Fresh from "triumphs on either side of the world," Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau "head to the same desert destination for an event that puts the European Tour under great scrutiny," according to Iain Carter of the BBC. The rights and wrongs of playing this week's Saudi Int'l are "under examination." World No. 1 Rose "headlines the strongest field of the year to date" as the European Tour "breaks new and contentious ground in the Middle East." Saudi Arabia plans "massive investment in golf and will use the sport to help sustain its future economy." The European Tour is "dealing with a country condemned on human rights," while there was the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi embassy "just three months ago." Such issues "seemingly had little influence" on European Tour CEO Keith Pelley and his team. As long as "their due diligence indicated players and staff would be safe, the Tour would turn up." Questions over the morality of the move "have so far been dodged." Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee "led condemnation" of the tournament taking place in Saudi Arabia. He called the tournament "a PR stunt of the regime" and added, "By participating [the players] are a ventriloquist of this abhorrent, reprehensible regime." It is "all about the money" -- for the Tour and for its players -- "no matter how else they try to dress it up." This week is a "tidy little earner in terms of dollars and ranking points" (BBC, 1/28). GOLF CHANNEL's Rex Hoggard reported Rose addressed the "potential political fallout," saying, "I'm not a politician, I'm a pro golfer. There's other reasons to go play it. It's a good field, there's going to be a lot of world ranking points to play for, by all accounts it's a good golf course and it will be an experience to experience Saudi Arabia" (GOLF CHANNEL, 1/27).
ON TV: Pelley said of keeping the inaugural Saudi Int'l at the start of the European Tour season, "First of all, you have to look at the entire Middle East region. We have an excellent relationship with the Middle East and it's very important, and why it's important is because we can't play anywhere in Europe at this time of the year. You can't play in Ireland, you can't play in Scotland, so the Middle East becomes very important to us from a climate perspective, from an ease of travel, from the quality of golf courses, and really a good commercial relationship in the region with the different countries." Golf Digest’s Tim Rosaforte said that he spoke with the managers of several American PGAers who all had similar "talking points" about playing in Saudi Arabia, including "don’t mix golf and politics," this has "potential to be an historic event in growing the game of golf" and "honoring their commitments with the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation." Golf Channel’s Matt Adams said that "when you try to apply a moral compass, it can get heavy. There are a lot of different places in the world that are hosting sporting events right now. A lot of different places in the world that are hosting golf events right now that you may question now and then as to the merits of the presence there." Chamblee said that the European Tour has a "great media operation" and so to "turn a blind eye to the butchering of a media member in some ways euphemizes the egregious human atrocities that not only took place with Jamal Khashoggi but go on there all the time." Golf Channel’s Jaime Diaz said that "sports and politics intersect all the time" and added that golfer Paul Casey "is kind of a lone wolf" by not competing in Saudi Arabia (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 1/27).
