World Golf's professional tours.

 Sunday, 10.12.2023.

USPGA just lost a star player, who jumped to Saudi LIV tour.  Spanish WGR no.3 Jon Rahm is the latest big, world-class golfer personality to accept the untold multi-millions to jump ship. 

That's what it is. The money.

Nothing wrong with that. Pro golf is about money. If you can make more of it somewhere else, you'd be stupid not to move there.

USPGA is not the only tour before LIV tour burst on the scene. In USA itself, in Europe, in Africa, in Asia and South America, and within these continents themselves exist different tours. The pros often make their ways through these to finally get admitted into USPGA. Because of the money. There were no objection, resentment, or opposition then. LIV is another such tour. Why the resentment ? To carry the logical argument - the more the merrier.

I suggest the real reason is, again, money.

Previously, none of the other tours (and I mean "nil") had  money large enough to rival USPGA.  Saudi Arabia is a different story. USPGA is intelligent enough to know the big difference now.

The big sponsors are going to be the real losers, if LIV steals the world golf thunder. That's the crux of the matter. They will have to sort out their strategy in stopping the dollar-spillage. But let me assure you, in the end they will find the way. That's why they are big now.

I've played and followed golf for 37 years now. At 79, I still carry an official handicap of 17. Ask any golfer if that's not remarkable. I've followed Tiger Woods since he won his 3rd consecutive US Amateur title in 1995. So let me say, let there be more tours. It'll good for the game.

Malaysia built its first golf course in Taiping in 1885, one year before USA built its first one. (Of course, Taiping is closed now.) Where are the Malaysian pros now ? We can't even make a name in South East Asia, much less the rest of the world.

Vijay Singh made his way to USPGA, even getting to WGR # 1, through the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour. He could have been the first Malaysian World No. 1 Golfer, if our government had been sport-savvy. Vijay was a pro in JB and Sabah, and after marrying a Malay, asked to become a citizen, and was rejected ! 

Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and now Thailand produced world class winners in both men and women golf. This is 1 game where size does not matter. But unlike the others, Malaysia just doesn't have the talent pool, and the management to run the local circuit to produce this talent pool. Take it from me (2 holes-in-one and 1 eagle - check the records). Our managers (political or whatever) are just not into serious sport. Nobody has made them realise that there's fame and fortune in sports. We have 30 million people vs 7 in New Zealand, which has World Champions in many sports. Even land-strapped Singapore runs a world FI circuit on its city streets, aware of the benefits. What do we do? Close an already well-utilised F1Sepang!

Let the world golf tours compete for players AND spectators. Let the sponsors work for their money. We should see an improved display.

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