The Saudi Golf Association

A brief synopsis for those who haven't followed the drama:

In 2021, the Saudi royal family's sovereign wealth fund (the Public Investment Fund), run by MBS (the guy behind the dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi), created the LIV Golf Tour to compete with the PGA.  

The PGA responded by banning LIV players from all PGA events except the four majors.  Those are the ones you recognize - The US Open, The Masters, Open and PGA Championships - the ones with big advertising revenues.

The players who stayed with the PGA took the moral high ground. They were not taking Saudi blood money.  911 and human rights and that pesky dead journalist made strong arguments for eschewing the new Tour.

The players who had no such scruples were pilloried by some but handsomely rewarded by the Saudi's money.  

Brooks Koepka $100 million

Bryson Dechambeau: $125 million Dustin Johnson $150 million Phil Mickelson $200 million

That was the story until this week.

The PGA Commissioner announced that all was forgiven, he didn't mean all those nasty things he said about the Saudi's and LIV.  The PGA would be joining forces with its bastard brother.  It's rather less a partnership of equals than the PGA being bought, lock stock and golf clubs, by the Saudi's.  

The same Commissioner who trotted out 911 families to talk about the travesty is now saying blah blah blah blah blah, the players who stayed are feeling the betrayal in their pocketbooks.  That's serious money, life changing money, help your family, start a foundation, buy your Mom a whole host of houses money.  

Standing by your principles comes with a cost.  But playing along side someone who took the money and ran and is now being welcomed back with open arms has got to burn.  

This is where you need a union, guys.  Organize and demand the same kind of bonuses the defectors got for forcing the issue.  Call it a Retention Bonus.  Why wouldn't they agree?  The PIF reports $650 billion in assets under its management.  What's the big deal?

The larger question of golf's professional association's association with the murderous, repressive, reprehensible Saudi regime has gotten lost in the shuffle.  Sports talking heads have moved on from Monday morning's OMG It's The SAUDI'S to Well, it's business by Wednesday afternoon.

Now that everyone is benefitting from the PIF's largesse, what's a moral golfer to do?  There's no other game in town.