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sports Wednesday 21 september 2022
Player revolt helped Presidents Cup and now hurts it

By DOUG FERGUSON losing teams. He's not here,
AP Golf Writer either.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The PGA Tour's own tourna-
The great disruption in golf ment regulations say that
is doing no favors to the to be eligible for the Inter-
Presidents Cup, which al- national team, a player
ready struggles for an iden- must compete in at least
tity as a global competition 15 events that award world
owned and operated by ranking points during the
one tour. qualification period. Oost-
But look at it another way. huizen played in 18.
Without disruption, there It says nothing about being
probably wouldn't even be a PGA Tour member.
a Presidents Cup. But the PGA Tour consid-
The split caused by the ar- ers this an "approved" tour-
rival of Saudi-backed LIV nament, and it considers
Golf doesn't have a lot in Oosthuizen in violation of its
common with the PGA Tour regulations from when he
breaking away from the signed up for LIV Golf with-
PGA of America more than out a release.
50 years ago, except that "There's no rule that says
lawyers were involved and I need to be a PGA Tour
feelings were hurt in both. member to play the Presi-
The short version of the rift Adam Scott, of Australia, Tom Kim and Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, walk up the fifth fairway dur- dents Cup, especially as an
from the late 1960s was ing practice for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, Sept. 20, International team player,"
2022, in Charlotte, N.C.
tour professionals wanting Associated Press Oosthuizen told Golf.com.
more control — especially "I made my decision where
as corporate money and Imagine if Tiger Woods Ryder Cup and it became the exciting format of team I am playing golf. But I didn't
television began to arrive wrote something like that the money-making show- matches, with 12 of them do anything wrong while I
— instead of the PGA of today. case it is now, would the competing under a flag was a PGA Tour member."
America having veto pow- Both sides finally reached tour even have bothered dreamed up by someone This might have been a
er and catering to club an accord, leading to the inventing the Presidents in marketing. chance for the Presidents
pros. creation of the Tournament Cup? That much is clear by who's Cup to look more like a true
It became so contentious Players Division for tour Don't lose sight of the mon- not playing this week. competition between na-
that Jack Nicklaus wrote an players, and that eventu- ey, because golf revolved British Open champion tions instead of a match
op-ed piece in Sports Illus- ally became the PGA Tour. around it long before Greg Cameron Smith of Australia put together by the PGA
trated in September 1968 But there were properties Norman began offering was leading the Interna- Tour.
— Roger Staubach was on to divide. outrageous sums in signing tional standings a month Instead, the PGA Tour
the cover that week — rip- The tour players took the fees and prize money (Pat ago. Now he's No. 4 on the made it clear that it's us or
ping into Leo Fraser, the World Series of Golf, at the Perez has made $3.7 mil- LIV Golf money list after two them, whether it's the Fe-
PGA of America secretary, time a popular 36-hole lion in four events — his best events. He's not at Quail dEx Cup or the Presidents
and accusing him of mis- event for major champions year on the PGA Tour was Hollow because the PGA Cup. Commissioner Jay
leading the public. at Firestone Country Club in $2,962,641 over 31 tourna- Tour suspended him. Monahan said in a memo
"Fraser did spell my name Ohio. The PGA of America ments in 2018). Louis Oosthuizen of South to players in June after the
correctly — Jack Nicklaus. took the Ryder Cup, which The Presidents Cup is a Africa resigned his PGA first batch of defections
He even had my age right back then was so one-sid- huge corporate sell at Tour membership to join LIV that those players are "no
— 28," Nicklaus wrote. "The ed that it lost money and Quail Hollow. Golf. He was so good in this longer eligible to partici-
rest of his cutting state- struggled to sell tickets in But it's really just another competition that he com- pate in PGA Tour tourna-
ment, though, was a per- the U.S. week of seeing the best piled a winning record (9- ment play, including the
sonal assault." If the players had taken the players outside Europe in 6-4) despite playing on four Presidents Cup."q

P.K. Subban announces retirement

after 13 NHL seasons

The Associated Press ular-season games. The retirement post.
Defenseman P.K. Subban 43rd overall pick at the "I never looked at myself or
announced his retirement 2007 NHL draft added 62 ever felt I was 'just a hock-
from the NHL on Tuesday points (18 goals, 44 assists) ey player,'" he wrote. "I al-
following 13 seasons play- in 96 postseason games. ways looked at myself as a
ing for the Montreal Cana- He won the Norris Trophy person who happened to
diens, Nashville Predators as the league's top defen- play hockey.
and New Jersey Devils. seman in 2013 with the Ca- "Having that perspective
The 33-year-old former nadiens. allowed me to enjoy ev-
Norris Trophy winner shared Subban, who was an un- ery shift like it was my last, New Jersey Devils' P.K. Subban plays during an NHL hockey
the news on social media. restricted free agent this celebrate every goal with game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tuesday, March 23,
Subban, who is from To- summer, has done televi- emotion and play every 2021, in Philadelphia. Associated Press
ronto, registered 115 goals sion in the past and hinted game as if someone paid
and 467 points in 824 reg- at new opportunities in his to watch me who had nev- er seen me play before."q