There’s a theory, a term, you could call it a Thing, called ‘American exceptionalism’, in which many of our dear, sweet and slightly left-field cousins in America believe to their star-spangled bootstraps that they live in the greatest land of liberty in the history of humankind.
And, if you think about it, they can make a case.
The United States is the richest and most powerful nation-state in the history of organised peeps. Bigger than Romans, Mongols, Incas, Russians, Babylonians, Brits.
Americans invented motorised flight, the internet, dental floss, jazz music and electricity.
They win many gold medals at Olympic pursuits and every year an American team is crowned world champions at the Super Bowl.
And, of course, they have produced most of the world’s greatest players of golf, all of whom whacked their way around the world’s richest tour, the Professional Golfers of America Tour.
So, America goes okay.
And outside imprisoning more of their citizens than any other country, holding fast to gun laws that favour homicidal death-seekers over five-year-olds who have to be taught ‘active shooter drills’, and a cult that venerates a front-runner for President charged with espionage, fraud, insurrection and rape, you can see how Americans might believe that anything they do is the best version of that thing that there is.
Issue is … if you’re so good at so much stuff, it can lead to a certain myopia, let’s call it, about things that go on in the rest of the world.
Which is why when Greg Norman brought LIV Golf to PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan, he was told to ‘talk to the hand’ because nothing could be better than the PGA Tour, and hadn’t Tim Finchem already told you to tell your ‘world golf tour’ story walkin’, G-Man?
Finchem and co., in their wisdom, then rather miffed the Shark by inventing a limited-field ‘World Golf Championship’, which spread the gospel of the game to the world by holding the first seven events in America.
And so! Norman and his financial backers from an oil-rich nation state that wants to buy respectability despite a human rights record to rival China’s, Iran’s and, yes, America’s, went solo with LIV Golf.
And while American golf was bathing in the certainty of its own exceptionalism and singing 'We are the World', Norman and the Saudi PIF made off with dozens of the world’s best players.
Two-and-a-bit seasons in and LIV Golf hasn’t taken over the PGA Tour as the greatest show on earth, as crowds of two and four and five lining the fairways at Royal Greens G&CC would attest.
Norman and LIV types will tell you they didn’t want to, of course, that it was always meant to be complementary. And they proved that by getting into bed with Monahan and then seeking to invest in - even merge with - the PGA Tour.
They even signed a ‘framework agreement’ which must be different from an ‘agreement agreement’ because, thus far, the American money-heads haven’t come to the party, even after the Saudis made off with Jon Rahm.
And now, according to that rock-solid source of news - gossip on the internet – the PIF-funded LIV money types have reportedly tired of the PGA Tour and their investors and their strategies and said stuff it, we’re going alone. Again.
Good riddance? Your call. The PGA Tour will go on either way.
Any legs in the mail? Who knows?
We do know this: while the PGA Tour is run by a financial titan - the Strategic Sports Group, an offshoot of Fenway Sports Group - the Saudi Arabian PIF is a mother-lovin financial LEVIATHAN which has more money than all the gods.
And, as the billions they've already splashed at LIV Golf shows, they're not afraid to spend it.
Who else is now in line for what Norman would call 'generational wealth'? Viktor? Xander? Rory?
But here's a thing: if LIV Golf Investments really wanted to put a finger in the PGA Tour's eye and denude its monopoly, primacy and exceptionalism as the showground of the greatest players of golf on the earth, they could have the PIF invest further billions into a ‘world tour’ and turn that into a competitor of the PGA Tour.
It would not be the unified world tour that we may have hoped for. At least not immediately. But build it - and put up enough money - and they will come. They always have.
Yes, yes, yes - we’re in the realms of pure speculation here, some might argue fantasy, particularly given the DP World Tour is in bed with the PGA Tour because they signed a 'strategic alliance' that turned the 'European' tour into a feeder for America's one.
So there is that.
But I would ask that you consider your position in a Venn diagram with two circles titled 'Those Who Believe This Will Never Happen' and 'Those Who Believed Jon Rahm Would Never Sign With LIV', and hear us out.
And hypothesise ... say the Saudis tossed some of their throwaway billions at the PGAs and Golf Associations of certain countries, and flat out created a ‘world' tour with $20 million, $30 million, even $40 million purses at the national Opens of Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Argentina, New Zealand, China, Indonesia and Abu Dhabi.
You want the best players travelling? Top up the Hong Kong Open with a $40 million purse and schedule it against a non-signature PGA Tour sponsored by some insurance company, and watch Patrick Cantlay brush the moths off his passport.
LIV Golf could schedule their 54-holers either side of these Opens, and its players could earn world ranking points with a view to contesting majors (a whole other column) in 72-hole tournaments with a cut. And all while playing for very decent bank.
Might be a surprise ... but is it that exceptional?
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