PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf


https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html



*Traitors like Phil looking like the smartest guy in the room to the greedy right about now.

Going into business with a crew that engages in state sponsored political assassination. As everything else in life, everybody has a price.

Saudis will be in control now:

"Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will join the board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operate its tournaments. Al-Rumayyan will be chairman of the new commercial group with Monahan as the CEO and the PGA Tour having a majority stake in the new venture."

PGA Tour and Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf announce shock merger | Golf News | Al Jazeera


https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/6/6/pga-tour-and-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf-merger

The players that stayed loyal to the tour and passed up the LIV just ate a sh@it sandwich.

Well, I guess we don't have to listen to anymore holier than thou sermons from PGA officials. They sold out like common wh@res to the House of Saud.

bearister said:

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PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html



*Traitors like Phil looking like the smartest guy in the room to the greedy right about now.

---

11 months ago … Trump knew. pic.twitter.com/iScyOpD4lm

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) June 6, 2023

….and they will be playing at tRump golf courses. This turn of events convinces me more than ever that my hunch that tRump will "win" in 2024 will come true.

Saudi Arabia investing in sports amid sportswashing accusations | 60 Minutes - CBS News


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-arabia-sportswashing-accusations-60-minutes-transcript-2023-04-09/

9/11 Families United angrily reacts to the PGA Tour’s announcement of merging with LIV golf. “Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money” pic.twitter.com/X1u0a3k1yb

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 6, 2023

So weird. PGA officials were in my office just months ago talking about how the Saudis' human rights record should disqualify them from having a stake in a major American sport.

I guess maybe their concerns weren't really about human rights? https://t.co/SQ9HQuBsNT

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 6, 2023

They even paid off the old man:

Jack Nicklaus has surprising reaction to PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger


https://nypost.com/2023/06/06/jack-nicklaus-has-surprising-reaction-to-pga-tour-liv-golf-merger/

bearister said:

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….and they will be playing at tRump golf courses. This turn of events convinces me more than ever that my hunch that tRump will "win" in 2024 will come true.

---

Someone like Joe Biden "won" in 2020 with a record 81 million votes. With the Deep State, uni-party, and unlimited funding backing him up, Biden is a shoo-in for 2024.

tRump and foreign actors rigged both 2016 and 2020. tRump got 63M alleged votes in 2016 so his puppeteers figured 74M "votes" would easily carry the day in 2020 without looking too suspicious.

Oops! They underestimated voter turnout and Biden's popularity and came up short. They won't make that mistake again. tRump absolutely will "win" in 2024. America richly deserves him.

New Saudi PGA Tourney Event Names:

1) Twin Towers Championship - Held Sept 11
2) Jamal Khashoggi Memorial (Gold Bonesaw Trophy)
3) Jared Kushner Sovereign Wealth Scramble https://t.co/6aVaFerVxL

— Ryan Busse (@ryandbusse) June 6, 2023

Trump takes on the impossible hole-in-one challenge.

(meme by @nautposo & @stevenvoiceover) pic.twitter.com/8hODM55M4w

— NautPoso 🇮🇪☘️ (@NautPoso) June 3, 2023

"This serves as the latest, depressing illustration that bottomless pits of money can disrupt and distort everything in sport. And not just any bottomless pit; one emanating from a kingdom guilty of human rights abuses and which is using golf plus football, plus anything else it can lay its hands on as a tool to make people look the other way. Sportswashing works, kids. This chapter is to the tune of several billion dollars; chump change to the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)."

PGA's 'merger' with LIV can't be seen as anything other than a Saudi victory


https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/06/pgas-merger-with-liv-cant-be-seen-as-anything-other-than-a-saudi-victory?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

PGA is just following the lead of the United States government which has sold out to the Saudis for generations

The shafted (non-LIV) golfers should rebuff and launch their own American Golf Tour, AGT, led by Tiger and Jack and Rory and the American owned gold courses and networks.

I think if they wrapped themselves in the flag and made it a nationalist issue they'd be successful.

No bigger name than tiger.
And he'd transition/rebound from his embarrassing scandals to leading the American charge based in values.

Without something like this, I hate golf and will never watch again.

How much money did Moynihan and the other execs personally take from Saudi for signing off.
it means nothing if the core of the ohs players don't join.

Come on. Who will lead the American resistance?

Tiger gave up $700M.
Come on buddy. Fight.

$10-11B buyout?
For the whole tour???

Damn, the Warriors alone are worth 6 or 7, they say!

concordtom said:

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$10-11B buyout?
For the whole tour???

Damn, the Warriors alone are worth 6 or 7, they say!

---

Well, the Warriors are in decline and they don't own 30 golf courses like the PGA Tour does. It dues boggle the mind though when you consider there are 30 NBA teams and 2 or 3 of them would be more valuable than the entire PGA Tour, Inc.

2024 Masters switching to tRump National. Film at 11.

*Is he having a squeezer?

concordtom said:

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How much money did Moynihan and the other execs personally take from Saudi for signing off.
it means nothing if the core of the ohs players don't join.

Come on. Who will lead the American resistance?

Tiger gave up $700M.
Come on buddy. Fight.

---

We don't know yet but he did manage to become the CEO of this new entity.

Moynihan is the single biggest hypocrite ever. He went after the LIV players hard on the Blood Money issue, including flying 9/11 families to golf events. Then he turned right around and took the same money himself. If the players still even have the power he should be fired yesterday.

FWIW there are assorted reports (unverified, of course) that the PGAT was financially decimated by Covid, that they ran through their reserves and were looking at financial challenges / ruin if the legal fees continued and they lost any suits. Notice how the PIL is a major financial backer of the new golf entity...

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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concordtom said:

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$10-11B buyout?
For the whole tour???

Damn, the Warriors alone are worth 6 or 7, they say!

---

Well, the Warriors are in decline and they don't own 30 golf courses like the PGA Tour does. It dues boggle the mind though when you consider there are 30 NBA teams and 2 or 3 of them would be more valuable than the entire PGA Tour, Inc.

---

I was surprised to hear that the PGA tour is worth that much.

Not a pro golf fan and genuinely curious - is pro golf rising in popularity? I had thought that golf itself suffered from a lot of the same demographic problems that skiing has (in addition to the cost/accessibility/environmental issues - which are related). And I further assumed that pro golf derives its popularity from a limited pool of actual golfers, which would make it a tough business. Compare to the NBA which derives popularity from basketball players and non-players alike.

My kid has a friend who plays golf and all he does is talk about golf. It annoys my kid to no end and we are working to make sure that annoyance isn't shared the wrong way (and I'm sure there are others annoyed at my kid for talking about other things). I share this for two reasons - first, there are obviously still kids playing golf. And second - I don't think my son is alone in his sentiment.

So I would love for someone to take the bull case for pro golf. Is this sports washing only or is this good business for the Saudis?

If their was a sh@it ton of oil in South Africa, with all the wealth and global financial influence to go with it, perhaps the Apartheid government could have purchased as much deodorant as the House of Saud has and they could still have their jack boots on their Black population, grinding their faces into the cobblestones.

Until this year, Saudi Arabia has been an American colony, the biggest cog in the post-1970s Petrodollar era. The house of Saud was set up by the British in the 19th century as a thorn in the side of the Ottoman empire. The Wahhabi strain which is the most fanatical interpretation of sunni Islam that the Sauds fostered, practically guaranteeing tensions between then and the rest of the muslim world, especially shiites.

Since the 70s, the Saudis reinvested most of their huge oil revenues in US treasuries and stocks, and have been the largest purchaser of US weapons. The Saudi Riyal, much like the other GCC currencies of the UAE, Kuwait etc, have been pegged to the US$ since 1974, contributing to the global financial hegemony of the US$ and the undergirding of decades of sustained US trade and budget deficit. So to some extent, KSA, UAE etc have largely contributed to the US' high standard of living in the past 5 decades, in exchange for the ruling tribes of these sheikdoms staying in power.

The confiscation of Russian assets and Russian sanctions spooked the Saudis, that is why they are now moving away from US tutelage, towards the rising BRICS block. Also MBS, the torturer of Khashoggi and ruler of KSA has taken a pragmatic tack towards cooperation with Iran and increased economic ties with China.

https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/110786/0

I'd love to live to see a day where the US is far less dependent on fossil fuels and the Saudi oil reserves are even starting to run dry. I'm sure the Saudis are trying to transition their economy to deal with this reality, but I hope they fail and end up being just a kingdom in a desert. However, the wealthier ones will flee the area and the place will be one giant Yemen. Boo hiss to people like the Bush family, certain golf elites and everybody else who has propped up that regime over the years.

Big C said:

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I'd love to live to see a day where the US is far less dependent on fossil fuels and the Saudi oil reserves are even starting to run dry. I'm sure the Saudis are trying to transition their economy to deal with this reality, but I hope they fail and end up being just a kingdom in a desert. However, the wealthier ones will flee the area and the place will be one giant Yemen. Boo hiss to people like the Bush family, certain golf elites and everybody else who has propped up that regime over the years.

---

So, basically every U.S. president in your lifetime

Goldener Bar said:

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Big C said:

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I'd love to live to see a day where the US is far less dependent on fossil fuels and the Saudi oil reserves are even starting to run dry. I'm sure the Saudis are trying to transition their economy to deal with this reality, but I hope they fail and end up being just a kingdom in a desert. However, the wealthier ones will flee the area and the place will be one giant Yemen. Boo hiss to people like the Bush family, certain golf elites and everybody else who has propped up that regime over the years.

---

So, basically every U.S. president in your lifetime

---

Pretty much, yes, but some more than others: There have been administrations that have made more of an effort to curtail our dependence on fossil fuels.

The day we're away from fossil fuels is far away. As big a supporter of nuclear energy as I am...I'm also worried about it's lasting effects since we're basically burying the stored rods underground that will eventually effect our groundwater when the storage containers erode and the rods won't be safe for 50,000 years. Also the extreme security risk nuclear reactors are if someone decides to attack your country (see Ukraine) or simple terrorism. Simply put, we don't have the enough natural ways to create consistent energy until the sun decides to never set or we figure out how to store energy long term. Lithium seems like a crappy metal to have to mine for atm.

Until that happens, we should be making cheap fossil fuels to keep the costs down for all of society. Perhaps banning cruise ships and private jet ownership would be a good start as well.

MinotStateBeav said:

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The day we're away from fossil fuels is far away. As big a supporter of nuclear energy as I am...I'm also worried about it's lasting effects since we're basically burying the stored rods underground that will eventually effect our groundwater when the storage containers erode and the rods won't be safe for 50,000 years. Also the extreme security risk nuclear reactors are if someone decides to attack your country (see Ukraine) or simple terrorism. Simply put, we don't have the enough natural ways to create consistent energy until the sun decides to never set or we figure out how to store energy long term. Lithium seems like a crappy metal to have to mine for atm.

Until that happens, we should be making cheap fossil fuels to keep the costs down for all of society. Perhaps banning cruise ships and private jet ownership would be a good start as well.

---

Yachts too

bearister said:

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2024 Masters switching to tRump National. Film at 11.

*Is he having a squeezer?

---

OMG.
That would be such a horror show.
But, you know what?
I think you're right.

That is when the dumb f@uck thought he was singing the National Anthem….but it wasn't the National Anthem.

Unit2Sucks said:

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Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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concordtom said:

---

$10-11B buyout?
For the whole tour???

Damn, the Warriors alone are worth 6 or 7, they say!

---

Well, the Warriors are in decline and they don't own 30 golf courses like the PGA Tour does. It dues boggle the mind though when you consider there are 30 NBA teams and 2 or 3 of them would be more valuable than the entire PGA Tour, Inc.

---

I was surprised to hear that the PGA tour is worth that much.

Not a pro golf fan and genuinely curious - is pro golf rising in popularity? I had thought that golf itself suffered from a lot of the same demographic problems that skiing has (in addition to the cost/accessibility/environmental issues - which are related). And I further assumed that pro golf derives its popularity from a limited pool of actual golfers, which would make it a tough business. Compare to the NBA which derives popularity from basketball players and non-players alike.

My kid has a friend who plays golf and all he does is talk about golf. It annoys my kid to no end and we are working to make sure that annoyance isn't shared the wrong way (and I'm sure there are others annoyed at my kid for talking about other things). I share this for two reasons - first, there are obviously still kids playing golf. And second - I don't think my son is alone in his sentiment.

So I would love for someone to take the bull case for pro golf. Is this sports washing only or is this good business for the Saudis?

---

I think Golf went BIG during the 2000's when Tiger was on top.
Golf courses were being built at an increased rate everywhere.

But then a couple things happened: the mortgage meltdown and Tiger's affairs became public, he crashed drunk, got divorced, and suddenly golf wasn't cool anymore. (November, 2009, click that for link to story about it all.)

Lots of courses had to close operations and transform their land use into something else (houses) or just lay fallow, uncared for landscapes.

Golf is typically a game for the country club set. I'm guessing your son's son's father is a snob.
Generalization of course, but golf is a game where the smaller unathletic kids can brag, if their parents train them right (which means wrong, in my book). Let me ask you this - and I'm totally against fighting, but - can your son kick this kid's butt?

Hahaha.... Sorry, I'm just remembering this guy I worked with. My boss, actually.

Sure, it can be challenging. I get it. But I was always for the big muscle sports, soccer and basketball. chase ball, kick hard, box out, take a charge, jump over and thru you - those types of games. I could get into bocci ball or ping pong just fine. Tennis was fun! But golf? I played enough, but nahhhh....

It's for old people who are out of shape (which now includes me).
Bearister? Take the other side of this. I know you like golf.

bearister said:

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That is when the dumb f@uck thought he was singing the National Anthem….but it wasn't the National Anthem.

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He was singing the theme song to the old Mickey Mouse Club.

Instead of
"M I C,
K E Y,
M O U S E" (that's right, you know the tune)

it was
"M A K,
I N G,
M O N E Y.
Making Money.
Making Money.
Forever may our profits be sky high, High HIGH!

I took up golf at age 11 because I lived 2 miles from Lake Chabot Muni*=, monthly tickets were $10/month in the 1960's, during the summer my Mom would drop me off in the morning and pick me up in the afternoon.

I still enjoy playing. I have no interest in debating it's merits or whether it is a sport, but many do:

OT: Is golf a sport? | Bear Insider


https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/113685

*Sad to see the clubhouse burned down. One of my childhood memories is seeing Bob March eating a hotdog in the grill.