Normally, the world inhabited by professional golfers would not enter the concerns of mere mortals. From the outside, it seems idyllic; Travel, exercise, competition, excellence, the feeling of representing yourself in the best light, and your country or continent whenever the need arises. No matter what side of the fence you are on with this, we are not trying to create sympathy for those who live such an elite life. And good luck to them, they work hard and deserve whatever success they have.
I opine on the matter this week not because of the golf, but because of the deeper consequences, that golf presents us with as the week ends.
For those of you unfamiliar with the LIV/PGA saga, over the past few years, there has been a divide in golf, with many top players lured away from the traditional PGA to join the LIV tour, bankrolled by what is effectively the controversial Saudi Arabian state. For many average golfers, the lure was too much. For some other exceptional golfers, the lure was also too much, and it created a rift with those who remained on the PGA side, content that history at least would judge that they had done the right thing; that they had refused to sell their principles.
One of the most vocal of these was our own Rory McIlroy. Now, Rory is not short of a bob or two, and he turned down gigantic sums to jump ship, but he stayed put, and was content to be not just an innocent bystander, but a poster boy for those who felt certain principles were not for sale.
There is no doubt too that this role has taken its toll on him, as all brave stances do. This has impacted on his performances on the course, as he never veered away from an opportunity to espouse what he saw was the ethical stance.
In the meantime, the battle for golf’s soul raged across fairways and in courtrooms, between Middle East and west, oil money and established tradition. But on Tuesday the sport’s bitter civil war came to an abrupt and surprising end as the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed rival LIV golf agreed to merge in a deal that was immediately condemned as a gigantic victory for sportswashing, that practice of covering up misdeeds with the positive affirmation of joyous sport..
There have been accusations of hypocrisy, of the PGA placing the hand in the greasy till, of ‘eventually caving in to the loot on offer. Understandably McIlroy is outraged by the capitulation...and this is where I feel the saga can leave an unfortunate legacy for us all.
The world is in a dangerous place right now. There is a need for us all to be more vocal and courageous when it comes to standing up for the vulnerable, for voicing opinions that might not be popular, but which align with our own moral beliefs.
McIlroy stood by his principles and is rightly aggrieved to have been shafted by his own side. But he is fortunate in that he has the support and the resources to withstand the consequences. In all of our communities every day, there are people who are not as well protected, who are standing up for others; for saying and doing the right thing.
One would hope that this bad week for the good guys does not deter us from being brave, outspoken and caring, as never before have we needed so much empathy.
