Emergency I can't even say it with a straight face no we are not first this is not breaking news however. we thought we'd jump on talk about the biggest story in World Golf that broke this week while we're in Scotland. So we're on Route and you can see if you're watching the video look at this backdrop it's insane you know what part of me quite likes the fact we were here this week when this news broke explain. And the News by the way is PJ tour VP World Tour live. Or pif merging what you know I quite like being here this week for that so we're at North Berwick currently right now we're doing loads of golf courses nearby yes. And yesterday we went to Muirfield we're actually playing Muirfield today.
You'll see that video coming out soon. And as as we were with Robin the ex captain at Muirfield yesterday which is an amazing place. And he was telling us a story about going all the way back to 1457 yeah when golf was banned in Scotland because they wanted more gentlemen to be doing archery yeah let's Golf more archery we've. And it feels this is this is the home of golf where we are right now you know musselburgh gullin your feelings ferric Leaf Saint Andrews up the road this is where it began yep. And think about now old Tom Morris. And all of the original OG crew what would they think of the modern game of golf right now date that it's in that's why I feel like being here I feel more like grounded. And connected to the Traditions yeah. And I'm thinking this week with all this news all this money and all this palava what's happened yeah buy this trick this is a nice therapy session Come on talk to me I feel this week to some degree I actually feel quite relieved okay the part of me is when that news broke. So I was filming a video uh yeah I know you weren't up on that day at Golem with Iona Stephen um my watch started going crazy getting all these messages. And thinking what has gone on and I look at my phone and it's like oh my God have you seen the news if he's thinking what what like literally I thought something huge had happened you know as in like you know when you hear that you you remember where we remember where we were when the queen died yeah I remember where I was when 9 11 took place yeah I feel like I'm gonna remember the time when I heard about this merger kicking off I would say it's the biggest golf news of my lifetime. And yeah. And I and I couldn't believe it at first because I was like what like genuinely checking the dates. And going is this April 1st because nobody saw it coming no nobody knew about it it came out of absolutely nowhere there's been. So many digs from both sides certainly players from Liv and PJ tour and this another and and to see the head of pif and Jay Monahan sat there on TV laughing and joking and smiling it's like this isn't real life yeah why. And even after having 48 hours now to kind of observe observe it all that first night I was up on my phone to like 1 30 in the morning just trying to scroll. And watch and read and his thumb looks shredded by the way it's been working out like looking at it all and going what does this all mean because it's all well. And good and I don't think anyone really knows there's at the moment there's a definitely a lot of unanswered questions. And we will do in our podcast the best we can today.
To speculate. And ruminate and discuss what we think may. Or may not happen but like you said I think overridingly a lot of people feel relieved shocked at first I must admit. And now somewhat relieved that regardless of your thoughts about live if you love live or you hate live and where the money comes from Etc one thing you cannot deny is it's a shame that there's only now four times a year that the best players play in the best tournaments yeah because we want to see you know uh Brooks kepka going against John RAM on a more weekly basis. And Rory getting involved and Cameron Smith Etc so that's that's been the worst thing for me about Liv that it's taken that divide going forward now obviously pif uh plowing a lot of money into the DP World Tour in the PGA tour like what does that mean I've heard a lot. And read a lot and listened to a lot this last couple of days some people are saying that live will be gone now. And that pif used live almost like a trojan horse to get into the golf world to break it down a bit to cause some controversy to shake it up to get people really worried get PJ tall worried get some big big players tempt more big players and now they've got their seats at the table of the PJ tour and they can go on. And grow the game of golf as they call it people the people say sports washing there's a lot to discuss yeah I mean this golf isn't the only sport right now correct Saudi Arabia really invest in heavily into sport we've seen it with football. Or soccer from the USA you know they're signing huge players like Ronaldo Benzema there was rumors at Mexico. And he's now signed for into Miami you know there's a huge growth there in the world of sport in football they're obviously huge investors in the F1 into golf into other other sports as well that probably a lot of us don't even know about like you know they're investors in Disney and Netflix and Uber and all of these things like so many um companies businesses we live our life and there is live our life nice [Laughter] you know Saudi Investment everywhere it's come heavily into golf. And and it's you know my my biggest fear with all of this has been and I don't actually think this is going to get any better I really really worry. And again this is why I've been here this week being a you know the traditional venues being at where golf started as just a stick of whacking a rock. And kind of going along. But this port is going to get. So money orientated and I understand sport is money orientated I get that. But I don't want I just I hate this idea that our sport is going to look greedy I agree. And these big players are only going to play now if they've if they're guaranteed 10 million to turn up you know. And that that kind of concerns me because you see that in football where footballers don't really care about the team they're playing with they don't sometimes really care about trophies how much dough they're going to be making every single week I'm just a bit worried that that's kind of going to move into golf a little bit too much as much I understand where you're coming from. And I think because you know you are someone that's played golf. For a majority of your life similar to me it's the same as me and and we almost feel like we are part of golf. And golf is part of us it's our sport. So I understand that when we hear about all these millions of dollars and it it feels quite like wrong doesn't it really but on the flip side I would count with that bye the fact that people are plowing money into golf shows as interest in golf. And that golf is growing. And becoming more mainstream and that the reason that there's so much money in soccer football is because it's the biggest sport on the planet. But the fact that the Saudis want to invest all this money into Golf shows as a market for it it's becoming more cool we're seeing so many more celebrities playing the game of golf that even if the professionals start to want to just play for money that is sad that's a shame. But it must mean the sports getting bigger. And and I want people listening and watching not to confuse the fact that I genuinely believe these players should be making hundreds and hundreds Millions like it's almost that element of it I don't begrudge or I think they deserve it what they do. And how brilliant they are it's just that I don't want it to be advertised as heavily as it is you know I feel like you know I'd rather it be advertised this idea. And I don't know we live in a world where this is never going to happen. But it's advertisers yes they're going to invest in it to open up the game to grow the game to invest in new facilities golf courses to invest in the future of golf they're not the headlines we read the headline we read is oh I can't believe Rory turned down 600 million to play we live. And can't believe but I bet cam Smith now with 200 million in his back pockets loving life it's like oh no what like that's the bit I don't blame the players. For having hundreds and hundreds of millions because it makes sense and tiger being one of the first sports billionaires yes totally get it. But let's not make that about what what golf is only thing about I know I get yeah. And I think you're right. And it is something that we don't want to see too much. But for me as a fan and I hear that noise see that noise of um you know how much money they're getting but at the same time nothing for me when I'm watching as a fan I don't care how much they're getting paid I honestly who wins that game jacket who lifts up that clarity you know next.
Year I don't even know how much sorry this year the Open Championship a couple million dollars I don't don't even know I don't care but that's what I'm saying yeah that's I don't mind if that check at the end of the day is 10 million yeah I don't hear it as much. But I want it to be celebrated wow how amazing was the golf how amazing was the venue how amazing the the story that he's won a major. Or you know whatever it may be rather than just a tagline another golf that wins 10 million dollars it's like oh no let's not have that I think with this announcement then.
It'll go one way. Or the other I think the reason there was. So much talk of money was firstly because Liv broke onto the scene. And were plowing insane amounts of capital into the game to try. And get the best players and put these amazing prize funds ridiculous price funds the PGA then.
Fought back with the elevated events and put loads more money into it to try and keep their players happy now whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen there's gonna be a hell of a lot of money invested into it obviously. But will that be as much of a narrative I'm not sure because it doesn't need to be now does it all back to watching the best players playing against the best players the product of golf has got better yes recently watching it. So like like say the PJ tour has got more exciting and it's becoming a better event it's becoming a better um or was. Or what it I don't even know what it's going to become anymore it was starting to become a more uh you know invested um I'm trying to work out I enjoyed watching it a little bit more than I'd normally would you think that is because of how dominant Scotty RAM. And kind of Rory out of course realities yeah of course. And Netflix have helped drive that as well always the personalities more than anything else and that's why I don't blame any of these personalities making the dough they deserve because they do change the rankings don't they make people interested in watching our Sport. And if that means another few hundred people a few thousand people are playing golf because of these individuals brilliant. But that's all good um I think what again the majors have become brilliant because we've seen the best players in the world compete. But it was always going to be a future where that was going to diminish right now we're getting a lot of the Live players playing in Majors. But that might not can continue because unless you've won a open. Or unless you've won a masters you're gonna now start to find it very difficult to qualify what I'm very interested to figure out this year does this affect positively. Or negatively the Ryder Cup this year so apparently what I have heard this year is that live will carry on as normal apparently in the PJ tall Karen's normal with regards to the Ryder Cup um Keith Pelley has come out. And said you have to be to be a member of the European radical it's pretty simple you have to be European obviously. And you have to have um a DP World Tour membership so Sergio only Westwood gave up the membership I believe they are currently not eligible because they're not members even with this new merger yeah we spoke about that a couple weeks correct they have to become members again now what that looks like I don't know where there's going to be fines. For rejoining I don't know what we do know right now is that the pif have come together obviously with the PGA tour with the DP World Tour. And there is going to be a new company formed uh that Jay Monahan currently is going to be the CEO of I say currently because once his podcast goes out who knows what's going to happen. But he's currently going to see all of this new company is a for-profit company. So the PGA Tour whatever this new name let's call it PJ tour 2 Just For Now whatever that becomes whatever that looks like we don't know what then.
Happens the DP World Tour we don't know and the more and more I'm hearing rumors and reading online it's looking like Liv may just vanish that live golf as we now know what the team element the whole um the crushes the cliques Etc that will just go be gone which is insane to think there was also lots of talk. And rumors which I I find hard to believe that Greg Norman didn't even know about this until it actually launched who's currently the CEO of live the front man we don't confuse that doesn't mean he owns it. Or anything he's just he's paid handsomely to be the front man of a bit of a spokesperson apparently he didn't even know up until maybe just minutes before Rory did come out yesterday. And said he did actually find out early the day it got announced um he thinks that the Rory interview. And I've still not seeing it every single minute of it yeah I don't know if you have nothing yeah a lot of Snippets I feel like he's really like in this weird place at the moment I think he's going to a lot of the players. And and this these are all the things that start to come out the players who were um um what's the right word loyal to the PJ tour they've got to think now to themselves was that the right decision. And you've got to think John Ram Scottish Scheffler Rory Hideki Matsuyama all these Wills are the Taurus all these guys that got offered huge amounts of money are they kicking themselves now. Or with this new merger are they going to be rewarded handsomely I feel like it's going to be the last I think you're right I think you'd be pretty naive to think that like um Brooks would get 800 million. Or whatever it was. Or 200 million and Bryce and will they'll keep all that they'll go back to PJ tour. And they'll have the cake and eat it and Rory's crying into his cereal that isn't going to be the case I don't know how it will look obviously we don't know whether the PJ told even know right now. But you're right the guys that were loyal will be very very well looked after I imagine. And also I mean you could argue both ways. But from from a winners or losers standpoint how good will Rory. And RAM look forever now they're the good guys that stayed on the PJ tour and stayed loyal you know that will earn them some fans the guys that did jump ship that come back maybe with the tail between the legs might have a few quid in the bank great. But will they come back with some level of tarnish Legacy on the people just not occur it's. So hard to say right now um but who is the winners. And losers in this are we as the gull fans the winners in the end my initial gut feeling is moving forward I do think golf fans are going to be the winners in this moving forward that's my gut feeling hopefully I'm writing that because what do the fans want they want the best golf in the world playing against each other yeah that's what they want don't they that's been the biggest gripe with all of this yep like you mentioned before there's been a divide it's been a separation. So if we see a better golf product with the best players in the world playing against each other more and the game of golf the what the game we love cherish live our lives in improves and continues to grow and new golf courses get built and more people turn into golfers because of this well then.
That is huge success all right let me follow on from that then..
So in front of us there's a table we've randomly got a camera on there and a little vars because the table looked a bit weird with nothing on it okay Matt did a great job of that by the way we're fine believe it. Or not wrapped in Matt's bedroom which won't be the first time definitely is the first time it's a nice bedroom it's big. So anyway there's tail in front of us okay that table has got on it now live golf I've been chucked in there okay DP World Tour PJ tour. And tens of billions of dollars okay. And Keith and Jay Monahan has been sacked of the new CEO of this new tour this new company okay just happened now let's just say you're brought in how do you from your own personal standpoint how do you what happens now with this on the table my head would explode yeah we'll get rid of because that is that getting deleted no wow okay. So keeping live in some capacity yes we're keeping PJ tour obviously I personally I would do a couple of things all right I like this role play in Mouse bedroom this is this is what I would like to see as a golf fan okay I would like to see a very clear start. And finish to a season I agree I don't particularly like wraparound Seasons where there feels like there's no start of business let's go January to September yeah. Or even like March to October that's okay fragments. So we're going. For a season that's stamped yeah I mean it might be too big a gap. But give chance to September give the players three or four months off yeah where they can develop. And grow and want to say grow like whether they want to get in the gym more whether they want to develop the game when everyone's going to spend time with family like allow the golf fans to miss their favorite players let them spend the hundreds of millions of dollars yeah let them let them live their life yeah. And listen not for one minute thinking they don't live the life but give them those three months off that's really important okay I'm with you on that one. And I think. For the fans we'll miss them and can't wait to come back yeah. And in that window you have that's where all your transfers take place so this is where you're having to live then.
Well no this is where kit sponsorship might change this is where apparel sponsorship might change it all has to sit in that window oh. So a player individual's perspective yeah. So Tiger goes from TaylorMade to Titleist yeah it has to happen in that window okay. And I also like this idea that that's where players get relegated from the PJ tour okay. Or any tour and promoted yeah. So you have a set amount of people who are members of the PJ tour. And I would probably give that number 120. you feel like a premier league not quite you'd have 120 players that are in the PGA Tour okay. And you could have then.
A lower down tour corn fairy or whatever it may be and again that has 120 players and there is a relegation from the PJ tour. And there is a promotion from the con Ferry okay 12 players get relegated from the PGA Tour every year 12 players come up if you are not if you are in that bottom 12 you are being relegated okay I would then.
Have less events throughout the season okay. But I would have all 120 players committed to those events wow so let's say for example it's I'm trying to work I wouldn't know how to work out the mass just 20 events okay that's right that might be too many yeah our fragments say you've got 20 events. And in those 20 events pop past winners and qualifying through all the world ranking he's obviously still have the four majors yeah. But the four majors are actually a slightly smaller field potentially even half the field wow with a few like the open. And US Open where you can actually still qualify because I like the yeah the romance of that. And the dream of that um and where amateurs can come. And play in the Masters and stuff so so the majors don't actually change that much but I'd actually slightly reduce the field size okay they're like elevated in major tournaments okay I would then.
Still incorporate this kind of add-on team events okay when in whether it's straight the week straight after a major whether it's the where it doesn't really matter okay periodically through that season you have five. Or six team events and they are fun different formats all six might not be the same you might have one event which is a team event. And you might be a team of four I'd actually quite like that or you could even split the 120 players into teams of could have 12 teams and there's 10 players on each team yeah makes sense. And they go to these events and it might be one event it's it's match play one event it's scramble one event it's foursomes whatever it may be shotgun starts fun a bit like what 2020 did with Cricket it's fun it's energetic it's exciting it's all of these things that golf does need doesn't have to just be 24 72 holes of golf each time the other thing I'd quite like to do I've got if I've got the keys to the castle I'd also like to make the Friday night cut more interesting okay. So after two rounds of golf the weekend you've only got 60 players and actually quite like it the five above that 60 light so 55th Place the 65th Place actually have a a nighttime player so you lost me with this now where it's like energetic exciting and out of those 10 players only five Advance okay. But it's like it's something really different it's nearest the pin competitions it's longest drive competitions it's whatever to make sure you'd have that in your authentic PJ tour events yeah just a little bit of spice on a Friday night that sounds a bit wrong um yeah that's more how I'd cut I'd like. And then.
Also by the way this circuit would be like a traveling circus and in those in those periodic months between whatever it is February to October. Or whatever whatever that time frame is they travel the full world yeah no no corner of the world is excluded. So they have a American swing they have a European swing we we need golf to spread more they go out to Australia they go to Singapore they go to China they go to wherever it may be obviously Saudi would now have to be in yeah it will be you know the Middle East swing. So I feel allow that kind of time so it's almost taking elements of F1 it's taking elements of a bit of 2020 Cricket it's taking elements of what golf is traditionally blending into what it's taking a bit of elements of what football do quite well um yeah interesting stuff the top 10 players are squillionaires they can earn as much money as they want. But let's not make that the full story let's make it more about the the entertainment Factor yeah well that's that is what is very interesting right now that we literally have no idea you know next.
Year how this is gonna pan out. And what the future will hold. For the DP World Tour the PJ tour for live I do feel like I don't think live is it's done very well in a sense that it's got the Saudi government into golf now essentially. But it doesn't feel like it's really caught on that does it I feel like the first year. And the excitement of it feels like it's tailing off but the first year actually surprised everybody yeah in its level of of presence. And success and the players decide it was like whoa actually God this is really like groundbreaking into year two it's felt a little bit like uh okay well I've kind of seen that now what what they're gonna do unless they keep signing bigger name players yeah it's hard to kind of continue that growth I wonder obviously the overriding thing here let's be honest is money the money talks. And you know the the pif obviously come with a chat book and it's been a lot of zeros and they've now got a piece of the pie but I wonder if there's anything deeper than that and I'm just you know conspiracies here but like the fact that you know um kepka won through the week and you know he is a a live player you know that strengthens the feel this engine that makes them like a stronger Prospect I also heard rumors that John Ram was apparently close to signing whether that's just nonsense it might well be. But that would have always been a threat for the PJ tour that they know that the sound is basically unlimited amount of money that there was always a time they could come in. And get somebody else so now the working is once again the benefit. For us we're gonna see the best players week in week out hopefully but it's uncertain times I also think this lawsuit yeah it's gonna be a ball like. For everybody yeah costing tens of millions of dollars a year the losers in all of this are the lawyers yeah they made a few quid they would have done very well at the lawsuit they're good now it's finished that's what I mean yeah they've been like oh no no no guys come on keep fighting. So yeah. So interesting like so this isn't breaking news we joke we're a bit late to the party but um we've been here filming we've been doing other things so it's not always we can't if we were back at the studio we would have been the first people absolutely the first like I think we would have been before jaymon I think we would have probably announced it before him yeah I would have done um guys thanks. For listening watching this weekend I've got my cycle cycle 500 Andrews to Royal Liverpool if you want to donate thank you already we've managed to raise a thousand pounds already very nice not even really we only spoke about on the podcast so thank you so much for your podcast also for listeners and Watchers um a video we'll be going out should have gone out yesterday. Or today.
Depending on when this podcast goes out which tells you a bit more information stay tuned. For that um you're joining me day three I am indeed warm up your legs so today.
We're going over to Muirfield to have a nice little game of golf. And uh enjoy Bonnie Scotland golf though it was meant to be correct shooting 85. see you all guys have a good time peace.
