PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA | Perhaps no place better embodies where professional golf finds itself at the moment than Pebble Beach.
Even with an expected wind- and rainstorm bearing down on the rugged and ragged piece of Pacific coastline in advance of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the timeless beauty of the place and its familiarity are juxtaposed against the pro game’s shifting landscape.
On Wednesday here, the PGA Tour announced a multibillion-dollar deal with a private-equity consortium called Strategic Sports Group, perhaps hastening an agreement between the tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, this potentially water-logged edition of an event that has been played here since 1947 will look and feel different than the others.
As one of the tour’s exclusive signature events, the field size has been cut essentially in half (80 pros) and the pro-am (minus the cast of entertainment celebrities but dotted with famous athletes) is now a two-day deal on two courses rather than three. Yet, the tournament is in many ways bigger than it has ever been even if it never had the chance of landing Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka or Cam Smith because of their commitments to LIV.
Nine of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are here, and while there is legitimate debate about the validity of the rankings in the age of LIV Golf, consider that only five top-10 players total competed in this event in the previous five years combined.
They’re here because this is where the money is (there’s a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million to the winner), and there will be more money coming with the SSG deal. This is the biggest event to date in the still-young PGA Tour season, and it’s fair to assume there’s no going back to the way things used to be.
The principals in the tour’s private-equity deal laid out the size and scope of their investment – up to $3 billion – but it’s unclear exactly how the financial infusion into the tour’s new for-profit entity will play out over time other than to provide stability and bargaining strength as the LIV Golf challenge endures.
With the SSG agreement in place, cutting an acceptable deal with the PIF seems to be more likely.
“I feel like this thing could have been over and done with months ago. I think just for all of our sakes that the sooner that we sort of get out of it and we have a path forward, the better.” – Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy, no longer a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board but an astute observer whose opinions resonate, said he understood the SSG agreement was set to be finalized, only to be delayed on Sunday night and again on Monday night.
“I feel like this thing could have been over and done with months ago,” McIlroy said. “I think just for all of our sakes that the sooner that we sort of get out of it and we have a path forward, the better.”
LIV continues to disrupt the game, announcing Tuesday that Tyrrell Hatton (16th in the world ranking), college golfer Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent have joined Jon Rahm’s new team just in time for the league’s season-opening event in Mexico this week.
That would seem to be it for LIV moves this year now that its 13 four-man teams are set, but that could always change.
While Hatton’s move didn’t have the ground-shaking impact of Rahm’s defection in early December, it was another reminder the tug of war continues and the PGA Tour has been forced to adapt and find a financial partner.
Justin Thomas just shook his head when asked about Hatton’s move.
“I feel like at this point I’m just, not over it, it’s just kind of what it is,” Thomas said.
“I’ve definitely found out over this whole process that people obviously are going to think about it differently than others, but they’re just people that they’re going to make decisions for what they think is best. I might disagree with some of them, but I think at the end of the day if that’s what Tyrrell thinks is best for him, that’s what he’s got to do.”
McIlroy said he had a long talk with Hatton, a teammate on Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team in September, recently about his decision.
“I think the nature of the conversation was probably different than it would have been a year ago, absolutely,” McIlroy said.
“I said to him just like I said to Jon (Rahm), like I’m totally supportive of your decision if that’s what you feel is the right thing for you. Look, these are guys that I’ve spent a lot of time with, and I guess I’ve said this before, but I’ve come to the realization I’m not here to change people’s minds. I’m here to just try – especially when I was at the board level – trying to give them the full picture of where things are at and hopefully where things are going to go.”
Is this what the future looks like?
In some ways, yes; in other ways, no.
When the expected money comes into the PGA Tour via the private-equity investment, it’s fair to assume it will come with expectations of change. How that is manifested remains to be seen.
Even with another storm blowing in, Pebble Beach is as mesmerizing as ever. The views never get old, even if the larger picture continues to change.