Phil Mickelson hits a tee shot on Friday on the ninth gap at Valderrama Golf Club.
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Phil Mickelson is promoting … capes. Think Batman or Superman. They’ve been noticed inside merch tents at LIV Golf occasions, the place Mickelson performs his golf, and are adorned with the brand of the HyFlyers, Mickelson’s LIV workforce.
Talk about your symbolism.
Actually, we’ll let the six-time main winner clarify.
“It’s aspirational,” Mickelson stated earlier this week. “It’s not for everyone. But it’s a cool factor about our workforce, and it’s the creativity of my spouse, Amy, and what she brings. We envision loads of little youngsters working round the golf course in capes, and that’s form of what we’re hoping for, and have them dreaming about being a HyFlyer someday.
“I know we’re only one year into LIV, but where it’s going to be in 10, 15, 20 years, it’s going to be pretty exciting.”
And there you go: Mickelson and some different LIV notables aren’t simply serious about right this moment, they’re wanting up, up and away and into the horizons, lower than one month into the proposed bombshell association that has introduced collectively the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which funds LIV. Of course, there are sides to this deal. Even contract language.
And of us who are inclined to suppose {that a} cape is an excellent thought — for a gaggle hovering off into the sundown.
Who’s proper? Who’s mistaken? This week was truly fairly notable in that LIV is taking part in its first match since the announcement, at historic Valderrama Golf Club in Spain. So let’s begin with that bunch.
The LIV Golf facet of the deal
In brief, they’re optimistic. Think the Wolf of Wall Street scene the place Leonardo DiCaprio’s character proudly claims: “I’m not leaving” — as the feds are only a brief pitching wedge away from cracking his enterprise empire.
The proof?
Just look. Alex Miceli of Sports Illustrated has carried out fantastic reporting this week from Spain — you may learn two of his tales on the topic here and here — however maybe most telling was a photo Miceli snapped.
It was of Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, sitting in a golf cart with Greg Norman, the LIV Golf CEO. The scene appeared chipper; they have been speaking with Bryson DeChambeau. So regardless of LIV coming to the desk with the PGA Tour, the established model it has battled for the past yr, issues no less than look comfy. LIV may not be dying, regardless of ideas to the opposite (extra on that beneath).
But then simply hear, too. Miceli additionally reported this week that Al-Rumayyan has stated that LIV is “my f***ing baby,” which after all implies that if he has a say — and if the PIF is in cahoots with the PGA Tour, he no less than will have a phrase, irrespective of how the deal’s mud settles — LIV will play on. On Friday, Miceli additionally wrote that Al-Rumayyan met with players Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, DeChambeau and Mickelson, together with Norman and different LIV officers, and that Johnson, DeChambeau and Koepka left feeling optimistic.
That adopted related emotions from press conferences earlier in the week.
Said Sergio Garcia: “Yes, very confident. I mean, that’s what I can see. That’s all I can say. I think we’re in a good spot. I think there’s a lot of details that are not finalized yet, and there’s a lot of speculation. But I think it’s going to be a great deal for everyone, and I don’t expect us to not be here next year.”
Said Johnson: “Yeah, I’m excited for the future. I think with this agreement, the only thing that’s going to happen is LIV is going to get even better than what it is now, which it’s already great. I’m happy exactly where I am.”
Then there’s Mickelson, who stated: “I think actions are a little bit stronger than words. I think if you just look at what LIV is doing and what we’re doing, I think that is more of a statement.” He presumably was referring to a multi-year deal LIV signed with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Government of Andalucía, and a sponsorship deal agreed to between one in all LIV’s groups and a crypto alternate.
The PGA Tour facet of the deal
In brief, they’re optimistic — that LIV goes away. Think the Wolf of Wall Street scene the place the enterprise of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is definitely busted by the feds.
The proof?
For one, there’s Rory McIlroy, as huge of a star as there’s on the PGA Tour, who a day after the deal was introduced remarked: “I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does. And I think that’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV.”
There’s additionally the language of the framework agreement that was despatched to Congress. It was leaked final week.
Here, we’ll depend on GOLF’s Sean Zak, who expertfully broke down the five-page doc with seven takeaways. For the functions right here, most notable amongst them was this:
“LIV Golf’s future, in addition to that of workforce golf, is unclear. It’s not lifeless, nevertheless it’s actually not assured to outlive, both. When PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan repeatedly talked about an ‘empirical evaluation’ would happen on the prospects of LIV Golf, he was merely quoting the settlement:
“‘NewCo will probably be supplied entry to all info requested to facilitate this analysis and evaluation … in order that the NewCo Board, with suggestion of its [CEO] Jay Monahan, will decide the ongoing plan and technique concerning all NewCo operations…
7 issues we realized from leaked PGA Tour-Saudi PIF settlement
Sean Zak
“In other words, Monahan will hold many cards. Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy — both proposed members of the NewCo executive committee — would also possess much influence. Will they want LIV Golf to exist as it currently does? Monahan said himself that is unlikely. Could the league be repackaged as the PGA Tour’s own version of team golf? That’s plausible. The agreement states that the parties ‘will make a good faith assessment of the benefits of team golf … and determine how best to integrate team golf into PGA Tour and DP World Tour events going forward.’”
The unknowns
Most of it nonetheless is, and Congress may additionally shut the entire factor down. We gained’t have solutions for some time, although items are coming collectively, by means of phrases and actions.
Like capes.
Said LIV’s David Puig this week: “I think it’s great news for everybody. Personally I don’t know a lot about the topic, but great news that we’re all friends again, and yeah, hopefully keeps getting better and we can find a solution or get together.”
Said LIV’s Joaquin Niemann: “Yeah, I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I think it’s great for golf to be all on the same page, but yeah, I think it’s too early to tell what’s going to happen. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen, though.”
Said LIV’s Mito Pereira:: “Yeah, I think they’re trying to do the best for golf, getting together and trying to build something really good. We don’t know much for now, but I’m sure they’ll figure it out pretty good.”
Said LIV’s Sebastian Munoz: “Same answer.”
