Is Ben Griffin finally on a roll? Well, his performance at the 2025 Memorial Tournament does tell us that. Having gathered two wins in his name this season, the American golfer made three birdies and an eagle in his first eight holes, then recovered from back-to-back bogeys to score four more birdies. The result? The golfer who believes that “I always considered myself a very good golfer, but until you go out there and earn it and beat the best, it’s hard to consider yourself one” is currently at the top of the leaderboard at Muirfield Village Golf Club. However, when he sat down for an interview after his opening round, he had a tiny complaint to make.
It starts with the PGA Tour’s habit of banning LIV golfers and anyone who associates with the Saudi-backed league. Instead of looking back at when the U.S. circuit infamously banned deserters like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Brooks Koepka, consider Wesley Bryan. Despite lacking full Tour status, the South Carolina alum faced suspension for participating in The Duels, a LIV Golf event. Bryan appealed the Tour’s decision, but as per Ben Griffin’s statement, this PGA Tour habit is becoming a problem.
During the post-round press conference, Ben Griffin had a tiny hiccup in his response to a simple question: “What’s the biggest thing you’ve done maybe in the gym or in your training to gain that speed?” Griffin replied, “Just working out every single day. You used to see guys on TOUR — I mean, we probably shouldn’t mention their names that much, whatever, but Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, some of those guys back when they were dominating the majors, they were in the gym every day pumping, like, doing dumbbell presses, and, like, bench press, stuff like that.” Of course, this earnestness stands in contrast with what Scottie Scheffler said at Colonial, “I have said it a few times this year. If you want to figure out what’s going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys.”
PGA, Golf Herren Presidents Cup – Day Four Rounds Sep 25, 2022 Charlotte, North Carolina, USA PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan speaks during the singles match play of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club. Charlotte Quail Hollow Club North Carolina USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPeterxCaseyx 20220925_ter_bc1_538
In fact, the PGA Tour’s habit of banning any golfer it pleases didn’t go unnoticed by Phil Mickelson. Given the ban on Wesley Bryan, a frustrated Mickelson said, “Here’s a question. Normally when an entity violates independent contract law, they deny that it happened and forces the contractor/individual to prove that it did. In this case the PGA Tour blatantly admits they are illegally banning an independent contractor so why doesn’t they DOJ step in and enforce the law? Why does the individual have to sue to enforcer the law? DOJ do your fffing job!”
Of course, this PGA Tour decision was confusing. Grant Horvat, another popular golf content creator, played in the same The Duels match as Bryan did–in fact, his channel was the host of the match. However, despite the initial suspension on him, the content creator received a sponsor’s invitation to play the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship. This seems contradictory to Bryan’s punishment. Despite the rising questions, it appears Jay Monahan & co. are prioritizing brand building and asserting their dominance in the golf world over providing clear explanations. And, judging by their success, they’re doing so with flair.
The PGA Tour’s success over LIV Golf hasn’t been more apparent
The PGA Tour will likely continue to drive the narrative thanks to its strong finances and product offerings. It secured a $3 billion investment from the Strategic Sports Group in 2024, allowing nearly 200 players to share over $1.5 billion as equity owners in PGA Tour Enterprises. Although the Tour plans to distribute $1.5 billion in performance-based rewards over the next five years, it hasn’t utilized the other half of the investment yet. This financial support helps the Tour remain stable and strong in the industry. Any potential deal with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) would likely focus on money, as the Tour doesn’t need this investment since it hasn’t tapped into the $1.5 billion from SSG received 16 months ago.
The PGA Tour continues to significantly outperform LIV Golf in terms of product. Recent TV ratings highlight this gap, as LIV Golf’s event in Korea attracted only 30,000 viewers on Friday, 59,000 on Saturday, and 48,000 on Sunday, while the final round of the CJ Cup drew an impressive 2.918 million viewers. This clear difference underscores LIV Golf’s struggle to engage the average golf fan, despite its claims of being the future of the sport. Furthermore, the PGA Tour has maintained strong confidence from sponsors, securing 14 sponsorship deals worth $400 million in the last quarter alone. This represents a 143% increase over 2024, bringing total sponsorship commitments to $4 billion over the next decade. With these financial and product advantages, the PGA Tour is well-equipped to shape the narrative and rules in the golf world.
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