Golf has never been weirder or better. In 2022, the upstart LIV Golf, funded by Saudi Arabia’s $700 billion sovereign wealth fund, took on PGA Tour, poaching stars including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. Mohammed bin Salman’s regime lured them by shovelling oil money into their pockets, with Mickelson signing for a reported $200 million. A graying, 42-year-old Sergio Garcia, with PGA Tour earnings of $54 million in his 23 years as a pro, got an instant $40 million to lose LIV tournaments to younger, better players.
Sure enough, the suits in the PGA Tour’s executive suites soon brokered a secret deal with the Saudis
Golf pundits like me predicted a quick death for LIV. Donald Trump disagreed. The former golfer-in-chief, who hosted LIV events on his courses, warned Tour players to follow the money. ‘All of those golfers that remain “loyal” to the very disloyal PGA,’ he wrote on Truth Social, ‘will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes.
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