Johannesburg — Money talks, and when it comes to elite professional golf the conversation is even louder when it’s about the Saudi Golf League (SGL).
On Wednesday it emerged that American sensation Bryson DeChambeau was offered $135 000 000 or just over R2billion to be the ambassador for the SGL.
For comparison, Tiger Woods made $60m in endorsements in 2020. Another interesting amount is the $460 000 Woods collected with his first Major victory at The Masters in 1997, when golf experienced a major popularity and money boom. It also shows how much money has been injected into the game.
It therefore seems that the SGL has some huge sway with its access to incredible finances, which it aims to use to fund this new breakaway golf tour. The SGL will not form part of either the US PGA Tour or DP World Tour (formerly European Tour).
DeChambeau at 28-years-old has not even entered his peak golf years, and has already won a Major when he claimed victory at the 2020 US Open. Before that victory, DeChambeau dramatically transformed his body type during the Covid-19 enforced break of top-level golf competition. He returned to the fairways 18 kilograms heavier and with radically increased driving distance which now routinely sees him drive it 40 metres past his competitors.
For all these reasons, and a fiery temper and controversial opinions, DeChambeau makes for the perfect poster boy for a new tour.
Fellow American PGA Tour campaigner Jason Kokrak, who is more a regular tour campaigner than DeChambeau, said on the 5 clubs podcast to host Gary Williams:
“Competition is good. The Saudi Golf League or the Premier Golf League or whatever you want to call it has gained traction and created competition for the PGA Tour, which has in-turn increased the purses.”
The SGL, in its current state, is set to be a 10-event international series on the Asian Tour. The frontman for the tour is Australian former world number one Greg Norman, and said the SGL is just the beginning.
On Thursday, The Saudi International began at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. Last year the tournament was part of the DP World Tour, and this year’s event forms part of the Asian Tour. However, this week’s event has an increased prize money purse of $5m, up from $3.5m last year. It’s also lured international stars like DeChambeau, Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. It also saw Spain’s Sergio Garcia, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson sign up.
The powerful US PGA Tour does not like some of its biggest stars being lured away, and initially threatened players with suspensions and bans if they were to take part - but those fell flat as there was no legal basis for such action. Instead, the PGA Tour has been forced to agree to a conditional release of some of its top players.
The players who have committed to the SGL have also signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and therefore can’t talk about the specifics of their contracts. Top English veteran golfers Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have signed up, but that’s about all that is known because of the NDAs.
A total of eight South Africans are in the field this week at the Saudi International with James du Preez, Jbe’ Kruger, JC Ritchie, Justin Harding, Jaco Ahlers, Neil Schietekat, Mathiam Keyser and Jovan Rebula all playing. Harding, interestingly, is the top-ranked SA player in the field at 102nd in the world and comes off a fourth place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic last week. There he banked R4.5m for his efforts, and Harding seems to have easily made the switch this week.
Ultimately, these golfers are professionals and for players like Harding the decision would be easy to follow the money.
In any occupation, you would expect a professional to want to earn as much money as possible and that’s the case for most golfers set to play in the SGL. Obviously for one of the most popular golfers on the planet like DeChambeau - the amounts he is being offered are obscene. But even DeChambeau would like to capitalise on his peak earning years, and if he can build his empire faster, why not? It’s great work, if you can get it.