Who's going to see Saudi Golf?

I sat on a hill near the 9th green waiting for the shotgun start at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the second round of the Greg Norman-run Saudi TourInvitational. It is AC/DC turned up to 11.

An announcement directed my attention to the sky as Pat Perez walked by. The men were in the air. They had a flag duct-taped to their legs. It might be that greed and duct tape are all that is holding this together, which is what most of the established media is saying, but the final round was sold out and everyone I spoke to at the event only had logistical complaints. The majority of these grievances were related to the beer line being too long. The point of a sporting event is to have top talent compete in an environment that fans like.

The crowd at these Saudi Golf events is ignored because they are a group of people that the golf community doesn't like. Fans can overlook the sportswashing that is happening.

Beyond the noise of where the money is coming from, the most talk of the absurd money being thrown around is a snobbery around who can. This is not Bushwood of "Caddyshack", it's "Happy Gilmore", but instead of Adam Sandler, the stars are named Bryson DeChambeau,Dustin Johnson, andBrooks Koepka, and this new gallery is happy with Norman's product.

The sport of golf has always been an exclusive one. Sports fans became golf fans because there wasn't anything else to do. During my stay at Saudi Golf in Portland, I heard dumb golf commentary from a peanut gallery. The caddies seemed more protective of their players environment. I felt bad for the volunteers who held the signs. The crowd is rowdy and 12 alcohol monitors sound good for the front side, but not for the back nine. The atmosphere was similar to Hole 16 at the Phoenix Open, except there was a contingent of similar enthusiasm and intoxication on every hole. The rules are important to know but the crowd doesn't.

Three yards behind D.J. was the Country Club Adjacent Idiots. I'm used to seeing Dotty Pepper or David Feherty here, walking behind the leaders while providing witty and whispered commentary. Social media clowns were taking selfies with their boys. The clubhead speed of D.J. was their main topic. Compare this to The Masters, where cellphones are not allowed for fans, players, press, and staff. There is a banner 10 yards from the entrance of this tour. Millenials, Gen Z, and an overall newer audience are all connected to golf.

I didn't like the "golf but louder" part of the tour's mission statement. It is not certain whether it is too loud for an outfit that is branded on being different and caters to the unwanted. Lee Westwood looked like he had it by the 17th hole of the third and final round while he death-stared a gallery that refused to shut up. Maybe the decibels were correct and I am part of the sect that can't get down with it. I am not incentivized to tolerategolf but louder. I am too immersed in the tradition to appreciate it. My dad was a rules official for the Pennsylvania golf association. I play too many rounds to tolerate incorrect observations. Relief is mandatory if one's stance is on a cart path. They should have seen that the lie was good.

I hope golf is large enough for everyone. I'm aware that it is. Cheap beer and a concert after every event for those who haven't succumbed to day drinking fatigue are offered by this new fan base. Fans who show up without a shirt or sleeves are accepted and embraced by LIV. I wore a golf shirt while playing the golf course.

It doesn't mean that LIV's product isn't a slam dunk for people who find the PGA Tour too boring, which I think is what they intended. I was not the mean one in Portland. The exclusion of Norman, a two-time claret jug winner, could be seen as classy or classistdepending on who you ask.

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I looked at the coverage for the Irish Open to compare and contrast. The programming at the Saudi event felt like a Headspace meditation track. I put AC/DC on my headphones and turned off the tv. "I was caught, in the middle of a railroad track, I looked round, and I knew there was no turning back." The train has left the station so golf can't turn back.