2024 Year in Review - Part One

January through June

Dear Subscriber:

Sounds of Silence, Bounds of Stridence

From the beginning of 2024, we expected some sort of an arrangement to be worked out between the world’s professional tours, but we heard silence with an occasional “you know what might happen.”

We expected vast sums of money as the professional tours competed for the attention of the best players, and we got that, or rather the players did.

Scottie Scheffler earned $11,608 for each of the 5,364 strokes he made in his competitive season. Those included many 340-yard drives, one-inch tap ins, and one 47-yard shank. He won seven times on tour, the Olympic Gold Medal, finished five times in the top five, and never missed a cut in the 19 tour events he entered.

We hoped for diffidence and modesty amongst the professionals in light of their financial windfalls, but we were instead asked to countenance their impropriety and profanity.

All in all was just another year of professional athletes so adept at striking golf balls and so inept at how to behave.

A continuing theme.

To set the stage, we begin this review of 2024 with a quick look back at the end of 2023:

Last DECEMBER

• 7th - Jon Rahm announces on Fox News that he has been purchased by LIV Golf, who is rumored to have paid nearly $600 million for him. [Note: Later in 2024 that conjecture is reduced to about $350 million. Who knows?] Mr. Rahm states that it was not the money that attracted him but rather his desire to compete on a team again, as in his youth, and that it is best for his family. A pathetically deaf news moment for both Mr. Rahm and Fox News.

“I don’t play golf for the money,” he states in his Fox News announcement interview.

Impressive that the PIF had time to squeeze their purchase of Mr. Rahm in between Saudi summiting with Hamas, Hezbollah et al on Nov. 11 [Armistice Day].

I am proud to join [LIV GOLF] and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport. I have no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me and my family and am very excited for the future... and the money. So much freaking money!!!

Previously from Mr. Rahm:

I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.”

Shotgun [start] with three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple. I wanna play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years.”

J A N UA R Y, 2024

1st - The PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia fail to reach agreement by the end of 2023, which was proposed in their June 6, 2023, “framework agreement”. Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, reports this to his players in a memo on Dec. 31.

Mr. Monahan aspires publicly to bringing LIV into an agreement with the tour, the European tour, and Strategic Sports Group (SSG) as co-investors in a for-profit entity that would be called PGA Tour Enterprises. SSG owns a variety of sports franchises through their group of investors and various professional team owners.

8th - Mark Steinberg, Tiger Woods’ long lasting business agent, announces that Mr. Woods has chosen not to renew his partnership with Nike after a 27 year relationship. The announcement was made on social platform X.