NORTH PLAINS, Oregon — The Saudi government-backed LIV Golf Invitational series arrives in the United States on Thursday as it continues to rage a genteel sport with a slogan that promises, “Golf, but louder.” Only this is probably not the kind of noise the supporters had in mind.
Some are vehemently against holding the three-day tournament at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, about 20 miles northwest of Portland. The disapproval comes from politicians, a group of 9/11 survivors and relatives, club members who resigned in protest and at least one outspoken club board member. Critics have criticized what they describe as Saudi Arabia’s attempt to use sport to soften the perception in the west of its grim human rights record.
Portland is the first of five LIV tournaments (a Roman numeral referring to the 54-hole format) to be held in the United States this year. The newly formed tour, with its lucrative prize money and eight-figure entry fees, has quickly become a threat to the long-standing PGA Tour as major players such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka have joined the Saudi venture.
The Portland tournament will take place as local anger still simmers after the 2016 death of Fallon Smart, a 15-year-old high school student who was killed when crossing a Portland street by a driver speeding nearly 60 miles per hour. A Saudi community student charged with manslaughter and hit and run for Smart’s death removed a tracking device and disappeared before the trial, apparently returning home with the help of Saudi officials.
Oregon Democrat Senator Ron Wyden has urgently sought justice for Smart and begged the White House to hold the Saudis more accountable. He has criticized the LIV golf tournament, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s state fund, as an attempt to purge the country’s human rights record, a tactic known as sportswashing.
“No matter how much they cough up, they won’t be able to wash that reputation away,” Wyden said in an interview. Referring to Smart’s death, he added, “The Saudis could not have chosen a more insulting and painful place to hold a golf tournament.”
Teri Lenahan, the mayor of tiny North Plains, which has a population of 3,440, has signed a letter with 10 other area mayors objecting to the LIV tournament, although acknowledging they cannot stop it. Some members of Pumpkin Ridge have resigned in protest.
Some relatives and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks scheduled a news conference Thursday to discuss what they called the golfers’ “willing complicity” in taking money from a country whose population included 15 of the 19 hijackers. .
Critics of the tournament note that US intelligence officials concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, ordered the murder and mutilation of Washington Post dissident and columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018; that in March in Saudi Arabia, 81 men were executed in one day, calling into question the fairness of the criminal justice system; and that Saudi women were only allowed to drive in 2018 after a long-standing ban and still need permission from a male relative to make many decisions in their lives.
“I really felt it was a moral obligation to speak up and say that we cannot support this golf tournament because of where the funds are coming from to support it,” Lenahan said in an interview. “The problem is that the Saudi government has publicly executed people, oppressed women and considers them second-class citizens. And they killed a journalist and cut him to pieces. It’s disgusting.”
Escalante Golf, a Texas company that owns the Pumpkin Ridge course, has not responded to requests for comment.
The LIV tournament continues against a backdrop of realpolitik. As a candidate, President Biden has vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for Khashoggi’s assassination. But Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia in mid-July, seeking, among other things, relief from the oil-rich kingdom for soaring gasoline prices in the United States.
In reality, the issue of human rights often takes a back seat on financial and marketing issues in international sport. For example, China was named to host the Winter Olympics in 2022 and the Summer Games in 2008. And the NBA is doing strong business there. According to a recent ESPN report, the league’s top team owners have invested more than $10 billion in China.
The creation of the LIV tour has raised long-standing questions about athletes’ moral obligations and their desire to compete and make money.
Generally speaking, Wyden, who briefly played college basketball, said the Saudi approach is “really part of an autocratic playbook.” He continued: “They go in and try to bribe everyone, buy their silence,” assuming that “something that someone will be upset about on Tuesday, everyone will forget on Thursday.”
The Portland tournament will feature $25 million in prize money, including $5 million for team play and $4 million for the individual winner.
At press conferences here, golfers acknowledged the financial appeal of the LIV tour. And they said they respected differing opinions about their involvement. Some downplayed human rights issues, while others, such as Sergio García and Lee Westwood, said they felt golf could be a good force.
A Quick Guide to the LIV Golf Series
A new series. The launch of the new Saudi-funded LIV Golf series has raised long-standing questions about athletes’ moral obligations and their desire to compete and make money. Here’s what you need to know:
“If we can help a country or a place in the world, that’s what we’re going to do,” García said.
Pat Perez, an American golfer with a companion, candidly said that playing golf and being able to spend less time on the road while competing in the LIV series was his “only concern.”
“I understand the topics you’re trying to bring up, and they’re terrible events, but I’m here to play golf,” Perez said. “Thats my job.”
Koepka, formerly the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer and two-time winner of both the US Open and the PGA Championship, called Perez’s comments “pretty much accurate,” saying, “We’re here to play golf.”
Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, was asked if he was bothered by the source of the prize money at LIV events. DeChambeau said he believed golf is “a force for good, and I think over time hopefully people will see the good that they are doing and what they are trying to achieve, rather than looking at the bad that has happened before.” . He continued, “I think it’s important to move on.”
Andy McNiece, a member of Pumpkin Ridge’s board of directors who is in an advisory role only, has been unable to continue.
Escalante Golf, the club owner, seems only interested in money to host the LIV tournament, McNiece said in an interview. As he has told other reporters, McNiece said Escalante sold his own honor, Pumpkin Ridge’s honor, and “in a weird way they sold some of my honor, and I don’t like it.”
He said he plans to visit the track to see the set-up of the tournament, but will not be watching the game. He gave away his four tickets for each of the three days to others. That way, McNiece said, “LIV isn’t getting any money out of it to go.”
