- as much as and again I think we have to talk about this yeah there's been players that have spoke about it yeah some publicly. And some of just you know either brushed it at the moment yes some seem very interested yeah I think it'd be wrong to not talk about the world number one role like a ride you just two days ago has said it's not. For him yeah can you discuss yes I start. So I found it fascinating and he really made me think because I'm no different from anybody else Rory speaks. And lots of golf fans tend to listen and that's because of who he is he is exceptional he's exceptional on the course he's compelling you know when you see him going on a run you can't take your eyes off it. But he's also exceptional as an individual so as I say I'd listened and thought okay that's very interesting it was interesting probably from a couple of points I talked about being on the right side of history. And I thought to myself yeah we we all want to be on there we all want to be on the right side of history. And that's what we spent the last six years hoping that we might become he talked about Arnold Palmer and his participation in the conversation back in 94 where Greg was proposing a world tour. And the thing that first struck me then.
Was I was thinking wow actually you know I have a completely different view of on the Palmer's history because when I think of Arnold Palmer the king I think well he's one of the guys who created one of the most fundamental schisms in golf back in 68 know him coming together with other greats including Jack Nicklaus that led to the formation of the PGA Tour which was a breakaway. So that was the top 200 players breaking away from 27,000 other professional golfers because all professional golf in the States was controlled by the PGA of America up until that point. So he actually took it upon himself with a group of guys to say I'm make this better so that was Arnold Palmer to me then.
If you read Dean Beeman's book which is a very interesting read he. And Jack were part of a group that nearly broke away from the PGA Tour back in 84. So he he was active he wasn't only one of the best players the game was ever seen. But he was active in forcing the game to move on. And then.
By 94 you know I just listened to what Gregg had said. But Arnold was apparently in the room. And when he realized what the conversation was about. And where it was going he said you know what completely understand it if you guys when I had this conversation. But I'm gonna step out now that time he was 65 years old he'd done it once. And he nearly done it twice and at the same time he was talking about this creation of the golf channel which was the next.
I should imagine chapter in his life. So that was my view everyone has a different view on history. And we will all be judged this could be forgotten about in a few weeks time. Or it could and this is the reason we're doing this in 30 years time we look back upon as the change that was good. For the game and made it stronger now the second point which I have spent a lot of time thinking about was the autonomy issue he didn't mentioned that quite a lot yeah. And you know what I'm not surprised because it is it is prized amongst all professional golfers the ability to decide what you're going to do when you want to do it. But that is the fundamental. And you go back six years ago to why we started to do this as a fan no I I want to know where we're always going to play. And if I'm gonna chain in every week I'd love to watch already play and you know what right now if he was playing within the professional golf league. And I had anything to do with it I'd be getting out alongside Brits koepka every every weekend because that's what I want to see as a fan I'd like to see those two guys go head-to-head. And there isn't another sport that is has a global status allows its best talent not to compete yeah often that's a good point from somebody you know I am obviously a golf fan hmm. And I've got to the point now where I don't watch that much golf truth be told by the mages the radical band in the old event here or there depending on who's doing well and what not I will put golf on sometimes on a Thursday on a Friday. And I kind of don't know who to expect to see sometimes the big big guys are there sometimes they're not. And it does confuse me a little bit more say as a fan. And if I'm honest I do want to watch the best players you know if I am going to have a choice I want to watch the best players competing against each other all the time. And I think that's got back to your point that's why we watch the major championships while I watch the open the Masters the Ryder Cup because we want to see the best players like we've seen other sports like we've seen f1. And tennis and and football soccer we see the best players getting up against each other majority at the time does. And this is I think it's a very important question. So ask does this continue if Rory doesn't get involved well as I say it's the decision of a much larger collective I was probably a little confused at the end of listening to what Rory had to say because the first thing that came through to me with the headlines he's out death now etc obviously that's not the way I feel because I'm saying here talking to you um you know the Mark Twain quote the rumors of the ptl's death have greatly exaggerated this isn't about an individual I did wasn't entirely sure what I'm out meant. But all I would say is that this is a conversation now I've barely spoken to Rory over the last six years I haven't had the opportunity to have the discussion about the things that mattered to him I have with others this is a this is a conversation that is is big is intensifying now. But it's a conversation that we are the catalyst. For we didn't want to be out in the public domain we wanted to have it discreetly and if at the point in time I we said to the players do you want to do this they'd said no you'd have never heard about it this is now playing out on a public stage it's not a it's not as a result of anything we've done the story was broken by somebody else now that that debate is happening do you know what I feel actually this prevent presents an opportunity. For that conversation there should be others in it there should be fans involved in it there should be sponsors there should be broadcasters there should be other bodies in the sport because this is meant to be the creation of the top of the pyramid.
