Tulsa, Akla PGA Championship 2022 it became so much about who is not here as about who is playing in the Southern Hills.
Because the current PGA Tour pros weigh Phil Mickelsonhis decision to miss the tournament he won last year on the island of Kiev, and his support for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, the biggest name in the sport, left no doubt in his feelings for Tour and Mickelson.
According to a story published by the Fire Pit Collective, Jack Nicklaus turned down two offers to face LIV Golf, and turned down Mickelson’s flirtation with a waiver of the PGA Tour. The series of startups is run by Greg Norman.
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“The Saudis offered me something over $ 100 million to do a job similar to the one Greg does,” Nicklaus said. “I refused. Once orally, once in writing. I said, ‘Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour . I helped start the PGA Tour. ‘ ”
The 82-year-old Nicklaus is the all-time leader with 18 champions, including five PGA Championships, and remains an active supporter of the PGA Tour. Nicklaus is holding the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, outside his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and he has become the unofficial owner of the Honda Classic, which takes place in Palm Beach Gardens, near the Nicklaus home in North Palm Beach.
Mickelson is one of several PGA Tour professionals, including Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, who have requested an exemption from the PGA Tour to attend the first LIV Golf event on June 9-11 in London. Golfweek first reported that Tour is denying these releases.
But Mickelson has become an outcast as his comments about Saudi-backed league support and PGA Tour’s accusations of “nasty greed” have gone public. Mickelson acknowledged human rights atrocities in Saudi Arabia, including the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Hashoghi, and admitted that “they were executed there for being gay.”
However, he supports the league, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, because he believes it will give players “leverage” on the PGA Tour. Very few of his peers agree with this.
Nicklaus was asked about Mickelson in an interview with Jimmy Roberts of NBC.
“Then he needs to go,” Nicklaus said. “Obviously, if (Mickelson) goes, he will go alone.
“He’s going to have a great tour.”
Tiger Woods has the opposite position of Phil
Tiger Woods, who is playing for the second time after nearly losing his leg in a car crash 15 months ago, said he has not spoken to Mickelson since the dispute unfolded. Woods, who lives on the island of Jupiter, is clearly different from Mickelson – his main competitor for decades – in terms of the PGA Tour.
“Phil said some things that I think many of us who are committed to the Tour and committed to the legacy of the Tour have refused,” Woods said Tuesday. “Some of his views on how the Tour could be held have caused a lot of controversy.
“I have a completely different position.”
Woods Tour’s devotion extends to his foundation, which has held many events in the Tour.
“I’ve played here for … decades and I think it’s a legacy. I still think the Tour can offer so many, so many opportunities,” Woods said.
For Nicklaus, showing his hostility to LIV Golf, he encounters friend Donald Trump. Nicklaus publicly supported the former president before the 2020 election and for many years played golf with Trump.
The LIV Golf schedule includes four events in the U.S., including two on Trump courses, July 29-31 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and the October 27-30 final at Trump National Doral, where the villa is located with 48 guest rooms. and the suite is named after Mickelson.
Trump’s support for the LIV is undoubtedly partly motivated by his attempt to pay for the PGA Tour for moving this year’s PGA Championship from Bedminster to the Southern Hills in the days following the January 6, 2021 uprising at the United States Capitol.
Nicklaus called the decision “cancel the culture” during his interview on Monday
“Donald Trump may be a lot, but he loves golf and loves this country,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a game student and a formidable figure in the game. What he will do in golf in the future will depend on what the culture of abolition allows him to do. ”
The PGA Tour decision has devastated Trump, who desperately wants to take a major at one of his resorts.
Although most Tour members are firmly behind the PGA, they are also saddened by Mickelson’s absence from the tournament, which has probably been the crowning achievement of his legendary career. A year ago, he surpassed Luis Ostheisen and Brooks Koepka of Jupiter by two strokes and won his sixth major.
Rory McIlroy weighs in on Mickelson
Rory McIlroy, a two-time PGA Championship winner, called Mickelson’s absence “unhappy” and “sad.”
“It’s supposed to be a holiday, right?” McIlroy said. “He won a major championship in 50 years. Perhaps this was his last big, important moment in the game of golf. I think he should be here this week and celebrate what a monumental achievement he achieved last year. ”
PGA CEO Seth Vaughn said he was told Friday that Mickelson was not playing.
“He’s not here. It’s his choice,” Vaughn said. “We had a few conversations with him before, during and after, and I can really say that on Friday his camp called and said he wasn’t ready to play. Obviously we respect that. We understand that.”
McIlroy is still committed to the PGA tour, though on Tuesday he said he may have been “brazen”, saying that three months ago, a competitive tour backed by Saudi Arabia was “dead in the water”.
“Greg and everyone behind him are very determined,” McIlroy said. “I think we just need to see how it will be. The guys will make the decisions.
“Honestly, one way or another it will shape the future of professional golf.”
Tom D’Angelo is a journalist Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can contact him at tdangelo@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
