Phil Mickelson of the United States talks to the media during a press conference for the LIV Golf ... [+]
We shouldn’t be surprised that in a world that feels like it is turning upside down weekly that even the sport of golf could be thrust into the headlines. Honestly, how often has a sporting event played for the first time merited front-page coverage from the New York Times?
The event mentioned is the inaugural match of the newly launched LIV International Golf Series. Known simply as LIV Golf, the series is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and has attracted some of the biggest names in golf to its events. These include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and other players, as well as the Great White Shark himself, Greg Norman, who serves as the organization’s CEO.
If it works, LIV Golf stands to challenge the PGA Tour’s position as the only place that great talent will gather in that sport.
And it is that, rather than all the accusations of greed and political posturing, that seems to lie behind the great firestorm of controversy generated by the new league.
Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off on the 1st hole during day one of the LIV Golf ... [+]
The last time this writer checked, professional golfers were independent contractors, thanks in part to Jack Nicklaus, who, along with Arnold Palmer, Gardner Dickinson and Bob Goalby, helped players break away from the PGA of America and found their own players division in 1968. Prior to that, the organization that runs the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup not only oversaw club professionals but the running of tour events. The split led to what is now known as the PGA Tour.
Professional golfers should be able to play where they want, it would certainly seem.
This story reminds us that when an institution or organization which has enjoyed tremendous hegemonic powers and commercial success, such as the PGA Tour has, comes under threat by a rival organization, it’s only natural, if not very productive, for the incumbent to do its best to push the upstart down. Away from professional sports, the NCAA faced a similar challenge to its absolute rule when its student-athletes began to advocate for the right to transfer between programs as well as enjoy a share of the revenues that came from selling their names and likeness to the public.
Phil Mickelson of Hy Flyers GC plays his second shot on the 3rd hole during day one of the LIV Golf ... [+]
Like the PGA Tour’s most strident critics of LIV Golf, the NCAA decried the moral shortcomings of those advocating for replacing collegiate athletics’ “amateur ideal” with the “professionalization” of collegiate sports. What the NCAA failed to notice was that college sports had become professionalized long before students started asking for their share of the pie. The subsequent lawsuits filed by student-athletes forced an end to the NCAA’s position of power. Case closed, and whether you agree with the new landscape or not, college sports will never be the same.
As with sports, the competitive edge that comes from openness to change drives individuals and teams to greatness in business. It’s easy to think about that moment when the makers and marketers of flip-phones were so engrossed in coming up with the next gimmick to drive sales that they failed to appreciate the nerds down the street talking about smartphones — until it was too late and everybody was using them.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought another of these business lessons close to home as millions of workers not only began performing their jobs remotely but also doing as good a job as they did on-site — and enjoying their work more than they had done when they were spending 10 percent of their lives commuting.
Charl Schwartzel of Stinger GC celebrates with the LIV Golf Invitational individual trophy following ... [+]
Some companies recognized and adapted to the change and will, in all likelihood, remain competitive for the long haul. Others—Elon Musk is prominent among them — couldn’t, or won’t, adapt to change and may find themselves sliding toward irrelevance... as the NCAA has.
Is the PGA Tour, which has banned players who compete for its rival, behaving monopolistically? I don’t know; I’m not a lawyer. But I do think it is behaving like an organization that isn’t used to having competition from someone with the kind of financial backing LIV Golf can offer.
How this ultimately plays out is still anybody’s guess. LIV Golf must develop a competitive product that commands the fans’ respect, or it will fail to attract the best talent irrespective of its sources of financing. The PGA must stop the whining and take a hard look at its product and understand how to compete against a worthy rival.
One writer wrote of Mickelson, who was the first and most visible golfer to join LIV Golf and has become the chief focus of the controversy, “We won't know whether he is the villain of this story — or the visionary — for years to come.”
If innovation and improvement come from reaching into the golf bag for a club that will let you try something new and not burying your head in the sand trap, then Big Lefty may well emerge as the underappreciated and stalwart visionary in this tale of our turbulent times.
