The world of professional golf has chosen an extraordinary direction to conduct its next drills. It would be poured endlessly with dollars and euros into a new barrel that was pierced by the Danaides. So let me tell you my very personal feeling. I don’t think I am the only one sharing this.
At the end of the season, taking stock of each other, I stopped appreciating the young talented “enormas”, such as Colin Morikawa, 24 years old, King of Europe, or Viktor Hovland demonstrating that a small country like Norway was at the top. can cause trouble. Ranking.
My notebook also reminded me of the astonishing quality of “Team Europe”, which defeated top girls Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda to confirm the Solheim Cup 2021, the world No. 1 after another exemplary Korean Jin Young Ko. threatened to lose his throne. has enjoyed copious dollars from the recent CME Group Tour Championships.
flaws
On the unpleasant side, the absence of Tiger Woods, the swing of Bryson de Chambeau, the Tokyo Olympics without spectators had to leave my keyboard incomplete, like Albén Valenzuela’s disappointing season.
Ranked just 73rd on the LPGA Tour’s CME rankings, 8th in “Rookies”, she only weakly appreciates praise, which is suspected of being critical. “could have done much better”, the professor would say. May all my encouragement be with him in 2022, this time shared with Morgan (it’s done) and Kim (to see on December 12), Metrox coming to triple Swiss attendance on the LPGA Tour.
good mark
So I left to develop these and others such as the celebration of the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews in July, the opening of women’s golf in Muirfield (Scotland), the last misogynist bunker, by hosting the Women’s British Open there. major tournaments.
And, very rarely, I find myself, along with you, in an unexpected dollar storm.
world tour vs world tour
The first Force 8 squall was announced by Greg Norman as part of the World Circuit’s project, his old 1994 idea, originating in Asia.
$200 million over ten years and some tournaments backed by Saudi supporters, the same ones that allow women’s tournaments as long as normal skirts are banned, black pants are getting too much, he says in his djellaba. Huh.
No way, shout out Jay Monahan (PGA Tour) and Keith Pele, watching their stars dive into motion. And to calm the wind.
obviously rich
Not for a long time. Was in Dubai on 9th November. Pele, not really a man of all lights: “Season 2021 over, long live 2022”. The European circuit became the DP World Tour!
DP World is an industrial brand from Dubai, with inexhaustible pockets associated with the European Tour, going global with the support of this “world”.
47 tournaments in 27 countries, we are backed by the one Emirati manna in the world that grows to $200 million a year, also contributing to a seven-figure endowment of five Rolex Series.
For Norman, Force 8 has become a hurricane. The Poulter, McDowell, Mickelson have stopped to think… “What can you do, Saudi friend, I do much better”, they say at the foot of the Burj Khalifa.
Uncle Monahan’s big money
With all this, “American” golf remains cool…weird, weird…but everything happens.
First, the LPGA Tour opens the restriction shared by the LET (Ladies European Tour), of which it is involved in management.
34 appointments and nearly 90 million, another record, and seven others would just end the concluding tournament. Gentlemen, you are no longer allowed to make fun of our ladies.
where the embarrassment
But that whole list takes an old iron 1 in the ribs (not even playing the good god) when PGA Tour owner Jay Monahan takes inventory of his heavy artillery in his turn.
Estimated 2022 turnover in dollars: 1.5 billion! The endowment of fifty tournaments has been increased to $427 million, with some offering twelve … Enough.
Let’s stop there!
Where’s the real golf in this vault? The pros of the circuit – well the ones who have the keys – are certainly very happy and the plagues of money are not fatal.
But like me, you know those games where gold bars rot or still damage human relationships in all directions.
And here is golf, a clean, classic sport, rich in the traditions of centuries of history, which now passes through an Arab-Persian sieve like any football club, much to our passion as soon as we scratch a little is far. Doesn’t this bother you?
Philip P. Herman
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