PGL offers DJ, Rose $30 million each (***MERGED***)

[JaNelson38]

Other golfers offered this money too, including Phil and Brooks Koepka, according to the article.  Money isn't even performance related....sounds like its guaranteed.  Apparently there is a players meeting today at Quail Hollow where Jay Monahan is going to talk about this with players.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2021/05/04/ryder-cup-threat-dustin-johnson-justin-rose-receive-30m-offer/

 

Colt Knost says on the radio that he's spoken to DJ's agent and that the offer is real and legitimate.  "They mean business".  

 

Hmm.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by 1t2golf

[b.helts]

Paywalls are shyte.

 

Here is an article that is not paywalled.

 

I'll bet that mandatory player's meeting is going to be interesting.

[Frankensteins Monster]

Let's see how the PGA Tour responds, they did, in part, already with their "exposure" bonus, and let's see if players will take the money from a human rights abomination known as anything Saudi. Some already did a few years back.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Frankensteins Monster

[MtlJeff]

Just in general, when a company needs to make threats to try and keep people from fleeing ....It's not a good sign overall.

 

They must get the sense that the top players aren't 100% bought in to how the tour is set up right now. The PGL seems almost like a placeholder for anything really, maybe another tour down the line.

 

It's a weird analogy because it's not a "sport" but for many years WWE wrestlers weren't happy with the company's direction, and eventually a rival company was created.

[JaNelson38]

8 minutes ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

Let's see how the PGA Tour responds, they did in part already with their "exposure" bonus, and let's see if players will take the money from a human rights abomination known as anything Saudi.

 

Money talks.  Its easy to look the other way if you're pocketing an 8 figure check.  Especially a younger player on the rise.  The PGA can threaten a revoked membership, but lets be real....it will take a long time to make $30 million on the PGA Tour.  To have that kind of money up front guaranteed...oof.

 

All it takes is for one big-name guy to jump ship, and others will follow.  

Edited May 4, 2021 by JaNelson38

[bscinstnct]

22 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

Just in general, when a company needs to make threats to try and keep people from fleeing ....It's not a good sign overall.

 

They must get the sense that the top players aren't 100% bought in to how the tour is set up right now. The PGL seems almost like a placeholder for anything really, maybe another tour down the line.

 

It's a weird analogy because it's not a "sport" but for many years WWE wrestlers weren't happy with the company's direction, and eventually a rival company was created.

 

Then again. Guys on PGA tour are independent. The guys the PGL wants are pretty much all able to do as they please and play if and when they want.

 

One huge issue is travel. If the PGL was in the US that’s one thing. But I think this is primarily a foreign/overseas event situation. 

 

I imagine if you’re given 30MM, there are a lot of strings and commitments attached.

 

And on the money, 

Many already make 20MM a year or much more with their endorsements. 

 

And those endorsements come from winning events and Majors on the 

 

*PGA Tour.
 

Why mess with that?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by bscinstnct

[Medson]

Man, I thought PGA Tour’s $30M exposure money is nuts. Then, comparing with what the new super league is tossing around, the exposure money is actually peanuts. 

[golfandfishing]

I know Rose is a world class player, but does anyone tune in to watch him?  I’m not sure he’s a draw in terms of getting the PGL in front of viewers, advertisers, etc. if I drew him in a pro-am I’d be less than excited. 

[golfandfishing]

34 minutes ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

Let's see how the PGA Tour responds, they did, in part, already with their "exposure" bonus, and let's see if players will take the money from a human rights abomination known as anything Saudi. Some already did a few years back.

The human rights issues will not factor in to any player’s decision in the least. Tons of names go play the Saudi events every year in exchange for money, private travel and who knows what else once they arrive. 

[b.helts]

DJ is 1 event (made cut) away from becoming 3rd on the all time earnings list for the PGA Tour. Behind Tiger and Hefty.

 

His career earnings are $71MM+

 

That means in one moment he can get almost half of that. I know that doesn't include endorsements and other income streams. Nonetheless, anyone who thinks that isn't going at least make someone think about it on his behalf, is bonkers.

 

$30MM is a compelling amount of money, even for dudes that are already rich.

[JaNelson38]

7 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

 

Then again. Guys on PGA tour are independent. The guys the PGL wants are pretty much all able to do as they please and play if and when they want.

 

One huge issue is travel. If the PGL was in the US that’s one thing. But I think this is primarily a foreign/overseas event situation. 

 

I imagine if you’re given 30MM, there are a lot of strings and commitments attached.

 

And on the money, 

Many already make 20MM a year or much more with their endorsements. 

 

And those endorsements come from winning events and Majors on the 

 

*PGA Tour.
 

Why mess with that?

 

 

 

 

 

The 30 million is just an upfront payment.  They'll have purses for tournaments as well.  And travel might not be a big deal if the schedule is only a handful of events each year.....something the top players would probably all love is a more condensed schedule.  And the PGL may come from Saudi money but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have any events in the US.

 

Sure some guys make 20 million in a year, but not many.  Maybe the faces of each manufacturer.  Justin Rose certainly doesnt.  Even DJ....as the top ranked golfer in the world, and he's still not the "face" of TaylorMade.  

 

I believe Rory got just over $200 million for a 10-year deal with Nike back when he signed with them.  

 

If a league like this does take off and becomes a global brand, it could be argued that actually makes their endorsement deals better, not worse.  

[JaNelson38]

13 minutes ago, b.helts said:

DJ is 1 event (made cut) away from becoming 3rd on the all time earnings list for the PGA Tour. Behind Tiger and Hefty.

 

His career earnings are $71MM+

 

That means in one moment he can get almost half of that. I know that doesn't include endorsements and other income streams. Nonetheless, anyone who thinks that isn't going at least make someone think about it on his behalf, is bonkers.

 

$30MM is a compelling amount of money, even for dudes that are already rich.

 

If there is one thing you can guarantee with people that have lots of money, it is they want more of it.

 

People sometimes don't understand how expensive it is for these people to live the way they do, and maintain that lifestyle.  Most of the top players in the world that are 'comfortable' for lack of a better word all have multiple homes.  Their own jets.  Private business interests with lots of money invested in them.   As Michael Douglas in Wall Street would say, "Rich enough not to waste time."

 

"Downsize" isnt a word in the alphabet of most people with ungodly sums of money.  While these guys are all athletes, the top guys are also businessmen.

Edited May 4, 2021 by JaNelson38

[Abh159]

No one is just handing out $30 million without a ton of strings attached to it. I'm guessing that money comes with a bunch of requirements outside of just playing in X number of events.

 

There would be a boatload of other appearances, mandatory meet and greets, and etc. that I'm sure they would be required to do. I imagine all the extra stuff would end up causing a player to spend 1/3 - 1/2 their time oversees and away from the family which I don't see them being on board with. 

[One Putter]

First of all, how far down the list would Rose have to be? There are so many others i would think have better social media presence/popularity than Rosie. Nothing against the guy, he's obviously great, but just not much of a "known" guy outside the golf world.

 

Second, lets say Rosie/DJ do this. OK? You gonna pay every guy 30m base? How is it worth it for anyone else if you don't? How small would these fields be?

[dcmidnight]

I cant imagine many players are going to want to give up their PGA Tour careers and the chance at winning majors - if in fact Monahan follows through on that threat - just to play for some Saudi backed sportswashing abomination. Money is one thing. Selling your soul is a whole other thing. 

 

There might be a list of guys who would sell out for this - the question will be if they are the guys you want to be watching in this league?

 

I feel like - generic stereotyping - but the guys I'd want to watch in this league are the guys who are already doing damn well on the PGA Tour, have pretty great lives living in Sea Island or Jupiter and they want to be out there every year winning majors. 

 

Its a catch 22. 

[b.helts]

5 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

I cant imagine many players are going to want to give up their PGA Tour careers and the chance at winning majors - if in fact Monahan follows through on that threat - just to play for some Saudi backed sportswashing abomination. Money is one thing. Selling your soul is a whole other thing. 

 

There might be a list of guys who would sell out for this - the question will be if they are the guys you want to be watching in this league?

 

I feel like - generic stereotyping - but the guys I'd want to watch in this league are the guys who are already doing damn well on the PGA Tour, have pretty great lives living in Sea Island or Jupiter and they want to be out there every year winning majors. 

 

Its a catch 22. 

 

 

I agree completely. The key to the whole deal will be world ranking points. If the PGL can't get world ranking points for their events, this is a non-starter, not matter what they offer to pay out.

 

The elite golf world is still centered around the 4 majors, and nothing in the near future is going to change that. Not even Middle East oil money.

[bladehunter]

Linked is real live footage of them making the offer to DJ.  
 

 

 

http://transcriptvids.com/v2/dIgGZA4qQoc.html

[King_Slender]

Yup, the two Trump cards the Tour would have is convincing The Masters and the PGA Professionals to exclude guys signing up with the PGL.  

[JaNelson38]

3 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

I cant imagine many players are going to want to give up their PGA Tour careers and the chance at winning majors - if in fact Monahan follows through on that threat - just to play for some Saudi backed sportswashing abomination. Money is one thing. Selling your soul is a whole other thing. 

 

There might be a list of guys who would sell out for this - the question will be if they are the guys you want to be watching in this league?

 

I feel like - generic stereotyping - but the guys I'd want to watch in this league are the guys who are already doing damn well on the PGA Tour, have pretty great lives living in Sea Island or Jupiter and they want to be out there every year winning majors. 

 

Its a catch 22. 

 

The PGA Tour can do nothing with regards to the majors.  They are all their separate entities.  

 

You'd need the USGA or the folks at Augusta would have to stick their neck out and say that.  But imagine Fred Ridley saying that PGL members are no longer eligible for the Masters, and a guy like Brooks Koepka accepts the offer and joins anyway.  And some other players follow, especially younger guys.  The only ones weakening their product is Augusta....the players are still getting paid.

 

Golf entities like the PGA Tour, the USGA, the R&A, Augusta, etc all claim to be global ambassadors for golf.  It'd be pretty hypocritical for them to shun members of a professional golf league just because they are suddenly no longer active members of the PGA Tour or the European Tour.   They want the big names in their events - hence the reason why a guy like Rickie Fowler just got an exemption into the PGA Championship.  

 

But a serious question - is signing up for another golf league for a large sum of money 'selling out'?  It happens all the time in pro sports - guys leave good teams for crappier teams for more money.  In the end with all these guys its all about money.  That's not 'selling out'...that's just getting what someone else thinks you're worth.

[bladehunter]

3 minutes ago, b.helts said:

 

 

I agree completely. The key to the whole deal will be world ranking points. If the PGL can't get world ranking points for their events, this is a non-starter, not matter what they offer to pay out.

 

The elite golf world is still centered around the 4 majors, and nothing in the near future is going to change that. Not even Middle East oil money.

Besides what’s more volatile than Middle East oil money ?  Bitcoin ?  Lol.  Yea. I’d cook my golden goose on a chance that the funding  doesn’t dry up on this lark.  Right.  They wrote a song about this situation.  Titled  .....Dream on.  

Edited May 4, 2021 by bladehunter

[b.helts]

1 minute ago, bladehunter said:

Besides what’s more volatile than Middle East oil money ?  Bitcoin ?  Lol.  Yea. I’d cook my golden goose on a chance that the funding  doesn’t dry up on this lark.  Right.  They wrote a song about this situation.  Titled  .....Dream on.  

 

I'm not sure whether you're agreeing or disagreeing.

 

But, the cost of oil is volatile, the wealth is not.

[bladehunter]

Just now, b.helts said:

 

I'm not sure whether you're agreeing or disagreeing.

 

But, the cost of oil is volatile, the wealth is not.

I’m agreeing.  One war etc and the money goes away.  Their wealth is dependent solely on our consumption.     Meanwhile the pga tour should live fine through any current players career.  

[tbowles411]

We have a saying at my real non-golf job:  "Money is a solution, not a problem."  It's a tool to get what you want.  You want the best labor and talents in a given field, it will cost you, even if you have to overpay.  Everyone has a price, and $30M would blow the leather out of most pro's wallets.

[JaNelson38]

Just now, bladehunter said:

I’m agreeing.  One war etc and the money goes away.  Their wealth is dependent solely on our consumption.     Meanwhile the pga tour should live fine through any current players career.  

 

There's no way the PGA Tour doesn't go through some sort of course/purse correction, and very soon.  We're now post-Tiger era.  Its getting harder to find sponsors and put on tournaments.  The top players themselves all want to play fewer events or have a shorter schedule.  This stuff will be coming to a head, and perhaps this PGL news will now accelerate that.

 

One way for the PGA Tour to leverage themselves better would be to allow individual sponsors for tournaments to pay appearance fees to draw better fields.  It happens overseas, but not on the PGA Tour.  Right now, so many Tour events' success and failure is hinged on where they sit in the schedule in relation to the big 5 events during the season and the FedEx Cup playoffs.  

[Hawkeye77]

I won't see guys leaving as a referendum on the Tour, simply taking lots and lots of cash.  Take it if you want it.  Will be more interesting to see who goes out on a limb and says they will go and then later finds out not enough others went and maybe it falls through, lol.  

 

The Tours can't shuck out $30 million a pop and likely tens of millions more just to appease folks who want to entertain offers from an outfit that purely exists just flex its $ muscles.  Good luck with venues, TV and all the rest of it.  If the PGL is centered overseas - yawn.  If it thinks it can put on events and run them like the PGA Tour - I don't think so.

 

This announcement is making the dumb social media based $ for a very few bit that was recently outed look pretty lame, though.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Medson]

I was just reading PGA Tour history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGA_Tour). It seems the Tour started when players wanted more lucrative payout. 

 

What goes around comes around. 

[Frankensteins Monster]

28 minutes ago, JaNelson38 said:

 

There's no way the PGA Tour doesn't go through some sort of course/purse correction, and very soon.  We're now post-Tiger era.  Its getting harder to find sponsors and put on tournaments.  The top players themselves all want to play fewer events or have a shorter schedule.  This stuff will be coming to a head, and perhaps this PGL news will now accelerate that.

 

One way for the PGA Tour to leverage themselves better would be to allow individual sponsors for tournaments to pay appearance fees to draw better fields.  It happens overseas, but not on the PGA Tour.  Right now, so many Tour events' success and failure is hinged on where they sit in the schedule in relation to the big 5 events during the season and the FedEx Cup playoffs.  

PGA Tournaments already give appearance fees.

[tiderider]

2 hours ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

Let's see how the PGA Tour responds, they did, in part, already with their "exposure" bonus, and let's see if players will take the money from a human rights abomination known as anything Saudi. Some already did a few years back.

i'd think this would be a fairly obvious 'no' for anyone ... Wahhabism isn't a viewpoint you want your money coming from ... maybe they'd donate to the khashoggi foundation ... 

[sethdavidsdad]

It will be interesting to see what the sponsors say. Most endorsement deals have bonuses set up for PGA tour performance. I can't imagine DJ's agent would allow him to do this without first covering or talking it over with all his sponsors. I can see the sponsors resisting this in public and being ok with it in backroom deals 

[Abh159]

50 minutes ago, JaNelson38 said:

But a serious question - is signing up for another golf league for a large sum of money 'selling out'?  It happens all the time in pro sports - guys leave good teams for crappier teams for more money.  In the end with all these guys its all about money.  That's not 'selling out'...that's just getting what someone else thinks you're worth.

 

 

No, I don't think it's selling out. However, your comparison to other pro sports is applies to oranges. A player may leave a championship team to sign a big contract with a crappy team, but he's still in the same league playing against/with the same players and teams. The PGA / PGL comparison would be more akin to Lebron leaving the Lakers to go play for a Chinese basketball team. 

 

36 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

The Tours can't shuck out $30 million a pop and likely tens of millions more just to appease folks who want to entertain offers from an outfit that purely exists just flex its $ muscles.  Good luck with venues, TV and all the rest of it.  If the PGL is centered overseas - yawn.  If it thinks it can put on events and run them like the PGA Tour - I don't think so.

 

I don't know about the rest of you, but there's no way in h*** I'm waking up at 3 am to watch a golf tournament. The time difference during the British Open is almost more than I can handle...

Edited May 4, 2021 by Abh159