The Fracture That Put the Majors First
As we return this week to Donald Ross’s masterpiece at Aronimink for the PGA Championship, the seismic fracture in professional golf may be coming to an end with the demise of LIV Golf. What shone through this sad chapter was the significance of the Majors and the Ryder Cup. The importance and the qualification route dominated the thoughts and decisions of players. The Majors mean even more now to the exiled LIV players with the five-year exemptions they carry.
A Saudi Meeting and the Nicklaus Fallout
It reminded me of 2019, when I was visiting Saudi Arabia, representing Jack Nicklaus, that I first came across Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of PIF, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who created LIV. I remember waiting five days to get a meeting with him, and I simply invited him to come and meet Jack Nicklaus in person at the Masters the following year. He was a highly educated, nice man who loved his golf and had a very different vision for golf.
That meeting with Jack at Augusta the following year led to Jack designing a course in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately for Jack, it probably also began the most troublesome period of his illustrious career. The Saudi’s came back to Jack before launching LIV in 2022 to ask if he would head up LIV. At that meeting in a Florida hotel, Jack, as always, politely and respectfully rejected their offer, saying that he and Arnie spent their whole careers helping to build the PGA Tour. That meeting in Florida led to a lawsuit between the owner of the Nicklaus companies and Jack, the company claiming that Jack had damaged the Nicklaus brand by engaging with the Saudis on LIV. Jack countersued and won US$50 million in damages, which led to the bankruptcy of the Nicklaus companies and subsequently led to Jack buying them back. Through his integrity, Jack and his family won in the end. Jack’s legacy has always been of great importance to him, and I am delighted for him, Barbara and family that they can now control that legacy going forward.
LIV, Legacy and the Players Who Chose
Integrity had a strong part to play in the inevitable failure of LIV golf. It was fascinating to see the players who succumbed to riches over legacy. The $ numbers were mindboggling for players, enticing them to desert the PGA Tour. It was understandable for those in the twilight of their careers or for some who had lost their fortunes to go that route. For others, they will forever pay the price of their legacy.
Mickelson, Rahm, Johnson and Garcia are the big losers in this category. Garcia continues his destructive tendencies with his inexcusable behaviour at Augusta, the place where he secured his only Major win. Bryson DeChambeau, being so eccentric, will suffer less. Koepka realised that LIV wasn’t the real deal and that his Major’s legacy is what matters to him. He ate humble pie, paid up, shut up and may just have salvaged something from his legacy wreck. The young ones like Joaquin Niemann & Tom McKibbin are the big winners as they will find their way back on both tours, and people will forgive their youthful decisions.
Tiger, Rory, Scheffler, Spieth and Justin Rose chose integrity, loyalty and legacy over the cash, and it has paid off. Rory has his Grand Slam and has taken over the role as golf’s leader from Jack and Tiger. Scheffler and Spieth are chasing their Grand Slams, and they won’t stop trying, as that is what will make them immortal in golf folklore. It reminded me of 25 years ago when Arnie and Jack walked out of a meeting with Norman, who was proposing a World Tour in competition with the PGA Tour.
Why LIV Failed
The bottom line with LIV is that the product didn’t work. The shotgun start destroyed the juice and excitement of the mano a mano, head-to-head showdowns on the back nine on Sundays, as we recently saw at Augusta. Nobody bought into the team concept, except the players who were making millions from the circus.
It was a fascinating chapter that resulted in the fracturing of professional golf, and traditionalists like me are happy to see professionals becoming unified again under the steady and reliable hands of the PGA Tour and the European Tour, supported by the USGA, R&A and Augusta.
Rory, Rose and a Masters for the Ages
The recent Masters was a classic example of golf at its best. Sunday was a fascinating, enthralling last day that had everything. As Rose stood on the 10th tee two shots clear, I wondered if the 45-year-old had learned the lessons from Padraig Harrington on the key to winning Majors. Several years ago, when doing a Q&A with Padraig for young lady professionals, I asked him what his secret was to winning three majors in quick succession after so many years failing. He explained that from his meticulous notetaking and research on his results, he determined multiple times he has achieved his objective of playing himself into contention in Majors with nine holes to go, his tank was empty from the effort, and he didn’t have juice to finish the job. Once he changed his preparation schedule to rest more, he won three Majors….’I knew I had a quarter tank left coming down the home straight, and my opponents were on empty!!’
Rose simply ran out of juice, but as always, was gracious in defeat. Rory’s patience, maturity, and experience on that back nine were reminiscent of Jack and Tiger at their best. He won it at Amen Corner’s 12th & 13th.
Aronimink: Ross’s Masterpiece Returns
The return this week of the PGA Championship to Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia, one of America’s oldest golf courses, designed by Donald Ross in 1928. He is called the Michelangelo of golf course design and stated about Aronimink:
“I intended to make this my masterpiece, but not until today did I realize that I built better than I knew.”
– Donald J. Ross
For those familiar with Ross’s minimalist design approach, such as Seminole, Pinehurst #2, and the recent renovation by Gil Hanse, who studiously stuck to Ross’s design principles, the course will provide a classic Major event challenge for the players and entertainment for the 200,000 fans expected to attend.
Who Aronimink Should Suit
From looking at the past Major winners on Aronimink, Gary Player and Keegan Bradley, the ‘grinders’ will do well, as well as the great shot makers. That puts Scheffler and McIlroy, riding high after Augusta, as the players to beat. Spieth needs this one for his Grand Slam. He can never be underestimated. Rose will be looking to win also having been narrowly beaten her by Bradley last time. The design will also suit Matt Fitzpatrick, who has played the best golf in recent months.
Golf as It Should Be
It will be ‘golf as it should be’ again at Aronimink this week.
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