Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2022 - 4

EDITOR'S
LE T T ER
Major Meltdown
A
friend quipped " is Phil Mickelson imploding or
exploding? " Mickelson's off-the-cuff remarks
about the proposed Saudi-backed golf league triggered
a meltdown from which his reputation may never
recover. His sponsors are jumping ship like proverbial rats.
Doug Ferguson, of the Associated Press and whose main
beat is the PGA Tour, wrote that Phil's career may not
last long enough to earn redemption, given his age and
diminishing opportunities to win. John
Hopkins, covering Phil for the Global Golf
Post, wrote that Mickelson is dichotomous:
there is a good Phil and a bad Phil.
Phil has always been willing to share his
opinion: " just ask me " goes the lockerroom
joke.
The PGA Tour's Player Impact Program,
designed to reward the needle-movers for
promoting the tour on social media, further
incentivized Phil to be Phil: " Whoops "
retweeted Tiger when the tour announced
in late February that Woods was the $8 million
first place winner, not Mickelson, who
had earlier posted a premature victory tweet.
Ouch.
The top 10 social media influencers on
Locally, the 3M Open (and its precedents) has raised
more than $30 million for charity. That charity benefits
when the tour comes to town is laudable, and something
that sets it apart from other professional leagues, the Haas
letter states.
The tour plans to share $838 million with players out
" Amateurism
snobbery aside,
making money
from the game is
a time-honored
practice. "
tour pocketed $40 million (next season, the PIP purse grows
to $50 million). Of course, the late, great Arnold Palmer is
credited with saying if it wasn't for all the times he hit into
the woods, " we wouldn't be here now, " or words to that
effect. Arnie moved the needle before there was social media.
Whether it's the TPC or Riviera, charity is the bottom
line for the tour according to a letter penned by Tour professionals
and former members of the PGA Tour's Player
Advisory Council Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen and Tom
Lehman. Writing in response to charges of " obnoxious
greed " and in defense of the tour, they point to $3 billion
raised for charity over the last 50 years. Collectively,
the three players, who have earned more than $80 million
over their careers, are personally involved with numerous
philanthropic causes. Lehman, a former MGA champion,
has worked with the Children's Cancer Research Fund,
HopeKids, Elevate Phoenix and others.
of its $1.5 billion in projected 2022 revenues, writes Mike
Purkey on SI.com. The tour pools players' TV and media
rights in order to negotiate deals on their
behalf, per Haas, and it is now in the third
year of a media rights deal valued at $7 billion,
according to a recent Golf Digest story
by Joel Beall. No doubt the tour will hit the
$4 billion for charity before the rights deal
runs its course.
Long before the tour, golf architects
roamed the country building golf courses
so that equipment manufacturers could
sell more golf clubs. Along came a caddie
named Francis Ouimet who captured
the country's imagination in a David versus
Goliath battle against Harry Vardon
and Ted Ray at the 1913 U.S. Open. It's
no coincidence that the public's fascination
with the Old Game flourished after
Ouimet's victory. Ironically, just a few years later, the USGA
stripped Ouimet of his amateur status because he was in
the sporting goods business. Ouimet, to his credit, purportedly
never held a grudge and remained a life-long amateur.
Amateurism snobbery aside, making money from the
game is a time-honored practice.
Deep Throat told investigative journalists Woodward
and Bernstein to follow the money, which eventually broke
open the Watergate Scandal in 1974. It matters who writes
the check, just ask Phil.
See you on the tee.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
4
MINNESOTAGOLFER Spring 2022
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Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2022

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