OPINION: LIVing A Legacy

The millions of dollars poured into LIV is and always will be a talking point. It’s a divisive idea, one which Greg Norman had every right to try and pull off, and one that was always going to be controversial in the politicized nature of sport and media in the year 2022.

But I don’t want to lose focus on a different, big picture issue – which is the notion of leaving a legacy in the sport.

During any sporting career, you look back at the honors boards and the records, you remember the years you underachieved, the seasons where you won more than expected, you share stories with friends and teammates. It was never what people said, or often what they did, what you remembered was how they made you feel.

And the same applies to golf. An individual sport, which makes it so unique, yet can be brought into a team environment, in events like the Ryder Cup and the President’s Cup. A sport where etiquette and character supersede ability and bravado. A sport where players can make an impact not necessarily for acquiring the most accolades, but for the moments of sportsmanship. A sport, where in the most intense rivalry, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus agreed to share a half in the 2003 Presidents Cup in an iconic moment of sportsmanship. Nicklaus had said afterward:

“From day one, Gary and I said it’s not about who wins and loses. Both Gary and I badly wanted to win and so did all our players. But the game is bigger than that”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nicklaus will be granted honorary citizenship of the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews in a ceremony at the Home of Golf to mark the 150^th Open – but also his legacy in the game, his two Open wins at St Andrews in 1970 and 1978 –  and what he has done for the sport. In the same ceremony, Nicklaus is joined by Sandy Lyle, Catriona Matthew, Lee Trevino, and Jose Maria Olazabal, in recognition of their outstanding achievements and service to golf.

It’s the sort of thing that connects the current to previous players. Standing on the shoulders of those who came before, recognizing their impact, and moving forward to forge your own path. Nicklaus chose not to accept an offer for a World Tour (the idea that has led to the LIV Series of today) a couple of decades earlier as he said it would be bad for the game, as did Arnold Palmer. The main thinking here, to clarify, is that the standard of golf drops because the focus moves away from the process and the performance and more towards the returns. A more consequentialist outlook for the ethicists among you, with all the talk of morals circulating the sport this week.

And these principles of the sport are now lost because Nicklaus’ mindset of ‘the game is bigger than that’ will disappear. The game is only as important as the money you are paid to play it, is the new message to golfers everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looking at the Canadian Open leader board at the close of play today with Finau, Rory, JT, and Fitzpatrick all in the mix, compared to the names in the LIV Series, the standard of golf is so much lower than regular Tour events. But the purse is so much higher. The winner this week in the UK event bagged double what Scottie Scheffler did for winning the coveted green jacket in April.

But then who are we to restrict golfing legacy to four major tournaments? And for the lesser-known players in the field, they aren’t on trajectory to leave a legacy anyway, barely qualifying for majors, risking losing their Tour cards each season. In this new format they start experiencing what their dreams looked like at the start of their career, rubbing shoulders with bigger names, earning the big money. I’m talking about the names that are rarely on the first page of the leaderboard week-on-week, the Blake Windreds, Travis Smyths, and Scott Vincents of this world.

This is why the LIV Series is attractive for the lower ranked players in the world, Hennie du Plessis has just tripled his lifetime on-course earnings (from seven years of playing) in just 54 holes of golf. (By the way, LIV is called LIV due to the 54-hole nature of the events – the Roman Numeral of 54 is L-I-V. I prefer LXXII myself).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The PGA Tour has responded to the first event in the LIV series by handing out suspensions to players who have left the Tour, regardless of whether they resigned or not. I find it embarrassing that Ian Poulter’s first thought was to appeal, with the ultimate aim of attacking from a legal standpoint. The Postman turned shakedown artist.

Why should players be entitled to the best of both worlds? What a kick in the teeth that would have been for those playing at the Canadian Open in Toronto this week. Ask Poulter, when grinding out a swing in the wind and rain back in the days at Woburn, did you ever imagine you’d have the reach and platform at your disposal right now, and then use it to parrot ‘grow the game’ and sue the organization that has provided that level of influence? Why risk becoming associated with such a set-up?

What are you doing? I find it hard to believe that players expected to just jump between PGA and LIV events, playing an average level of golf for a ‘team’ with a hilarious name, coming 48^th in a 48-man field where the average OWGR is 150, and pocketing six figures.

Being rewarded for coming last is anti-sport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I fundamentally think this is bad for golf, even without the moral questions of sports washing and all the rest of it. Andy Ogletree pocketing $120K after shooting +24 over 54 holes this week in Hertfordshire comes to mind. Come dead last, get paid $120,000.

Would you be at the range until dark, working on your swing? If the answer is yes, I don’t believe you.

When they have more money than they will ever need, surely it is the players’ legacy that lives on. Golf is a sport built on tradition. Those that play the game should appreciate those that came before them. Those that are gifted enough to excel in the game and achieve great things should be rewarded, as DJ has, as Poulter has, as Westwood and Garcia have. But their names will always have an asterisk attached now, even in the minds of those who support the LIV Series.  I think the players who have resigned their PGA Tour membership will be remembered by many simply in the category as those who left the competitive Tour.

The message from Ben Coley echoed around the golf community this week. After the introduction of the LIV Series, a few individuals may win, yet golf loses. It is an interesting stance, and time will tell the effect that the rival series will have on the sport.

I doubt that the R&A will see the LIV players in the same light as the greats mentioned above who came before them.  The ceremony rewarding Nicklaus and co. in St Andrews will be a moving spectacle, where the great names of the sport are rewarded at the Home of Golf, and there is something about that in itself that should resonate with professional golfers.

Do they want to be remembered in a similar vein?

Cover Image Via Golf Channel