CEO of The R&A Plays Golf with PIF Governor and Suddenly He’s Out

Is it just a coincidence that CEO Martin Slumbers is leaving The R&A after playing in the Alfred Dunhill Tournament with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan………Hard to believe.
Slumbers is only 63 years old and yet is stepping down as CEO of The R&A which includes The Open Championship. Is he leaving the top of the golf world just to go fishing? We can’t buy that….

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Special credits in this episode: (none this time)

Darkstar Martin Slumber head of the RNA is out he’s out of a job come the end of the year so he does have the year to finish the question here is for the show did he quit or was he canned did he get fired by the board at the RNA or did he

Just quit and that’s what we’re going to go into right now I come to you you have strong feelings and this is a great multiple choice episode so we’ll have five options here A through e of what is going on and will answer accordingly Darkstar I come to you what do you

Think’s going on and we’ll go through the options all right well I think you’re just plain and simple I’ll get right to it he was asked to leave there’s no question in my mind um and I know we’re going to disagree on this one a little

Bit but I I strongly fired fired the players I strongly feel the players on both sides of the Atlantic and it’s truly the Ryder Cup click the Ryder Club excuse me Ridder Club click runs both sides and in Europe they don’t want them anymore they don’t want Slumbers and and

I got to throw in P they’re both going and in my opinion they’re both the same they’re both gone the players especially want them gone and there’s a lot of trivial things that they’ll bring up the whether it’s a golf ball roll back or that he never found a way to get the

150th uh open you know on the table while the other three um Majors uh found a way during Co to uh have their tournament so that’s that’s the camp I’m at I’m looking at and I know you don’t think the players have any say whatsoever especially on that side of

The pond but I I think they do and I think they made some strong comments already so think that we throw it back to you with that you think that the suddenly in the British Empire The Peasants are running the show uh over there where they don’t want the peasants

To storm the castle there’s only so much beer and bread they can throw them peasants aren’t in any position to storm the castle at the moment that doesn’t happen very often but you’re right they they clearly they don’t want that they never do want that and they’re there’s

Various ways they make that happen but that’s not the show so okay so uh Slumbers is out a option A the British aristocracy the golf aristocracy uh uh is anti- piff in reality and Martin is too snuggly with yaser arayan and the piff he’s he had him at the open in the Box

He then played golf with them in the tournament at the dun Hill and is now getting this deal rolling with gol Saudi for the RNA to provide services for fee presumably uh maybe a hefty fee uh so there’s maybe that’s too snuggly for the aristocracy option A the British

Aristocracy the board at the RNA who would have the ability to fire the CEO doesn’t like that they’re anti-p piff in reality and B option b the opposite that the the board at the RNA is very much Pro uh piff and very much wants the money they want the deal they want the

Money they want this thing to move along they’re worried about their major all that and Slumbers just simply isn’t moving fast enough okay option C the British a stracy does not support the ball roll back which we know from our comments that that the fans of this show

Don’t like the ball roll back either and uh maybe we could conclude that most amateur golfers don’t like the idea at all and maybe the RNA board is in that group they are amateur golfers maybe they hate it just as much as anybody and the fact that Slumbers helped pushed

That through or maybe was the key guy that pushed that through was too much that’s a bridge too far we can’t take it anymore on top top of all these other things that you you’re doing so you’re out option D Slumbers is just simply not

One of the guys he’s not one of the guys but he’s there to do a job which is what aristocracies do they hire Winston Churchill to get the job done and then they fire him immediately when the job’s completed I I witnessed this firsthand in corporations so you bring in the guy

That can really do the job but you get rid of him ASAP when the job is complete so we know you’ve guided us to where we need to be Martin great you’ve increased money he’s definitely helped their finances and maybe they brought him in specifically to do that because he’s a

Banker he’s an investment banker by trade and they needed the help and he’s accomplished that so hats off to you Martin and now that he has and in this answer d That’s option D uh that they’re on a good trajectory with piff money uh he’s gotten the golf Saudi thing rolling

And bl la la uh okay hey good time to to get rid of the guy now we can put in one of our other guys who we really like and who is one of the the the gang and get rid of slumbers cuz now he’s on cruise

Control so that’s option D that this is just a great time to Pivot to the a guy that we really do like who’s one of us and uh get him in there option e he quit Martin is done I’ve done what I need to

Do and this is a great time for me to say adios to the bo into the RNA because why do people quit when they’re only 63 years old so he’s not an old guy what well he’s moving on to other opportunity darkar this is option e and I will go

Into I’m giving away my answer I think he is the answer but I won’t tell you what his opportunities may be so review quickly option A the British aristocracy is anti-pf and Martin is too Pro piff option b Slumbers is just not doing enough with the the piff to get the

Money rolling option C the roll back the ball the ball roll back is too much option D Slumbers is not one of the good old boys in the good old boy Network and now is a good time to get rid of him option e Slumbers is quitting I’m done

I’m moving on no hard feelings but something more tantilizing is in front of me where I can make a lot of money okay Dark Star you are saying that he was fired which one of those options fits best with your Viewpoint I guess B fits best I mean obviously a you can

Never be too close to a couple billion dollars so I don’t think it’s a uh the golf ball Robb’s a minor thing he’s not you know he’s not going to be fired for that um D is something he’s probably not exactly the good old boy because I I

Don’t think he did exactly what the good old boys want with those things I had just mentioned you know whether it’s a golf ball roll back postponing the 150th open um and and really you know he brought in a lot of family and women’s golf to grow the

Game and I think that’s great but it’s always a challenge to grow things from the bottom up as we have seen in um you know economics throughout the world it it if you don’t increase production but you increase wages that just creates inflation and and so you might have a

Artificial problem in golf right now in Britain because of answer D so B is what I feel uh most comfortable talking about and I do think strongly that the players had something to do with it especially when I see the comments that were made about P who’s basically leaving at the

Same time in my opinion they’re both being asked to leave guys it’s time for a fresh start you did a great job and we’re going in a different direction we’re you know that type of situation we wish you well right we wish you well done a great job never been a better job

But you’re leaving uh to let me ask you is was the announcement for p the head of the DP World European tour being out taking a new job um is how it’s been positioned in the Press was that not first wasn’t that the first of these two

Announcements which I think came back to back one day to the next I think Wednesday was p and yesterday Thursday the 11th of January was uh Slumbers is that right I thought it was the opposite I thought it went Slumbers on the 10th and then p on the 11th I don’t think

That that makes too much of a difference no I don’t think well the the reason I mention it it you’re right it’s it does it’s irrelevant really when it hit the Press because we don’t know when these decisions were actually made right the announcement is not not the same as the

Date of of when they made the decision which was weeks ago or months ago perhaps um probably weeks but the reason I bring it up um could it be that the P decision has been on the wall for a while that seems likely to me because if if and I think

We agree on P in that he was asked to leave he was fired in the corporate sense which is we’re going to be making some changes here there’s a new Consulting team coming in we’ve hired consultants in fact to look at this issue and that issue and a smart CEO

Looks at that and says oh I’m I’m out and you’re giving me time to find a new job U let me interject one thing here because I I know you hate when I do this but I have to interject are you taking us an entirely different direction no no

It’s just a quick aside this is a quick aside oh a quick aside okay yes I cannot stand the retreading of coaches and GMS so now py the same thing he’s moving to this um Toronto based private Equity that basically runs all sports teams in Toronto that’s crazy get put the guy at

The end of the line you know he he needs to be completely out in my opinion He has screwed up the DP tour royally and that’s why the players comments showed that they were so angry with him so why does he keep getting chances these NFL coaches in America they get chance after

Chance and I like there’s no new coaches it’s it’s it’s not rocket science it’s not eye surgery it’s coaching a football game anyway all right side over continue okay uh that had something to do with with Slumbers and the timing and all that oh no it didn’t okay it was a quick

Aside though it was a quick visit to Kansas while we were talking about North Carolina uh all right I I think I remember where I was which is is Martin Slumbers did he decide to use the P ouster which has been in the works probably for a while right uh that they

Telegraphed it like okay cuz Keith didn’t just call the Maple Leafs yesterday and say hey I’m available you need a new guy hire you yeah so that’s been going on for a while and that’s usually how it happens you’re cordial to your CEO’s outgoing which helps hire the next guy or girl right

Nobody wants to come into a hostile environment where you just get canned at the CEO as soon as P sold the DP to down the drain um well that’s don’t pivot yet uh let me finish this point which is that that that’s been coming for a while so Slumbers has seen it

Coming because everybody saw it coming at the top that P was going to be out in the next six weeks or something so did Slumbers use that as an opportunity to engineer his own exit assuming that I’m right and you’re wrong you’re saying he’s fired I’m saying he quit option e

Quit for another opportunity is that is that time because the timing is too coincidental right P’s out and Slumbers is out at the same exact moment they announce it that’s odd sure the timing was completely orchestrated starting would orchestrate such timing now you can pivot go ahead

Okay well now the so you go back to p p was gone as soon as he sold out the DP tour um I I love Fitzpatrick’s comment who orchestrated the timing of the this is where we just got to you wanted to answer that question I well I’m I’m I’m

Continuing okay so he was out because and you can see that he was out a long time ago because of the comments of the players so when you look at who orchestrates this I think it’s a combination of the piff and the uh Gulf aristocracy on the um British side of

The pond as they say it’s like hey guys we we have to main we we need to court and become a the global Golf and allow the United States and the PJ tour to be United States States golf in a two-action system so it was the piff

Going hey we’re going to give you a lot of money and the golf aristocracy on the British side of the pond going yeah um guys we need to take care of ourselves a little bit more than we have been doing so we’re going to get rid of both of you

Eventually and so it was orchestrated by that side of the pond without question interesting take it is fascinating I will add to you I know you want your really chomping to to talk about uh P more than Slumbers uh and maybe you’re right maybe you’re right but I think

Strategically there’s there’s more to talk about with Slumbers um but tactically P being out well let’s let me put it this way audience so um the CEO of one of the groups that’s involved in the deal negotiation with piff to become part of newco that CEO is gone in the middle of

This dragged out negotiation that we have said here at this show is taking too long for the piff’s happiness Factor you piff is not satisfied with these delays and they went and grabbed Rah as a signal very obvious signal of how not happy we are and we’ll keep doing this

Until you get your going right get your stuff going keep doing until let’s get yeah and let’s go let’s go well in the midst of all that um the one of the guys is fired not not the other guy in America but the guy in Europe well the guy in

America did he sleep better the night after the announcement or the night after he found out that that was going to happen or did he not sleep so well when the CEO of his counterpart talking about Monahan it could be it could be Jay that I’m mentioning yeah Monahan

When the CEO of over there that’s in there’s only three parties here on April 1st or 2nd of this year J Manan will be will step down he won’t be fired we said he will step down we have said that when it’s a matter when the when it’s when

The timing is right when he’s when his ouster is useful to the American aristocracy then he will be ousted yeah sure I agree with that but now the out L us you know you can you can write it right now Jay has led us to this place

And we have ecstatic with the job he’s done and he has deci brought us to the promised land and now it’s he’s moving on to other opportunity he’s going to run a foundation for junior golf I I can almost predict exactly what in Alaska yeah yeah exactly uh just like uh what

The Martian movie that they fired what’s his name and he went and ran a junior golf Clinic after he got canned um good movie The Martian the so I find that interesting so that is you know that is a reason to talk about P but if if

You’re right and and Slumbers was fired well that that’s says do a lot I mean he’s your guy he’s been there N9 years uh they don’t fire people quickly you know quickly in organizations like that they try to pick the right person and not have to make those kinds of

Decisions unlike like a corporation would maybe fire somebody quickly um or suddenly so and nobody saw this coming according to press it’s like what Slumbers what he’s leaving now let me point out audience and Darkstar he’s not gone in a month he’s leaving at the end

Of the year so he’s going to run the open this year so it’s it’s hard it’s very hard for me to imagine that they fired him and they’re going to let him run their event unless you are you know a deep corporate conspiracy guy which says yeah yeah yeah yeah no he’s not

Going to run the event yeah he’s G to be there but he’s not running anything he’s going to show up and have margaritas and look like he’s doing something kind of like Jay Monahan does he’s going to look like he’s doing something but we already have the replacement and he’s gone but I

Don’t think that I think he’s quitting and that’s why he’s running the show because they’re happy to have him run the show for the another 10 months yeah I I I don’t know that I I don’t totally agree with that because I I think obviously the P ouer has been in the

Works for a few months and they have his replacement already I think the Slumber ouer was still on the fence until more recently and they don’t have his replacement so they’re going to say they give him a year but I see this summer around the time of the open that he has

His farewell on the first te and they say you know he’s actually leaving early and we’re we’re parting ways as friends you know in six months instead of a year they they do need to find a quality replacement for him you know there’s going to be a lot of change in golf and

And they can’t have somebody who’s just who’s just kind of a Soo Guy not defending their positions especially I’m I’m grumbling I’m I’m I I can’t see that that at all I you don’t fire the guy you know you’re fired we want him out he’s not doing what we

Want okay well you don’t if you’re going to do that then you you already are you fire the guy when you have your little chat with the other board members and then you go look for the replacement immediately because you need somebody to run the show you need somebody to

Captain the ship right away even if it’s an interim guy that’s going to come up and that’s part that could be oh the second in command can do the job that’s fine until we take our time and get the right person or you know Bob who do you

Have in mind we’re okay we’ll get rid of Martin fine who who we oh you know soand so is awesome we’ll bring that person right in it’ll be great not you don’t give the guy a swan song in a year you’re mad at him in a sense I mean he’s

He’s either frustrated your business interests or he’s made you a personal enemy either way you don’t really want to do too much for the guy you want him out you know goodbye go away take away the parking space as they did with CI we’re taking away Park this is two

Separate things he’s not going to be remotely involved in newco moving forward with the piff but he’s still going to run the women’s AIG and the well the RNA is not in the piff negotiation I have nothing to do with it officially right not officially it’s a

DP World Tour and the PGA Tour and piff which is probably half the reason he’s going it’s like you know you needed to get us in there we needed to have a voice at se we do not see eye to eye on this one and that’s fine so let’s go

Here let’s say you’re right and he was canned and I’m going to ask you in a second uh what that means if it mean what’s it mean strategically why if they can it for the reason you think they canned him pick that and amplify okay what does that mean if that was the

Reason that the board wanted him out at the RNA what are they hoping to accomplish with the new guy okay fine I’m going to come to you in a sec get your thoughts together I think it’s answer option e which is he quit fine he quit right now because he sees he’s only

63 I don’t think he’s ready to go sit on a boat you know the rest of his life um and he’s been at the top of the world of golf for nine years and there’s a new world golf order coming and he sees that and he he may have been talking to the

Guy that’s sort of making that New World Order happen oh he has been talking to the guy he played golf with the guy at a very public event not some private round at seminal or Augusta no he he played with yaser in front of the world cameras

At the Dunhill so he has a relationship now with yaser is my conclusion more so than we thought more so than we even thought and you’ve been theorizing this right along that that the RNA is courting money with the piff and we see that now with golf Saudi I think

Slumbers is taking a job with yaser’s group or with or with Liv or with NCO I think you’re going to see Martin Slumbers at NCO that’s or or a related entity and he’s quitting now to make that together they want to get rid of him before he

Gets too cozy with he’s quitting I think I don’t think they saw that coming Martin didn’t Telegraph that to the guys maybe he told them that when he’s he he certainly did cuz he’s not going to burn any Bridges Martin went into the boardroom whenever it was and you know

Called a couple of the key guys the chairman and d d they went and had lunch and said not dinner lunch maybe breakfast and he said look you know I forget the guy’s name that’s chairman um here’s what I’m doing I’m GNA give you a year so obviously that’s the right thing

To do when this is a sudden announcement I’m going to run everything you know I got this thing on cruise control the op’s in a great spot we I’ve been increasing the revenues around here for years now and you’ve all appreciated that uh huh great and he has they all

Acknowledge that the revenue has been headed in the right direction under his leadership I’m going to be here a year I’m not going anywhere I’m going to do a great job this year and you know I will you know I love this place but I am

Going to go work for at the end of this year in October when it’s all over so to speak the end of the golf year I’m going to go work with alayan and here’s what we’re doing I’m Gonna Run Golf Saudi and and I’m GNA be his chief advisor for

Newco um because you know I know the heads of the USGA and I know Seth I know all the guys I know everybody and that’s my going to be my job now I’m going to be the conary for arayan and who sees the Long View and who better than

Slumbers that that’s the guy he can trust and get and I said yesterday’s show um in in passing that Rory if he had had dinner with yaser per your point yesterday’s show on mooy’s 540 on the live deal with piff that uh you know yaser’s in London all the time so so

Yeah the the the Saudi royals and chief lieutenants are in London a lot they have homes there they have clubs there it’s very much so and I think that I think he’s chummy I think they’re they’ve gotten to be chummy over business and and ran they own Newcastle

He’s spent a lot of time there I think he sees the Brits have always backed the house of sa I don’t want to make this too long of a speech that the British and the Saudis are close at the top for sure sure I that’s true and they have

Been for a hundred years and I think ourm has picked Slumbers to be one of his guys in his Circle as this Global golf thing continues to flourish in the right direction that’s my theory so I’m going to come back to you and you’re going to say the opposite which is good

He was fir you think now let me get this so you think that Slumbers and P basically sold out the DP tour to the United States in the PGA tour well I don’t think Slumbers had anything to do with the DB World Tour selling out and well wait no no they they

Orchestrated it together nothing happens in a vacuum so the two of them essentially sold out the DP tour because obviously p as we said was fired first and Slumber is his firing was a day actually the day before so the the point then is they sold out the

European Golf angered all the European players and he just quietly walked into the boardroom and said hey by the way I’m leaving I’m going to go work and I’m going to be on the opposite side of the table we’re all gonna get along and be friends wow okay that’s yes that’s what

I’m saying I don’t think Slumber why do you think Slumbers had something to do why do you think that the European players uh Slumbers Fleetwood you know whoever’s left that’s any that that means anything um hate Martin Slumbers I mean can see Keith P sure absolutely I

Can see that but Slumbers what does he have to do with that it’s not my I’m not I don’t run the DP world I had nothing to do with it I run the Open Championship he’s the main guy in the negotiations for the European side side of

What the European side in this whole negotiation of NCO the piff Etc chummy with yaser Slumbers and all of a sudden yeah he not RNA has got nothing to do with it this is not a vacuum as you know we said we said Augusta is the most

Important piece in the whole chess game and you don’t think the guy who’s running the open is one of the most important guys I I yeah yeah I mean if if you’re saying that that Martin’s part of the aristocracy yes I of course and that the aristocracy is part of the piff

Deal yes and the aristoc for the piff deal yes I agree with all that I where I’m where I can’t see the dots being connected is that the players are upset with Martin Slumbers I don’t see that okay I mean I I I if I’m a player I

Don’t think you know the things he did in coordination with p and the whole DP tour I I don’t make that much of a distinction it’s like well General Arnold you’re on our side now you’re on the side of Bri you want me I can I’ll

Hand you a conspiracy theory you want me to hand you a conspiracy theory that’ll help you make your point all right so Slumber this conspiracy theory I don’t believe this but I’ll throw it out there so Slumbers was pulling the strings and he wanted the DP World Tour behind the

Scenes of course because RNA has nothing to do with it but let’s just say the aristocracy is actually pulling the strings behind the scenes and they wanted everything that’s happened at the DP World Tour is what the aristocracy wanted they wanted the guys to go play in America and everything that’s been

Unfolding for The Last 5 Years on that tour including the naming rights being sold to DP world all that and Martin being clever put P out there to take the fall yeah it’s pelle’s fault he did it and and so P was set up to be a scapegoat to

Be the Target that of course you know when you’re in the aristocracy you never want you to be the problem you you always set somebody else up to be the you know killed by the peasants sure so the peasants have killed P Martin looks like you know he’s smelling clean even

Though it was him the whole time or him and his cabal his group there there’s a conspiracy theory for you is that you like that one you put it like that I mean but look at the other side you like that one I mean obviously Monahan has

Been set up for failure obviously he’s going to be the scapegoat when they ask him to step down officially or when he officially steps down probably in April oh you’re you’re imp you’re not implying you are saying then I think you crack me if I’m wrong uh that the RNA is

Actually running the European tour just like the aristocracy in America is actually running the PGA Tour via the board is that what you’re saying I don’t I don’t see it being that farfetched no I just want to know what you’re saying is that what you’re saying yeah okay

Because like I said they brought in a guy they’ve already brought in P’s replacement who seems to be more of a company guy more of a um business type guy I think he has some work with IMG and a few things like that um I don’t know much about I think his

Name is uh Kennings or something so um so they’ve already they’ve already made their next play what’s your strategic in the interest of time let me move you along um because we’re gonna we’re gonna run out of time before the show ends which we always do so let me

Let me move you where I would like you to go which is okay they fired him okay fine they fired Slumbers why what do they want to accomplish with his replacement who may or is likely not there remember he’s going to be there this year whatever what are they trying

To do by firing Slumbers what are they trying to accomplish what’s their strategic goal and what does that mean for whatever the landscape is that you’re going to paint yeah their strategic goal is simple they need a guy they need a top up guy they need a guy

Who’s at the top looking out for the best interest of the DP World Tour that the essentially they need a leader for the rest of the world against the United States not a guy who’s going to um capitulate to whatever the PGA Tour wants and and I think py and

Slumbers were essentially PGA Tour golf guys you know we run our little open I shouldn’t say that we run our open tournament over here and we’ll feed all you guys in the United States our best players so you can get the ratings and you can give us the crumbs I mean

Remember the PG sent them crumbs they sent them what a few hund they sent him a100 million do or something no it wasn’t even that the aristocracy in pardon I think they in they pledged to invest like 60 million in yeah whatever it was but in the DP

World we’re going to throw you some crumbs and the Eric stracy in the RNA is like hey um well they acquired it the PGA 2 are acquired 40% share of the European tour or something like that for nothing yeah for nothing you sold why

Did the r agree to it then in your world here and what you’re trying to say why’ they agree to the acquisition at all well sure like I said Slumbers was probably running things and they realized um you didn’t do a good job for us okay all

Right okay I I think well okay that’s fine so the Strategic implication is then what what does the RNA want to accomplish with the new CE o in today’s environment where newco is going to happen and all this is going on their main player everywhere except

The United States so they want to run Global Golf in combination with NCO everywhere except the United States they want to be bigger than the PGA tour in a sense they want to be the Principal aristocratic partner of the of NCO is that what you’re saying yeah absolutely events in austral the Asian

Rim the Middle East London Spain Etc mhm and you know Rory has Rory mroy who is the principal player in the world right now has abandoned the United States and moved back to Europe and and he’s helping accomplish this Rory Rory has abandoned he has moved

Back to Europe he hasn’t moved back to Europe he will he says he’s going to he’s play he didn’t play in the century he played in he said when poppy who’s like two or one and a half two I don’t know how old she is when his daughter is

In in school he’s gonna there they are going to move back there so six years from now maybe six when she’s eight I don’t think well whatever okay but he he didn’t move there yesterday I didn’t want the his house is in progress of being built I don’t know that either You’

I’ve read that really I’ve read that he’s building a home in I think you said England England yes okay all right so he’s leaving he’s a he’s leaving tiger he’s leaving Monahan and you know he’s back and that and and that’s the whole concept we talked about yesterday with Rah and and

Rory talking hey we’re we’re bringing Europe back you know and and as I talk about here the players the players that really have something to say the only players that the aristocra is actually listening to are those Ridder cup click players on each side of the pond and

That’s it okay well I I don’t that’s fine I I I I in so if if what I can take away from what you’re theorizing is that I’m trying to find a way to agree with some of that which would be if you’re saying that you think that the

Europeans forget you know the the aristocracy let’s just say that uh sees a tremendous opportunity now with NCO and the piff and they’ve got that ball rolling and Rory sees it coming or was told by yaser or yaser’s team that this is coming together and Rah was the straw

That really got that rolling you know really good so now we got we got Rah we’re doing this thing Rory they tell Rory that you know we’re gonna make we’re gonna bring Europe back to prominence because Global Golf needs that and that’s what we’re all about

Here at piff nuko live the whole thing we’re doing that and you Rory could play a huge part of that uh you should John obviously is Rah and we’re going to keep going in that direction we’re GNA you know make sure that the Open Championship can continues to flourish

And be great and maybe we’ll do the Australian Open too it’s going to be awesome and all of that’s going to come somewhat at the expense of the PGA Tour somewhat yeah and that’ll be diminished somewhat we we don’t want it to go away but and there’s a great opportunity here so

Rory sees that opportunity to have Fame and Fortune more uh and says oh yeah I’ll pivot and support the piff which he is doing and and the RNA got rid of Martin because Martin wasn’t quite seeing that same thing is that does that summarize what you’re saying yeah let me just put it

Like in in regards in terms of the actual golf schedule Rory has now said I only want to play 22 times a year which means four majors 18 other events and you’re going to have 12 to 18 Signature Events with just the top players and he wants half of them outside the United

States that’s the bottom line Martin slers was asked to leave because he’s not he wasn’t thinking that there was any chance of having a whole ton of Signature Events outside the United States and Roy didn’t come out and say that but that’s what he wants I’m moving back to

England rah’s moving over to the Liv golf tour and we’re going to have a lot of signature we’re trying to get a lot of Signature Events London Spain Australia the Middle East Asian Rim you know we’re tired of playing in the United States we don’t want to be there

Anymore I think that’s what Patrick was intimating with his comments regarding uh um P it’s like yeah his legacy is he gave the 10 best European players to the PGA Tour who said that Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick um who annoys me uh kind of annoying but at least he now he’s annoying saying saying

What he thinks saying honest truth get snaps for that speaking logic and Truth is certainly something that we bottom line these two guys sold out the DP tour and I think the players are pissed and some of the aristoc says it’s time for him to leave that’s why I think they

Were asked to quit gotcha all right well I I I can see that with P for sure uh Slumbers is going to go work for newco in some capacity maybe not officially newco but I think he’s going to be yaser’s one of yaser’s right-hand guys and the only thing missing from my

Conspiracy theory is that uh I don’t know you know what kind of guy Slumbers is you know is so let me ask you this do you think Greg’s out then you gonna take Greg’s place no has got they nothing to do that’s not the job the the job

Of the job of slumbers is taking is uh you know higher up it’s it’s a world uh grow golf uh professionally uh around the world and Martin has demonstrated that he can do that he that was his Charter when he came in to the RNA to be CEO that we

Need more Revenue we want you to enhance and grow the Open Championship we want you to do a get more money coming through the RNA and he did I don’t have his resume front of me but what they listed in the all this press is you know

Three four five things that pleased the leadership and because of his the work he’s done that the RNA has more money to now they’re sprinkling it back into Amer Golf and here and there and they pointed to some examples I just don’t have all that fabulous he did he he got a few

Million here and there and the piff’s coming with billions so do they really need Martin’s little ply well they need somebody that understands golf um let me put it this way if you’re trying to grow grow a new ecosystem around the world which I think I think piff is trying to

Do that with Liv and with NCO well who’s going to do that well there is no list of people that have been doing that for the last 20 years to go choose from you you need the best that you have available nobody’s done it before Norman’s a great choice but he’s you

Know busy doing live to her is I need a I need a you know bigger guy that’s an aristocrat I don’t know what yaser’s thinking but I can imagine you want more conigli Aries in on it and Martin already has all the contacts remember our theory is that yaser alayan and the

Piff and the prince want deal making to grow the Saudi economy well the couple still mean nothing to the Slumbers was CEO with the golf aristocracy on the European side of things which is phenomenally important to the Saudis and now they can pick him off they just did it it fits with your

Theory that that they’re trying to snuggle into the Open Championship itself as a wedge play potentially if they need it to wedge one of the majors away from the other three to create more pressure to like dump the owgr we we want to you know we’re are so the piff

Is prying apart the the landed aristocracy that doesn’t want to be pried apart but they’re they’re doing it they they’ve put billions of dollars at it that didn’t quite get it over the Finish Line they took John ROM to move it along even further the that and we

Don’t know who’s resisting this or if there is resistance we you know somewhere well you’ve said that that you think that the piff would like to wedge the open away and create a gap there and therefore once that would if that could happen that the owgr would fall apart that’s

True um so now what I’m giving you is the head guy the day-to-day guy the CEO of the Open Championship just quit in my theory which would support your theory that the piff is continuing to do what it’s been doing which is wedge the open away well they just

They’re hiring the guy that’s what I’m that’s what I’m conspiring about well certainly they are slowly doing the things they need to do to ensure that live golf global golf outside the United States continues to grow and Thrive absolutely now you know the the my my real question then is a um Martin

Slumbers a guy who’s going to make Global Golf similar to Formula 1 or is he going to make it like tennis which is dead you can’t even watch half the I can’t watch any tennis anywhere it’s crazy because it’s just not on TV yeah yeah well they don’t have any audience

Anymore it’s it’s played all over the world every day it’s never on who how are they paying all these guys in tennis so much with you know there’s no they don’t you don’t make money unless you’re top 10 in tennis anyway so you know yeah I I the aristocracy pays them is the

Answer your question there’s enough toy money around that you can pay 10 guys to go 10 10 ladies to go win something yes it’s a terrible sport don’t let your sons and daughters play professional tennis well unless they’re unless they’re makes golf look easy the world

It makes it makes you know a pro career in golf where you can earn a good living look simple and easy compar extended period of it is so hard to be at the top of tennis it’s unbelievably difficult um anyway not to digress different show so anyway I’m

Handing you a conspiracy theory that supports your conspiracy theory which is Slumbers is now that’s another chess piece audience come with me that’s a it’s another chess piece that alayan is playing I’m hiring your guy he knows everybody he knows all the sponsors he knows everything there is to

Know about the Open Championship he knows everything there is to know about the owgr he knows everything and how expensive is Martin Slumbers he’s a lot cheaper than John ROM a whole lot cheaper and I like him that yaser I have to say I have to conclude that yaser Mayan

Personally likes Martin Slumbers to some extent maybe he really likes him he’s continuing to spend time with him he sat with the in the box at the Open Championship that can’t be the first time they ever got together um and then they went back and played you play golf with somebody at a

Proam that’s usually meaningful you don’t invite guys you don’t like it takes too long to play golf you don’t want to hang around with some you don’t like yeah so they’re we could even go so far as to say they have a budding friendship and maybe Slumbers was Court

They were you yaser was courting him that whole time like you know Martin what your give me your thoughts on this what do you think about that what what what what would what would you do if you were in a position to help us what would

You do with you know a billion dollar budget to do this that and the next thing with golf oh well yaser g i this is what I would do blah blah blah blah blah and that’s how you get the juices flowing with a guy you’re trying to pick

Off from your competitor so to speak and at the end of all that you offer him a job Martin I loved the way you were thinking about all that how would you how would $40 million a year and a jet sound to go and do things now it

Wouldn’t be 40 million I’m being funny you know how would a salary of five million or something a big number with options and advance to really you know chance to really make some money of course you’ll use our Fleet of airplane it’ll be fabulous you’ll live like a

King or Prince fly around and do golf stuff around the world that’s like a dream job perhaps for Martin Slumber so anyway that’s where I’m going option e option e all right what are you what are you still sticking with he was canned failed to I still think he was

Asked to leave in combination with P because they just and you know it’s a lot of egos in the aristocracy they just were fed up with the way he sold the DP tour down the riv um I hope you know in a sense what I’m just hoping is that ad

Austa when Monahan hopefully gets canned or announces he’s canned uh moving on to other opportunities moving on yeah I just hope they announce something for 2025 that resembles what we all want a World Golf Tour with the top players the remaining players on the DP the PGA Tour

And the the corn fairy tour getting together in events to qualify for the the show you know the double triaa baseball getting into the majors and then obviously the the actual majors in golf are like the World Series and the playoffs so I hope there’s some announcement I hope there’s actually

Some breakthrough because right now as we had talked about a year and a half ago when we you know I look at Indian cart in racing and it destroyed the sport this the the Schism destroyed the sport and I don’t want to see golf end up like tennis where it’s like going to

Be on Pay-per-view or you gotta get package level 17 on a cable network to get the tennis channel so um and by the way Formula 1 better get some competition you can’t have one team winning 21 of 22 events and yeah that’s crazy too so you got to have

Competition you got to have the best players playing together all the time and I just hope there’s something that happens here in Spring Roy maroy is saying that verbatim in the last week right so they’ve got him saying that he’s number one personality in golf at the moment um and

They have 540 I hope he doesn’t do a 720 and they have John ROM already over there um so you know who left really spe right the most important man in golf at the moment um so they’ll just I I think it’s all coming together it it’s it’s if

Slumbers goes to work uh for for the Saudis in some capacity then we’ll look back and say you know there’s another conspiracy theory that we were right about and it was a great move I mean I can’t let me ask you that I mean you’ve

Been sort of on that side of the fence for a long time that the Saudis were courting the open and the they for the RNA and Slumbers is now quitting suddenly H so if that comes true would you view it as a a yet another Master Stroke by the

Piff yeah absolutely I I you know when you put it when you frame it like that it’s a it’s I as I said I think I would like to see a lot more pressure placed on the PGA tournament that because I think that is what needs to happen to

Have a cordial golf ecosystem let’s phrase it like that yeah where they are actually getting along getting together and we’re going to stop all the crap and we’re going to have legit go back to a legitimate meritocracy in the sense that there’s ways to get from one place to the next

Legitimate people in the major the fact that you know like I said the fact that a tayor GU in in the present system it doesn’t qualify for any of the majors it’s crazy well I mean I think I will say this and then we gotta go not because the show’s over but because

We’re out of time yes the uh these things need to be longer they just do um imagine that the uh if if if Slumbers goes over there as as I guess we’re now maybe predicting I don’t know if we’re quite to the prediction stage but I I’m leaning in that

Direction um that he’s going to go work for the Saudis and make this thing happen if that happens and they seemingly have mroy on board now with the one Global Golf and they already have ROM and they already have the guys that are there kepka in the gang um dbo

DJ uh and and others uh cam Smith of course um Garcia that this starts to look very lopsided all of a sudden and and what would really just bring it all to a crashing end for any holdouts down in the rank and file on the PGA tour resisting this effort if the Open

Championship announces you know if it has to I guess if the deal still doesn’t come together by April and the Open Championship comes out and says yeah we’ve got a pathway now for live guys you know however many three five two doesn’t matter and they’re the only one that does that then

It’s game over cuz now you’ve picked off the open and the other three Majors will here’s the why do we say that audience and I know dark star’s wheels are already turning because the Open Championship will then by default look like the only major with the best

Field it’s the only real major at that point you can’t have a major if all these great players aren’t playing it’s no longer a major uh you want to throw in anything in here at the last minute yeah just really quickly mentioning spe his little blow

Up at Kevin kissner I think goes to show the frustration even though he’s not saying anything a lot of these guys are very frustrated I don’t think that bodess well for Jordan winning the PGA all right well for now B team is out Dr dark stars out if you’re a fan of the

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