The Absurdity of Men's Professional Golf

While this week was milder in comparison to the drama from the previous week, men’s professional golf remains in a state of chaos. Jon Rahm’s defection to LIV Golf was but another turning point in the future of the PGA TOUR and reignited the frustrations of whiny pro golfers everywhere.

When news broke that a cadre of PGA TOUR players (deemed the “mules” by golf media) sent a memo via legal representation to the PGA TOUR Policy Board, the jokes almost wrote themselves. The list of players included the likes of James Hahn, Grayson Murray, Lanto Griffin, and other barely recognizable names who you may have heard of only because of their propensity to complain. These players demanded more transparency in any ongoing negotiations by the TOUR with the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to which they felt entitled due to their membership status.

As much as I laugh at those names, they aren’t wrong.

These past fews months have felt like we all snuck into a corporation and managed to eavesdrop on water cooler conversations among dissatisfied employees. What we heard at TOUR player press conferences suddenly conflicted with decisions by that player later on, as was the case with Rahm. Clearly a star in every sense of the word, Rahm was made to look like a disgruntled staffer who accepted a job offer from a competitor just to “stick it to the man.” His pledges of fealty to Jay Monahan’s PGA TOUR up and vanished.

It’s difficult to not sit back and wonder who these players truly are despite the words they say. Is anything real anymore? Can anyone be believed?

The money involved in this whirlwind of activity is perhaps the most absurd. Amounts rumored to be in the high hundreds of millions of dollars are thrown around with ease, forcing fans of the sport to try and wrap our minds around their meaning. “If someone offered you $500 million to leave your job…” suddenly became a frequent talking point by supporters of LIV, knowing full well that none of us will ever be faced with that decision. These numbers are make-believe, figments of imagination and exaggeration regular folks toss around to make a point.

This is also true for the imaginary world in which Rahm now finds himself. Only in fiction could a world exist where his “star power” is worth anywhere close to the rumored $300-$600 million he’s to receive for joining LIV. Rahm is not this transcendent sports icon recognizable to the world. He knows this to be true, of course, which may have made LIV’s offer even more enticing. He took the money and ran before anyone else would catch on to the charade.

Perhaps the only aspect of men’s pro golf that is more absurd than the rest is our reaction to this mess. We have all naturally taken an “us versus them” stance on any new piece of information, whether it be players joining LIV, players demanding more transparency, or who is rumored to be running either TOUR. We all feel more knowledgable than the next person, ready to debate and poke holes in the opinions of others. To be a fan of pro golf right now is to agree to choosing sides and defending your choice no matter the cost.

I have not been shy to express my biases to any of this news, but what does it matter? It’s clear that these players have fans as an afterthought, making choices only for themselves and their families. This has always been the case and fans are just now catching on. This presents another layer of absurdity in that we should have realized this long ago.