Calling the PGA bluff

You don’t have to be a golf fanatic to be intrigued by the daily headlines in the battle between the PGA and the new Saudi-backed LIV golf league. The PGA’s threats sound like something out of a mob movie. Players who defect are never welcome back on the PGA Tour. They will be stripped of Ryder Cup invitations and become persona non grata in the Golf Hall of Fame. The only thing missing is the godfather of golf swearing on the graves of his grandchildren.

Masters champion and crowd favorite Bubba Watson has just become the latest star to call the PGA bluff. When it comes to big money, some of the biggest names in golf will walk away.

All of this talk is coming from a company (which operates as a non-profit organization) in an effort to intimidate what we all thought were independent contractors.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department is considering taking antitrust action against the PGA. Players can file a legal claim. Imagine any other company or organization that hires independent contractors (thereby avoiding tax and legal implications) and then threatens those same independent contractors that if they ever work for another organization, those contractors will never be able to work for them again. Even Pete Rozelle and the mighty NFL were careful to avoid that legal landmine years ago when the fledgling AFL started.

Perhaps the PGA lawyers honestly believe they can get away with it. Do they think Saudi stock is so low that they win in a purely PR battle? Public relations is helpful, but it promises a big legal fight that will be decided based on the facts and the law. None of whom seem to side with Mr. Monahan. He perhaps believes that he has enough goodwill with members of Congress to persuade them to step in with some kind of legislative protection for this fiefdom.

Good luck with that.

Clearly, Mr. Monahan is lying. He and his legal beagles must know that if the shove turns into a shove, he ultimately loses. Several players have questioned the way PGA money has been doled out in recent years. They believe PGA officials have been taking an ever-increasing slice. What the PGA leadership fears most is transparency. If this ends up as a federal court case, the plaintiffs will obtain evidence and demand access to books and records.

From the start, Jay Monahan believed his best defense was a strong offense. First, he threatens and harasses the players. Then he rounds up the media, especially the sports media and the Washington Post. The Post because it was his correspondent who was brutally murdered in the Turkish embassy.

On some level, bluffing and intimidation have been successful. Most of the sports media have bought into the narrative: PGA good, Saudi-backed LIV bad. Virtually all stories reflect that plot line. To further clarify the good versus evil angle, LIV is hosting at least one tournament on a field owned by the Trump organization. Any misguided (leftist) reporter now clearly understands who the good guys are.

To be sure, the human rights abuses by the House of Saud are real. The crown prince and his enablers, the Wahhabis, are brutal actors. But that didn’t stop our Commander in Chief from trading knuckles in a futile attempt to get more oil. It does not prevent dozens of US companies from partnering with the Saudis. Our military industrial complex sells them billions of dollars worth of hardware every year.

Consider some of the hypocrisy. According to one report, twenty-three of the major corporate sponsors of the PGA and its tournaments are doing business worth billions of dollars with the Saudis. Then golf’s relationship with the Chinese communists is growing. Most of the clubs and shoes used by amateurs and tour professionals are made in China. Just try to buy a new controller that isn’t. Anyone who thinks that the Chinese leadership is not brutal is living in a fool’s paradise. The PGA, like the NBA, desperately wants to extend its reach into communist China.

A few years ago, the PGA and the European Tour joined forces in what now appears to be an effort to establish a monopoly. This year the Europeans changed their name to DP World Tour. DP stands for Port of Dubai. Dubai may not be as hard-line as Saudi Arabia, but it is an Islamic emirate. Human rights are determined by the Emir Law and Sharia.

Jay, you’re making this too personal. More top players are likely to call your bluff and fold. It’s not personal, it’s business. Time to sit down and make amends.

Gil Gutknecht is a former member of Congress from Minnesota and is handicapped by 15.