P. Mickelson & D. Johnson? ? ? what you think?

[kadee79]

I think I don't want to watch anyone who is more concerned about $$$ than he is about human rights.   Word is that Johnson got bought for $120 M. & Mickelson got bought for $200 M.!

Six-time golf major champion Phil Mickelson will participate in the inaugural LIV Golf tournament at the Centurion Club near London, along with two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who on Tuesday resigned from the PGA Tour ahead of headlining the controversial series.

Mickelson, who won the last of three Masters green jackets in 2010, has not played since controversial comments about the Saudi Arabian-funded events were published earlier this year by his biographer.

He was quoted from a 2021 interview with author Alan Shipnuck for his upcoming book, “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar,” as saying that he would consider joining the proposed Super League because it is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”

Shipnuck quoted Mickelson as saying disparaging things about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and asserting that the kingdom killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mickelson said in February he would take “some time away” from golf after being criticized for the comments.

Mickelson tweeted a statement Monday, “I am thrilled to begin with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone involved. I also intend to play the majors.”

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/dustin-johnson-resigns-from-pga-tour-to-play-in-liv-golf-series-as-phil-mickelson-returns-to-golf-to-play-in-event/ar-AAYaUbd?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=eb7f4efd11334bb5a179552d859bc432

[swamp]

Greedy jerks. 

[dondub]

Phil, in particular, is a complete jerk. With gambling losses totaling at least $50 MILLION, he should put down the clubs and go to rehab for his addiction.

[daisylu]

Looks like Mickelson will not be playing in PGA events.

Just minutes after the inaugural round of the LIV Golf tour teed off, the PGA Tour fired a shot of its own: a suspension of any players who compete on the LIV tour, now and in the future. Seventeen players are affected by the ban as it stands, with more potentially to come in the future.



The players are now ineligible to compete on any PGA Tour-affiliated event and will not be permitted to participate in the Tour's season-ending FedEx Cup or in the Presidents Cup.

Affected active PGA Tour players listed by name include Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter. Many others, including Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell have resigned their membership from the PGA Tour. Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will reportedly jump to the LIV tour when it arrives in the United States for its second event in early July.



"These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons," the Tour said. "But they can't demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as [Tour players who didn't make the leap]."

link

[tallguy]

P. Mickelson & D. Johnson? ? ? what you think?

I cannot possibly manage to make myself care.

[Opti]

Jun 8, 2022 12:29:44 GMT -5 dondub said:

Phil, in particular, is a complete jerk. With gambling losses totaling at least $50 MILLION, he should put down the clubs and go to rehab for his addiction.

That might be why he went for the money. 

[billisonboard]

What is going to happen with broadcasting of these new tournaments? To what degree will fans, on the course and television,  follow "names" to this new set of tournaments? The Saudis have a lot of cash and can easily set up a new "league" and finance starting prize money. But is it sustainable without a fan base? I think that is why they are throwing money to get 'names". That is why they want Tiger Woods so badly. If the fans don't follow, it will be rough to keep it going and on those who have switched. Product endorsements will disappear for them as well.

[Artemis Windsong]

I doubt Saudis are too interested in fans and product endorsements.  Beyond the money, this is middle eastern take over of a major sport.  The first to be assaulted and fall.

[billisonboard]

Jun 9, 2022 19:44:05 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

I doubt Saudis are too interested in fans and product endorsements.  Beyond the money, this is middle eastern take over of a major sport.  The first to be assaulted and fall.

I am thinking it is more along this line:

The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional american football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin. link

[Artemis Windsong]

My thoughts are the under current of middle eastern/US politics.  Followed by the squeezing of the established PGA. 

I think there is room for both groups on the playing field.  There will be growing pains.

Political example is trying to buy then build a mosque on the twin towers site.

[Opti]

Wonder what will happen? LIV is only eight tournaments, and the PGA requires a minimum of 15 for those on tour. Are golf fans going to care about team scores? 


www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/phil-mickelson-is-bringing-liv-golf-to-n-j-and-for-10-950-you-can-walk-with-him/ar-AAYga8y?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ec13e03caac840d4818acf26a650a699

LIV Golf — pronounced live — is a rival league to the PGA Tour that consists of eight tournaments. The events are just 54 holes (hence the Roman numerals LIV), not 72 like most PGA events, and the fields are limited to 48 golfers. Twelve, four-man teams will compete in each event, and the individual purses will be $20 million while the other $5 million will be divided up among the best teams each week.



OK. So when and where is it coming to New Jersey?



The tournament — unlike the PGA Tour events, it doesn’t have a name with a sponsor like the Waste Management Open — will be held at Trump Bedminster from July 28-31. The course is just a couple miles off I-78 in Somerset County.

Can I buy tickets?



You can. In fact, they are already on sale. They will cost anywhere from $75 for a typical pass that gets you access to the grounds (with a discount for military, first responders and others) to $10,950 for an all-inclusive package.

[steph08]

I'm a golf watcher, so I've been keeping up with the news on this. For those that didn't give up their PGA membership and are playing in LIV events, they are now suspended from the PGA.

The PGA does not offer any guaranteed money, only money once you make the cut / win the tournament. I can see the draw (politics aside) of a tour that pays you no matter what.

That said, you have to look at this like other sports. Other sporting associations aren't going to sit by and have their players playing for another organization at the same time, bouncing back and forth between teams/events/etc. So I understand why the PGA took the action they did.

[billisonboard]

I really enjoyed watching the US Open this past weekend. There were some great young golfers showing their skills. 



And D. Johnson tied for 24th and P. Mickelson didn't make the cut. 

[Tennesseer]

Not that trump will but he deserves it.

Trump could get 6 months in jail for using presidential seal at Saudi Arabia’s LIV golf tournament: report

Donald Trump appears to be breaking federal law as he hosts a Saudi Arabia-backed LIV golf tournament in Bedminster, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The article is illustrated with a picture from Associated Press photographer Seth Wenig showing the presidential seal and Trump's signature on a towel attached to his golf bags.

"The seal was plastered on towels, golf carts and other items as the former president participated in the pro-am of the Saudi-sponsored tournament Thursday," the newspaper reported. "While violating this law could result in imprisonment of 'not more than six months,' a fine, or both, these punishments are rarely dolled out."

In a June thread posted to Twitter, Forbes correspondent Zach Everson reported four Trump golf courses have been implicated in using the presidential seal.

Trump's golf course in the Bronx was implicated in October followed by Florida’s Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in November.

And the presidential seal was also seen at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida in June.

Trump could get 6 months in jail for using presidential seal at Saudi Arabia’s LIV golf tournament: report

[dondub]

The PGA may now be in trouble. I believe to save the tour, they will have to allow LIV players to play. Maybe a minimum of 14 events including the 3 US based majors.

[billisonboard]

Jul 29, 2022 18:33:20 GMT -5 dondub said:

The PGA may now be in trouble. I believe to save the tour, they will have to allow LIV players to play. Maybe a minimum of 14 events including the 3 US based majors.

This is based on what?

[dondub]

Jul 29, 2022 18:47:46 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jul 29, 2022 18:33:20 GMT -5 dondub said:

The PGA may now be in trouble. I believe to save the tour, they will have to allow LIV players to play. Maybe a minimum of 14 events including the 3 US based majors.

This is based on what?

The continued defection of top players, and popular ‘name’ players, with more to come.

[billisonboard]

Jul 29, 2022 19:32:07 GMT -5 dondub said:

Jul 29, 2022 18:47:46 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

This is based on what?

The continued defection of top players, and popular ‘name’ players, with more to come.

Yeah, maybe. I wonder how often a person stops watching golf because a favorite player is forced by injury or just wear and tear to stop playing. And how often they find a new favorite.

[Tennesseer]

To 9/11 Families, Saudi-Backed Golf Event Is ‘Another Atrocity’

The families are furious that former President Donald J. Trump once blamed Saudi Arabia for the terrorist attacks, but is now allowing his golf course to be used for its LIV Golf event.

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — A somber and tearful group of protesters stood between two American flags behind a public library, in stark contrast to the festivities at a golf tournament three miles down the road. They made their statements and promoted their cause, but declined to take the fight to the gates of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

“We are pleased that people are refocusing attention on this issue,” said Jay Winuk, one of the protest’s organizers. “There is no reason to go over to the scene where yet another atrocity is taking place.”

The group, a band of family members of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, spoke vehemently against the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament being held this weekend at the club owned by a former president, Donald J. Trump.

The group, 9/11 Justice, seeks to bring Saudi Arabian government officials, whom they assert supported the terrorists, to judgment. They are infuriated that Trump once agreed that the Saudi government was responsible, but has changed his tune, they said, to cash in on Saudi efforts to sanitize the nation’s global image through sports.

“How much money does it take to turn your back on your country, on the American people?” said Juliette Scauso, who was 4 years old when her father, the firefighter Dennis Scauso, perished in the attacks.

For days, the LIV golfers and Trump have defended their decisions to align with the breakaway tour and accept millions of dollars from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Critics of the tour say it is another example of the Saudis “sportswashing” atrocities attributed to them — supporting the 9/11 terrorists, killing the journalist Jamal Khashoggi and oppressing women and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

Trump, who as a presidential candidate in 2016 blamed the Saudis for the 9/11 attacks, said on Thursday that “nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately.”

On Friday, the protesters had their chance to respond to both Trump and to the golfers. Many accused the golfers of cowardice for proclaiming sympathy with their cause while still accepting LIV Golf’s money.

“You are taking a stand that you agree with the actions of Saudi Arabia or, just as bad, that you are so incredibly greedy and callous that you really don’t care about these atrocities,” Scauso said.

The organizers came to the protest armed with copies of declassified F.B.I. documents, which they say establish a clear connection between 12 Saudi government officials and the terrorists in the months leading up to the attacks.

“It’s simple,” said Tim Frolich, who was in the South Tower on 9/11. “The Saudis did it. They plotted it, they funded it, and now they are trying to distract every one of those things with a golf tournament 50 miles away from ground zero. It’s deplorable.”

The group urged golf fans to boycott LIV Golf and asked golfers and anyone doing business with the Saudis, including broadcasters, to reconsider. On Friday morning, at a nearby Marriott serving as headquarters for the tour on its Bedminster stop, members of the group approached David Feherty, the former CBS and NBC golf analyst who has defected to join the tour even though it has no American broadcast television contract yet.

Brett Eagleson, the president of 9/11 Justice, asked Feherty if he would listen and perhaps speak to the golfers about the choices they are making.

“He was actually really receptive,” Eagleson said. “He was really open to working with us and having a partnership with us, as opposed to being combative. I’m hopeful.”

But Eagleson was far less conciliatory about Trump, who he said was more culpable than the golfers, because, as the former commander in chief, he should know better. Eagleson was part of a group that met with Trump at the White House on Sept. 11, 2019. They say Trump urged them to continue their work, which they did with vigor on Friday.

Eagleson said Trump’s claim that “nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11” outraged the family members of victims beyond their already simmering anger.

“Our loved ones are the heroes,” he said, “and the golfers and the former president are cowards.”

As the protesters spoke, several passing cars honked horns in support, but a few drivers yelled out in support of Trump and one yelled at the family members to go home.

Winuk, whose brother, Glenn Winuk, a volunteer firefighter, died in the attacks, called the Saudi funds “blood money” and warned that anyone taking it would carry the “stench” of it forever.

“LIV Golf?” he said. “For me and so many more of us, it’s more like death golf.”

Several members of the group, including former Trump supporters, took turns at the lectern lambasting the Saudis, the golfers and the former president. When asked what else the group had planned, Eagleson broke down while explaining the exhaustion he and others in the organization felt.

“I’m tired of fighting,” he said through the tears.

To 9/11 Families, Saudi-Backed Golf Event Is ‘Another Atrocity’

[Tennesseer]

LIV Golf Tournament at Trump Club Sees Thin Crowds, $1 Tickets: Reports

Thin crowds were reported at the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament taking place at former President Donald Trump's New Jersey club this weekend—with tickets reportedly being sold for as little as $1 online.

Rest of article here: LIV Golf Tournament at Trump Club Sees Thin Crowds, $1 Tickets: Reports

[Opti]

www.nj.com/sports/2022/07/phil-mickelson-gets-heckled-at-nj-liv-golf-event-do-it-for-the-saudi-royal-family.html


Then came a cold splash of reality. As Mickelson prepared to hit his tee shot on the par-3 hole — his first under LIV Golf’s shotgun start rules — a heckler cracked the silence with a biting commentary about who is paying his massive salary.

“DO IT FOR THE SAUDI ROYAL FAMILY!” the man yelled.



The crowd grumbled as Mickelson backed away from the ball. A security guard found the heckler, according to multiple witnesses, and warned him that he would be ejected for any other outbursts. But the damage to the moment had been done.


There was a video in another article, but I really could not hear anything in it.

[djAdvocate]

if Trump is involved, it will fail.

[Tennesseer]

Aug 1, 2022 14:18:15 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

if Trump is involved, it will fail.

Majors host
The golf club hosted the U.S. Women's Open from July 13 to 16, 2017.[14] The Professional Golfers' Association of America awarded the course the 2022 Men's PGA Championship in 2014.[15]

On January 10, 2021, the PGA of America stripped the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of the US PGA Championship in 2022.[16] The decision was taken because it was felt that hosting the tournament at the course would be "detrimental to the PGA of America brand". The decision was taken several days after Trump was accused of encouraging the storming of the United States Capitol.[17]

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

And that's why trump allowed the LIV Golf Invitational to play there.

[djAdvocate]

Aug 1, 2022 15:58:50 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Aug 1, 2022 14:18:15 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

if Trump is involved, it will fail.

Majors host
The golf club hosted the U.S. Women's Open from July 13 to 16, 2017.[14] The Professional Golfers' Association of America awarded the course the 2022 Men's PGA Championship in 2014.[15]

On January 10, 2021, the PGA of America stripped the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of the US PGA Championship in 2022.[16] The decision was taken because it was felt that hosting the tournament at the course would be "detrimental to the PGA of America brand". The decision was taken several days after Trump was accused of encouraging the storming of the United States Capitol.[17]

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

And that's why trump allowed the LIV Golf Invitational to play there.

oh, because he is a fucking traitor?
of course.  how simple.

[Opti]

Aug 1, 2022 19:12:41 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Aug 1, 2022 15:58:50 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

And that's why trump allowed the LIV Golf Invitational to play there.

oh, because he is a fucking traitor?
of course.  how simple.

And of course there is the fact of where his first state trip was as President.


Saturday, May 20: Trump meets with Saudi Arabian leaders

King Salman greeted Trump and first lady Melania Trump on the tarmac when they landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to NBC News, "American and Saudi flags lined the highways of the country's capital, Riyadh, along with billboards featuring Trump's face. Trumpets played and jets flew overhead streaming red, white and blue contrails." The greeting was seen as a step toward resetting the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Last year, former President Barack Obama was not greeted with the same fanfare because of the strain the Iran nuclear deal—a deal that Saudi Arabia strongly opposed—put on the relationship.[1]



After arriving, Trump signed a military arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth $350 billion over 10 years, with $110 billion that took effect immediately. The deal was struck in an effort to contain Iran. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, “The package of defense equipment and services supports the long term security of Saudi Arabia and the entire Gulf region in particular in the face of malign Iranian influence and Iranian-related threats, which exists on Saudi Arabia’s borders on all sides."[2]



On Sunday, Israel’s energy minister Yuval Steinitz said that he wanted to know more about the arms deal. He said, “Hundreds of millions of dollars in arms deals is something we need to get an explanation for. We need to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge is maintained.”[3]



Tillerson responded to Steinitz’s concerns, saying that the U.S. would continue its commitment to Israel’s security and that the deal would help forge a relationship between Israel and Arab states in the shared effort of deterring Iran. He said, “That is unifying. I think it does allow countries that have had deep differences to look at the situation and realize that in many respects our threats are common to all of us.”[3]



Trump was the first president to choose Saudi Arabia as a destination on his first foreign trip.



See also: Federal policy on Iran, 2017-2020

ballotpedia.org/Donald_Trump%27s_first_foreign_trip_as_president

[Tennesseer]

Aug 1, 2022 19:12:41 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Aug 1, 2022 15:58:50 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

And that's why trump allowed the LIV Golf Invitational to play there.

oh, because he is a fucking traitor?
of course.  how simple.

trump's defenses in having the tournament at his club was the U.S. really doesn't know who was behind the attacks on 9/11.

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday defended hosting a Saudi-funded tournament at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, by casting doubt on any connection between Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Asked to respond to harsh criticism from families of Sept. 11 victims who are urging Americans to protest the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament, Trump suggested there was still uncertainty surrounding the attacks.

“Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have,” Trump told ESPN.

Trump offers Trumpian defense for hosting Saudi-backed golf event

[djAdvocate]

Aug 1, 2022 19:25:02 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Aug 1, 2022 19:12:41 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

oh, because he is a fucking traitor?
of course.  how simple.

trump's defenses in having the tournament at his club was the U.S. really doesn't know who was behind the attacks on 9/11.

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday defended hosting a Saudi-funded tournament at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, by casting doubt on any connection between Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Asked to respond to harsh criticism from families of Sept. 11 victims who are urging Americans to protest the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament, Trump suggested there was still uncertainty surrounding the attacks.

“Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have,” Trump told ESPN.

Trump offers Trumpian defense for hosting Saudi-backed golf event

when he says "nobody knows" he means "i don't know".
i am wearing my Trump Decoder ring.

i would have to believe that at least 2/3 of the US public knows that almost all of the 911 hijackers were from SA.  probably 90% of the rest of the world, and those that did NOT vote for Trump know that.  just guessing, but i think it is fairly educated.

[billisonboard]

“Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have,” Trump told ESPN.

If Trump thinks it is really something essential that should have been done, I think a good person with a lot of resources to do it would be the President of the United States. Yeah that's  

[Tennesseer]