Does the PGA tour...Have a fever?... Require stitches?...Or...Need an operation?

There is one thing I believe we all can agree on...something is wrong and LIV Golf has turned the Game of Golf, as we knew it just 3 years ago, completely upside down! Two years ago, I believed the Tour had a “fever” and would completely recover in a short period of time. Last year, I was certain they needed “stitches” and I was going to volunteer my services to “stitch them up” so they could continue to dominate the world stage of golf. Today, I am begging them to get an “operation” as soon as possible so they have 6 - 9 months to recover and have the strength and motivation to resolve their differences with LIV Golf. You may recall, when Jay Monaghan announced last Summer he had met with LIV Golf and they would have an agreement by the end of 2023, I wrote a column predicting that would not happen and that negotiations would continue well into 2024.

When John Rahm announced he was joining Liv Golf on December 7, 2023, most of the 70 million golfers, world wide, heard about it within 12 hours. The implications of his decision on the negotiations between the PGA Tour and Liv Golf gave Liv an advantage that can not be underestimated. What we didn’t know was that Jay Monaghan was also working behind the scenes to find financial partners to support the PGA Tour. He was successful. The Strategic Sports Group (SSG), which includes individuals with over 200 years of combined ownership of teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and EPL, formed and launched “PGA TOUR Enterprises” with approximately a $3 billion dollar investment. That’s all you need to know for now. Unfortunately, if you want to know the details of the deal, you won’t find any...anywhere! Oh, the printed words sound like a marriage made in heaven, but no one is “squealing” about the “real deal”.

So, what happens now with the negotiations between Liv Golf and the PGA Tour? One thing is for sure, because Jay Monaghan pulled off the new partnership with SSG, the PGA Tour is now dealing from a position of “strength” (money power) when negotiating resumes. In the “short term” Jay is enjoying his glass of wine and a fine Cuban cigar. Both sides can even claim victory for winning a few battles here and there over the last two years. However, I believe the true winner of the “WAR” will not be determined until the 2025 season because of the following information that both sides have received from the National Golf Foundation:

• Rounds played are up 20% since 2019 (pandemic)...an all time high of 531 Million.

  
  

• More than 90% of golfers expect to play as much or more in 2024.

  
  

• “Green Grass” (golf course) participation hit 26.6 million in 2023 - the biggest single-year jump since the Tiger Slam in 2001.

  
  

• Sixty percent of the growth since 2019 has been female participation.

  
  

• Play by youth is up 40% while people of color play is up 27% over the same period.

  
  

• Alternative forms of the game like Top Golf are up 130% which is increasing the number of total golfers to 45 million.

  
  

• The greatest increase in number of rounds played during the week is Monday - Thursday. I wonder how your boss feels about that?

GOLF IS BOOMING! Who wants to watch a WAR when things are great?...NOBODY! Who wants YOU to enjoy the upcoming season more than anyone?...The PGA TOUR AND LIV GOLF!

One of my favorite tunes when I was a kid growing up in Rochester, NY was sung by Judy Garland. It was called “Get Happy”. The lyrics tell the tale of the drama taking place between the PGA Tour vs. Liv Golf and the first verse tells us how to cope with all the nonsense:

Pack Up Your Troubles and Just Get Happy

Ya Better Chase All Your Cares Away

Sing Hallelujah, C’mon Get Happy

Pack Up Get Ready For The Judgement Day

Perry Noun is the former executive director of the Northeastern NY PGA as well as a competitive amateur golfer and winner of the New York State Super Senior Amateur Championship. Perry Noun can be heard on “Tee Time With The Pro-noun” on... News Radio 570 WSYR and 106.9FM.