The game is afoot! Nail-biting finishes, secret deals, and rival golf leagues: These days are just packed

With all the intrigue and news surrounding the Saudi International— the biggest, richest, most-star studded event in the history of the Asian Tour—odds of the event living up to the hype were not promising. It didn’t help that there was a sense of fatigue with the incessant flurry of news reports about a parallel Saudi-sponsored rival golf league trying to wean away big-ticket players from the USPGA and DP World Tours. That’s why it must have been a relief for the executives at the Asian Tour—that was certainly the case with avid golf fans and hacks—when Matteo Manassero shot an unprecedented 8-under 62 to take the first round lead. 

For the benefit of those who may not remember, Manassero remains the youngest ever winner of the British Amateur (age 16) that he won in 2009. That was the year he finished just outside the Top-10 at the Open Championship, and was the top-ranked amateur in the world. Manassero’s run continued when turned pro: in 2010 he became the youngest player (22 years) to win on the erstwhile European Tour that promptly anointed him the Rookie of the Year. After multiple wins in the next four years, the kid-who-could-do-no-wrong broke into the Top -25 world rankings. You know how this story goes: it’s happened to too many young prodigies to recount. The gist is that the 28-year-old Italian fell off the grid and has been plying his trade on second-tier Challenge Tour. His resurgent performance made news not just because it could herald Manassero’s return to form, but because the Italian is one of the most likeable players to come out in recent years, and also because his strategic play presents a welcome foil to the modern power game. 

Even though the pandemic limited spectator and media presence at the event, it was clear that this was no ordinary Asian Tour stop. With a flotilla of stars including Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith, Matthew Wolff, Jhonattan Vegas, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele, Henrik Stenson and Harold Varner III in the mix, the Saudi International certainly made the grade as the new headliner event for the Asian Tour. Appropriately, Harold Varner III’s 92-foot winning putt on the 72nd hole makes it to golf’s all-time highlight reel. 

A word about the Saudi-funded rival golf tour: the top three ranked players in the world—Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, and Rory McIlroy—have made public endorsements of the USPGA Tour, reaffirming that they will not jump ship irrespective of the money on offer. It isn’t just about the money though: the new Tour will reportedly have only 14 full-field (no cut applied) events of which the majority will be held within the United States. Now players on the premier Tours have long been hankering for a less punishing playing schedule, (players get penalised for playing fewer than a stipulated number of events). That combined with the allure of a confirmed, and significant, payday, is a decidedly attractive proposition, especially for players like Mickelson, who’ve reached the last phase of their competitive playing careers. McIlRoy shared that sentiment at a press conference earlier this month. “Certainly for the younger guys it just seems a massive risk. I can maybe make sense of it for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their career. I don’t think that’s what a rival golf league is really going to want, is it? They don’t want some sort of league that’s like a pre-Champions Tour,” he remarked. It’s unlikely that the new Tour will rely on a pool of older players to shore up its popularity. Unverified reports have indicated that 17-20 big names have signed on the dotted line, in effect eschewing their playing rights on the USPGA and DP World Tours. All the players, who might just include De Chambeau and Adam Scott, have signed non-disclosure agreements. Much to the chagrin of the USPGA Tour, the big announcement from the new Tour is expected around the time the Player’s Championship comes around.

I’m looking forward to something on the LPGA Tour. Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam will tee it up at this year’s US Women’s Open, marking the comeback of the game’s legends to the biggest event in women’s golf. Sorenstam, a three-time US Open winner stepped away from the game 13 years ago to focus on family and business interests. Despite that long absence she still tops the LPGA Tour’s all-time money list. Sorenstam’s metronome-rhythm golf swing was a delight to watch, and this might well be the last time to see it in action at a Major Championship. Closer to home, sadly, there’s mixed news with the Hero Indian Open coming a cropper for the third year in a row. The DP World (European) Tour has announced the cancellation of the 2022 US$ 2 million Hero Indian Open that was originally scheduled for February, but was pushed to an indeterminate date on account of the pandemic. India’s National Open now stands officially cancelled for 2022.  All is not lost, however: the inaugural DGC Open will be held at the Delhi Golf Club next month. The $500,000 event will be the richest prize-money event (outside the joint-sanctioned events on the European Tour and Asian Tour) seen in over 25 years at the DGC. I don’t need to reiterate just how salivating a prospect it is to be part of the gallery at the Delhi Golf Club at an international event, and partaking of that club’s well-known brunch buffet. It’s been only three years, but it seems like another lifetime.

A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game