during the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Del., this past week presided over by Tour superstars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and attended by a reported 20 players. Apparently, there was a gag order issued that restricted the attendees from giving the slightest hint of what took place in the meeting.
On Wednesday morning during the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan provided results from the meeting clearly aimed at putting a swift end to the parade of defectors from the Tour to the LIV.
Here are the nuts and bolts:
- Top players (those who finish in the top 20 under the current Player Impact Program, and those who finish in the top 20 under the revised PIP criteria) will commit to playing in at least 20 Tour events for which they are qualified. Included in those tournaments are 12 “elevated’’ events like the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational boasting $20 million purses, a yet-to-be-determined four additional elevated events, the FedEx Cup Playoffs and, of course, the four major championships.
- The PIP is being expanded to reward an additional 10 players for a total of 20 this season and next. $100 million will be in the pot each year with major changes in the criteria, including expansion of the “awareness criteria’’ to capture the eyes and ears of casual and core fans.
- The Tour is launching an “earnings assurance program’’ which guarantees fully exempt members (Korn Ferry Tour category and above) a guaranteed minimum of $500,000 per player. Rookies and returning members receive the money upfront. They must compete in at least 15 events.
- Non-exempt members (126-150 and below) will receive $5,000 for every missed cut to subsidize travel and tournament-related expenses.
To some, it’s clearly a money grab. To others, it’s a clear signal that the Tour has pulled out the big guns and emptied the war chest in what many believe to be a battle for the survival of the professional game as we know it.
Not that long ago, the community surrounding East Lake Golf Club was dubbed “Little Vietnam’’ because of the incessant violence and destruction that turned its streets into battlegrounds and public housing into a haven for drug dealers and other criminals. I find it ironic that the most recent skirmish between the established tour and its upstart rival is unfolding right here.
Of course, I’m not foolish enough to compare the plight of polo-shirt-skinny pants-wearing millionaires to that of the East Lake residents prior to a massive revitalization project that brought the community back to life. It is simply metaphorical.
Further, the PGA Tour might have landed the most recent punch but not the last one. Earlier today the LIV, in the form of Larry Klayman, attorney for the lead plaintiff in a case against the PGA Tour, punched back. Klayman reportedly issued a subpoena for Woods and McIlory to testify under oath about what took place during the meeting in Delaware.
It’s getting ugly.
Pete McDaniel is a veteran golf writer and best-selling author. His blogs and books are available at petemcdaniel.com
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