Eamon Lynch on Phil Mickelson’s decision to skip the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the controversial Saudi International.
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The issues that PGA Tour players are likely to take a stand on pretty much end at slow play and high taxes.
When it comes to things like beheading, genocide and human rights abuses, the response is utterly predictable: we just want to play golf.
In the latest installment of Eamon’s Corner, Eamon Lynch unpacks on Phil Mickelson’s decision to skip the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the controversial Saudi International, a tournament that is little more than a public relations fig leaf for the government.
Watch the video at the top of the page to see the latest edition of Eamon’s Corner.
Eamon Lynch discusses Phil Mickelson, along with other notable golfers, electing to play in the Saudi International on the European Tour instead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open next month.
Eamon Lynch discusses Phil Mickelson, along with other notable golfers, electing to play in the Saudi International on the European Tour instead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open next month.
Officials of the Waste Management Phoenix Open took the high road when asked about Phil Mickelson skipping their event to play in Saudi.
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Officials of the Waste Management Phoenix Open took the high road Tuesday when asked about Phil Mickelson’s decision to skip their upcoming tournament in order to play in the Saudi International.
Phil’s been a “great ambassador for us,” they said during a news conference to promote the 2020 tournament. Phil’s been a “very, very special part of our tournament for 30 years,” they said.
Both are true. Mickelson owes the Phoenix Open nothing. He’s played in it 30 times and holds or shares a part of 15 tournament scoring records.
“It’s hard to hold a guy down, or at fault, for making a decision like that,” said tournament director Tim Woods.
No, it’s really not, because this isn’t only about Mickelson deciding to skip the Phoenix Open for just the second time since 1989.
A daily sight at the Waste Management Phoenix Open: Phil Mickelson slapping hands with fans after another big round. (Michael Chow/Azcentral sports)
It’s about choosing to play in the Saudi International instead. An “invitation” to play in that tournament includes a hefty appearance fee. And all an athlete has to do for that fee is play a little golf and valet park his conscience.
The Saudis have a dubious human rights record, to say the least, but enough money to get people to look the other way.
The Saudi International debuted a year ago, just a few months after Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who worked for the Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey,
Khashoggi entered the consulate and never left. His body reportedly was dismembered with bone saws and possibly disposed of with acid.
There’s little doubt in the intelligence community that it was premeditated murder by the Saudi Government and the regime of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The royal family has denied those allegations.
But, hey, on to golf!
Last year, the Saudi Invitational featured several of the best American players, including Dustin Johnson (who won it), Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau.
Back then, they didn’t want to touch the touchy subject of the Saudis possibly killing and dismembering a journalist who lived in the United States.
“I’m not a politician, I’m a pro golfer,” Rose said, according to Golfweek.
“I’m not going to get into it,” said Koepka.
“It’s my job to play golf,” said Johnson.
Professional athletes, especially ones in individual sports, have a long history of being enticed by money. Come to think of it, that’s probably true of most of us.
And, granted, boycotting countries because of how they treat dissenting voices can be difficult. Truth often is elusive, and a standard can be difficult to set. If you don’t compete in Saudi Arabia, does that mean you also don’t go to China?
But judging by the growth of the Saudi International, more golfers are deciding that the easiest path is to have no standard at all.
Phil Mickelson hits from the tee box on the 16th hole during first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
This year’s field will be even stronger. In addition to Mickelson, Tony Finau, who regularly plays in the Phoenix Open, told the Saudi Gazette he is playing there.
“I’ve always believed that to be considered a world-class player, you must compete in premier tournaments around the world,” Finau said.
That’s silly, of course, since winning a major will pretty much cement a player’s status as “world class.”
Mickelson’s comments to the Saudi Times were equally inane.
“I have enjoyed my previous visits to the Middle East and am looking forward to playing in a new country and doing my bit to grow the game in the Kingdom.”
How benevolent of him. I’d have more respect for Mickelson if he said something like this:
“Look, I turn 50 next year. My biggest pay days are behind me, so I wasn’t about to turn down the appearance fee I’m getting for from the Saudis.”
Mickelson’s decision has earned him a considerable criticism for the obvious money grab, and he responded on Twitter.
After turning down opportunities to go to the Middle East for many years, I’m excited to go play and see a place in the world I’ve never been. I understand those who are upset or disappointed. You’ll be ok. I’m excited to experience this for the first time.
Tiger Woods twice turned down appearance fees of around $3 million to play in the Saudi International, according to an ESPN report.
Tiger Woods twice turned down appearance fees of around $3 million to play in the Saudi International, according to an ESPN report.
Woods told ESPN’s Bob Harig that he was offered the exorbitant amount each of the last two years but declined the invitation.
“I just don’t want to go over there,” Woods told ESPN. “It’s a long way.”
Woods’ disclosure follows the news that Phil Mickelson will play in the European Tour’s Saudi event in late January, skipping the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Mickelson was criticized by some for accepting the invitation from Saudi officials. Last year several PGA Tour players faced backlash for committing to play the Saudi International in the wake of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Monday night Mickelson responded on Twitter to the critics. “After turning down opportunities to go to the Middle East for many years, I’m excited to go play and see a place in the world I’ve never been. I understand those who are upset or disappointed. You’ll be ok. I’m excited to experience this for the first time.”
While Woods won’t be making the trip to Saudi Arabia, he defended Mickelson’s decision to play.
“I understand the politics behind it,” Woods said Tuesday. “But also the game of golf can help heal a lot of that, too. It can help grow it. And also a lot of top players are going to be playing there that particular week.
“It’s traditionally not a golf hotbed, the Middle East. But it has grown quite a bit. I remember going to Dubai for my very first time and seeing maybe two or three buildings in the skyline. Now there is a New York City skyline. Again, golf has grown. There were only a few courses when I went to Dubai and now they’re everywhere. Same with Abu Dhabi, and maybe eventually in Saudi Arabia.”
Dustin Johnson won the inaugural Saudi event and will return to defend his title.
The Saudi International runs up against the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and Phil Mickelson is the latest star to choose Saudi in 2020.
As the field deepens for the European Tour’s Saudi International, to be played for just the second time this January, it could be to the detriment of a staple event on the PGA Tour calendar. The Saudi tournament runs up against the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale on Super Bowl weekend.
Phil Mickelson has been a familiar face at TPC Scottsdale, a venue known for its raucous crowds and the stadium atmosphere around the par-3 16th hole, and arguably one of the most popular players to repeatedly play the event. Mickelson, 49, has announced that he will play in Saudi instead in 2020, according to a Monday news story in the Saudi Gazette.
Already, Saudi International organizers have reportedly secured commitments from defending champion Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry and Sergio Garcia (which is another story entirely). With Monday’s announcement, add not just Mickelson but also Tony Finau to that list.
In the run-up to last year’s inaugural Saudi event, players drew criticism for committing to play — and receiving appearance fees for it — in the wake of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
“I am really looking forward to playing in Saudi Arabia in January,” Mickelson told the Saudi Gazette. “I watched Dustin win the title last year and thought the course looked like an interesting challenge. Having so many talented players on show also made it look like a much more established tournament than one in its inaugural year. I have enjoyed my previous visits to the Middle East and am looking forward to playing in a new country and doing my bit to grow the game in the Kingdom.”
Phil Mickelson tees off on the 17th hole during first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 31, 2019. Photo by USA TODAY Network
Mickelson’s decision is at least a little bit surprising, considering that he is the face of the event. He missed the cut in his debut in 1989 but the 44-time winner on the PGA Tour has played every year since, except 1990, and has virtually rewritten its record book: He now holds or shares 15 tournament scoring records.
In 30 appearances, he has a record-tying three wins, 11 top-10 finishes and a record $4,198,677 in earnings, which is the most he has won at any event in the world. He has shot two rounds of 60, including one with a lip-out putt on the final hole that would have given him a 59, and has recorded 479 birdies or eagles.
Mickelson was a three-time NCAA champion at Arizona State, located about 18 miles south of TPC Scottsdale.
Mickelson’s career includes 10 European Tour victories, though never one in the Middle East. Finau, 30, has never played in the region and has also never won a European Tour event.
“I’ve always believed that to be considered a world-class player, you must compete in premier tournaments around the world,” Finau told the Saudi Gazette. “Playing in Saudi Arabia for the first time will be a great experience, and I’m looking forward to competing against what is already an exceptionally strong field, on what I have learned is a great golf course.”
The Saudi International will be played at Royal Green Golf and Country Club from Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Sergio Garcia will get a chance to redeem himself for bad behavior next year when he returns to the Saudi International.
Sergio Garcia will get a chance to redeem himself for bad behavior next year when he returns to the Saudi International. Garcia’s last appearance in the European Tour event in Saudi Arabia ended in disqualification after he willfully damaged greens and slashed around in a bunker during the tournament.
When Garcia played the inaugural Saudi International in February 2019, he received an appearance fee reportedly in the neighborhood of $650,000. The Telegraph reported that he was not asked to return any of it despite the disqualification, which came at the end of the third round when other players complained about the damage he had caused to putting surfaces.
Here’s the catch, though: His next appearance does not come with any fee.
“It is understood this was one of the conditions placed on the 2017 Masters champion by the European Tour as it spared him a suspension,” according to the Telegraph report.
The tournament will once again overlap the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2020. Dustin Johnson won the inaugural event and will return to defend.
ESPN also reported that in addition to Garcia adding his name to the 2020 field, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka will also play.
Garcia played 16 events on the European Tour in the 2019 season and won once, at the KLM Open.
His most recent headlines have been positive. Garcia and his wife Angela announced earlier this month that they are expecting their second child, a boy.
