The American Professional Golfers Association has just announced that 6 former Masters tournament winners will be allowed to compete in the April, 2023 Masters event. While this move is being billed as a first step to possibly reconciling the “defectors” from the Saudi tour it really has nothing to do with goodwill gestures. It’s money–advertising money. Networks know that including these previous winners will increase viewership and make their ad dollars more productive. Some American pros have even called the Saudi tour “defectors” in less tolerant terms. The word “traitor” has come to describe those players for having abandoned the American tour where they got their start and learned their trade for the much bigger pursues on the Saudi tour (the LIV tour). Nick Faldo–a three time winner of the Masters and now a retired golf color commentator–went so far as to suggest that it might be “interesting” to film the annual “winners dinner” for the first time this year as the traitors mix with their American competition. It’s been implied that the competition could become hostile if a Saudi tour player is in the final group on Sunday and playing against an American tour player for the title. Golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s game. The Masters event will certainly put that theory to the test. Assuming no blood is spilled on the course at the Masters the golf powers-that-be will decide whether to include the Saudi players in the other 3 major golf tournaments later this year.
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