According to self-help experts, there are many benefits to using a positivity Wall. This is where you stand in front of your mirror and say something positive about yourself. Then, you write it on some paper and stick it up on the wall. You will feel energized, motivated, and inspired by a growing collection of affirmations.
At least that’s the theory. Reality is slightly different.
As I stared at my increasingly wise fizzog’s haunting reflection, which was beginning to look like a perished balloon, my eyes were plagued by a ghoulish vision that foreboded the ghost of bloomin’ Banquo.
After I had regained my composure, I began to believe that Keith Pelley would be the type of guy who might embrace one of these positivity thingamabobs.
His charismatic, forward-thinking personality is evident. He wears blue-rimmed glasses and speaks with a composed, confident, authoritative confidence. I can see him carrying around little Post-It notes containing galvanizing pearls such as “see the invisible”, “feel the intangible, accomplish the impossible” all over his Wentworth office.
Maybe he stands there and curses and mutters at the wall, just like us.
He wouldn’t be wrong. Pelley and his tour will face off against the LIV Golf rebels, who believe they are entitled to play wherever they want. This arbitration hearing will consume a lot of Pelley’s time, much more than he likes.
Pelley, on the other hand, has plenty to be proud of. For instance, the record-breaking prize money for this season’s DP World Tour is over $144M. It’s an enormous sum for us mere mortals. It’s a lot more than that in the wild world of professional men’s golf.
Jon Rahm takes his tee shot at the 16th hole of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 19, 2022. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images).
The Abu Dhabi 2023 curtain-raiser was a Rolex Series showpiece that cost $9M. Yet, it attracted only one player from the top 20 — Shane Lowry. Another $9M prize was on offer at the Dubai Desert Classic this week. While Rory McIlroy sprinkled his stardust all over the event and eventually won, Viktor Hovland, Norway, didn’t return to defend his title.
What about DP World Tour headline acts Jon Rahm or Matt Fitzpatrick They will be skipping the circuit’s Middle East swing.
It is not unusual for big names on the European scene to miss major events on their own tours. The PGA Tour, where the majority of their trades are, will always have precedence. But, those absences may be more noticeable in 2023. Although the DP World Tour has seen many spin-offs from the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, the majority of the partnerships are still heavily in favor of the latter.
The ongoing parrying and jousting between LIV Golf, its financial war chest and the PGA Tour has resulted in the creation of a series high-profile events that are worth at least $20M by the PGA Tour to counter the Saudi-backed assault against the golfing establishment. This leaves the DP World Tour’s marquee events in the shadows.
It seems almost absurd to believe that an event worth $9M could be viewed as a shrugging indifference. This is the best end of professional men’s golf. You’ll be flooded with cash like never before.
The overall state of the DP World Tour varies based on who you talk to. Lee Westwood, a European stalwart who is now a renegade LIV Golf player, stated recently that he was not certain where the [DP World] tour is at the moment. He also commented on the absence of top-tier players in Abu Dhabi. He said, “If you had told me I’d be playing on a $9M tournament in tour, I’d be hard-pressed to believe you.” “But if you said there would be only one of the top 20 players in the world, I’d think that you are crazy.”
Westwood voiced his concerns but others chose to concentrate on the tour’s growing talent and ample opportunities. The circuit cannot just cater to the top brass. The circuit has many members to take care of.
The tour is expensive. The cost of living in hotels, eating eggs and chips, and birling around the world can add up to $85K. This year, a new earnings assurance program was implemented. It offers a $150,000 guarantee for players who participate in at least 15 tournaments.
While division and debate continue, the global game with its fractured upper echelons is still engulfed in a struggle for hearts, minds, and wallets.
However, there is one thing we can all agree on: those elite campaigners have never had it so easy.
