US Edition
It was reminiscent of one of those Mafia movies when the respective dons arrive at a neutral venue to thrash out a truce and stop the bloodshed that is most definitely ‘bad for business’. Except, as in the way in this connected world, golf’s version of the Godfather scene was hardly incognito, but instead highlighted on social media.
An X account called @radaratlas2 reported that Tiger Woods’ jet was in the Bahamas and that another owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund was also on its way to Nassau.
There were others en route, including the aircraft of John Henry – the Liverpool FC owner who also heads the Strategic Sports Group that recently invested $1.5 billion into the PGA Tour – but the joke doing the rounds was that the rest were travelling to the meeting on easyJet.
Because, let us be honest, the only two that counted in these talks – that could only ever be described as “crunch” – were Woods and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The great disruptors had never before met. Goodness knows who was most tightly holding the baseball bat beneath the table...
No doubt, this could prove to a hugely significant Monday in the LIV civil war that has ripped through those cosseted locker rooms for the last two years or so. If Woods approves and the other five player directors on the PGA Tour’s policy board follow suit – they would – then the path will be clear for the negotiators to agree a deal.
Peace would fall upon the fairway and although it would take at least a few years to agree on the details of the new order, golf fans could look forward to seeing the best playing against the best again for rather more than four weeks a year.
Those of us who crave to witness this spectacle can only pray that Woods and the likes of Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott did not enter that room with Al-Rumayyan – the man who has bankrolled LIV and who is chairman of Newcastle United – possessing the attitude of some of the dolts who in reaction to the gripping Players Championship on Sunday night took to their keyboards to exclaim “Who needs the Saudis?”.
One owner of a US magazine even went as far to ask if anyone missed Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau or Brooks Koepka? The inference was that the Tour and big time golf as a whole would be fine if the split continued. Yet as point-missing goes, this was somewhat wider of the mark than the extraordinary lip-out on the 18th that saw poor Wyndham Clark miss out on a play-off with Scottie Scheffler. In truth the exact opposite was true.
If the pulsating action down the Sawgrass stretch told us anything it is how wonderful professional golf can be when the elite performers are, in those final few hours, throwing eagles and birdies at each other with fearless intent. Not only was Scheffler, the reigning champion, in the mix, but reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark, reigning Open Brian Harman and reigning Olympic champion all thrusting for the finishing line.
It was a four-horse race and all of them were thoroughbreds and after a start to the Tour campaign in which the TV ratings fell off a cliff due to the absence of big names, it was so well-timed. With the Masters in three weeks’ time, golf was desperate for this classic nailbiter, just as it has craved a player at the top of the rankings who is the undisputed king.
By winning his second title in as many Sundays and by making history by becoming the first player ever to retain The Players title, Scheffler has established himself as the force of this era and some experts are already evoking the name “Tiger” in the possibilities of his dominance. It is way too early for all that malarkey – Scheffler is still 14 majors behind the red-shirted one – but his brilliance is intoxicating and at this point it is not difficult to envisage the unassuming Texan teeing-and-greening his way to a second Augusta crown in three years.
Yet as far as a LIV pact is concerned, the 50th Players emphasised what could be a regular occurrence in a unified game. There would surely be more humdingers of this guise if the superstars were all brought back together. Logic dictates that if you add quality, you add potential for enthralling showdowns and at the start of a fresh era there would be needle too. And that is the perfect ingredient for any sporting relaunch. Scheffler versus Rahm, with a bit of Rory McIlroy and Koepka thrown in, would be one almighty lift-off.
What happens to LIV in the reboot is still to be decided and, together with the punishments the loyalists believe the rebels must be hit with before there is any settlement, was almost certainly one of the bones of contention in the Drama in Bahama on Monday.
But one thing had already been proved. 72 holes of strokeplay is the original and still the best format and as much as LIV’s shotgun start appeals to TV, there is nothing to match the drawn-out excitement of a great golfer posting an imposing total and waiting to see if the overnight leaders can rise to the challenge. Sunday genuinely was a sight for Sawgrass eyes.
Thrilling Players Championship finish shows golf needs peace
The pulsating action at Sawgrass showed how wonderful golf can be when the world’s best are throwing birdies and eagles at each other