As Sergio Garcia issued what sounded suspiciously like a plea to the PGA tour and DP World Tour not to go through with their warning of lifetime bans for anyone signing up to the Saudi’s Super Golf League, Rory McIlroy detailed his own fears to the wannabe rebels.
With the Saudi International taking place next week, expectation is intensifying of a long-awaited official announcement of the breakaway global circuit. It says so much about the Saudi threat that the range here on the eve of the Dubai Desert Classic was abuzz not about this $8 million (£5.92m) event but about who will join the SGL and at what cost?
Garcia, despite having purposefully damaged putting surfaces in the kingdom three years ago – an epic tantrum that saw him disqualified – returns to the Royal Greens Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, having been one of more than 30 to be granted releases by the American and European circuits. Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley, the respective commissioner and chief executive, were depicted as backing down by giving these approvals, but the pair remain steadfast in their promise of swift action against players committing to the SGL.
‘The tours have to understand us’
Garcia hopes this attitude will soften and a compromise can be reached. “When you get banned from playing, or whatever, it hurts the game,” Garcia said. “People want to see us play all around the world and enjoy us wherever we go. We’ve never really needed a release to play anywhere. We play all over the world all the time. So it’s one of those situations which just happened this year but hopefully we move on and find a good way for everyone.
“I understand the position of the tours. At the same time, they have to understand us too. We’re trying to achieve things, not only for myself but for my family. I’ve been a member of the European Tour for 23 years, and I’ve done a lot of things to make that happen. I’ve put a lot of mileage in my body. It’s fine. At the end of the day, we come to an agreement.”
This might be wishful thinking on behalf of the 2017 Masters champion. Garcia will receive a hefty appearance fee to tee it up next week – with high-profile competitors getting a million-plus down to lower-tier players who will earn $400,000 simply for turning up – but it is not known if he has an SGL contract offer. It is believed that deals of up to $50 million have been dangled in front of the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson Dechambeau, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. The league is mooted to feature up to 48 players playing in an 18-event schedule in tournaments around the world.
Backed by the Saudi’s $500 billion private investment fund and fronted by Australian great Greg Norman, the initiative has already pledged $200 million to the Asian Tour.
McIlroy raises ‘competitive integrity’ concerns over breakaway league
In his first few months at the helm Norman has been busy putting together an impressive infrastructure, appointing well-known and proven figures in the golf industry. If it is not yet gloves off, then the opening bell might sound soon. McIlroy has long declared his opposition to the venture, but understands why his peers might be tempted, certainly for this forthcoming single event that will see some “make 10 per cent of their yearly income in one week”.
But he does have a concern. “It’s the competitive integrity to me that’s one of the biggest issues,” he said. “How hard are guys going to compete when they know that they are guaranteed whatever the money is? Even when I started to get appearance fees back in 2009 or whatever, I struggled with that, going to tournaments in Korea and Japan feeling like I’ve already won before I teed it up.”
While his friend Andy Murray has explained the ethical reasons behind his decision to turn down Saudi offers in the past, McIlroy thinks it is more complex. “You look at so many companies we use – has anyone used an Uber this week? They are funded by the PIF,” McIlroy told reporters at the Emirates Course. “Maybe some people don’t agree where the money comes from, but they are involved in a lot of the companies we use, a lot of the products we use. If you try to be moralistic about it and having principles, you’re going to be able to not live life at the end of the day. It’s not black and white. There’s a lot of grey area, and I’ve certainly thought about it and wrestled with it.”
So in light of this, why is McIlroy not tempted? “I like being my own boss,” he said. “I don’t want to be told what to do, where to show up, when to show up, ‘You have this many events, you have to travel here’. It’s nice to be like, ‘I feel like taking a couple weeks off’ and doing it.”