Billionaire PGA Tour investor takes aim at LIV Golf stars
Atlanta Falcons owner and PGA Tour investor Arthur Blank, 81, has made a claim that will ruffle feathers on the lucrative LIV Golf League.
Atlanta Falcons owner and PGA Tour investor Arthur Blank has made a claim that will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers at LIV Golf.
The billionaire, now 81 years old, has claimed in an interview with FrontOfficeSports the rival league only has seven of the best players in the world.
Blank is a member of the consortium - Strategic Sports Group - that recently struck a $3bn deal with the North American circuit.
As a result a new, for-profit entity called PGA Tour Enterprises was created. It is valued at $12bn.
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The huge deal also allows for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, LIV's backers, to come on board as potential minority investors down the line.
But that will attract a great deal of scrutiny from the US government and may not ever happen.
Recently it has been debated whether the PGA Tour even wants that to happen.
Should no deal come to pass, the divide in men's professional golf would likely continue with no end in sight.
Perhaps even more major champions plus current and future PGA Tour stars could be targeted by LIV?
Not that Blank is concerned by LIV's threat.
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He told the publication: "Of the top 100 players in the world, I think there's seven on [LIV]. So keep it all in perspective."
LIV fans will be quick to remind Blank that the breakaway has two of 2023's major champions in Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
And they'll likely implore Blank to consider the fact they deem the Official World Golf Ranking no longer relevant or fit for purpose.
Afterall, is it accurate to say that Dustin Johnson is the true World No. 231?!
There are other ranking systems out there which appear to be far more reasonable in calculating players' rankings in 2024.
For example, Data Golf suggests LIV have 18 of the top 100 players in the world.
The businessman didn't appear too keen to go further into the topic.
Instead, the Blank said the established Tour switching from a non-profit to a for-profit model is "very positive" for the game.
He said: "When I met with the players, I said, 'You know you can get all the money you want because the product is great and the upside is significant.
"What you really should be in terms of picking who you want as a partner [is] super sensitive to what can they bring to the table that can really help the Tour grow as a platform—business experience, life experience, sports perspective.'"
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