Former major winner Graeme McDowell fronted a press conference for the new Saudi-backed rebel tour. It quickly turned ugly. 9WWOS
Another former major winner — Graeme McDowell — was left at a news conference trying to publicly reconcile causing fractures in golf by signing for the rebel series that appears to be part of Saudi Arabia's attempt to reshape its image as a backer of lavish sports events rather than one associated with human rights abuses.The Northern Irish golfer, who won the U.S.
The fund is providing the hundreds of millions of dollars in sign-on fees and prize money that is enticing players away from the established tours and jeopardising their participation in the majors and Ryder Cup.McDowell tried to avoid discussing the specifics of the country he is effectively working for.
How, though, McDowell was asked, is that journey helping women who are oppressed in Saudi Arabia, the LGBTQ individuals whose rights to live freely are criminalised, the migrant workers whose rights are violated, the victims of the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, or the 81 men who were executed by the kingdom in March?
McDowell did most of the talking on Saudi rights issues, with two-time major winner Johnson responding earlier: “I would pretty much say the exact same thing. I’d agree with what Graeme said.” The series is being overseen by Greg Norman with 54-hole tournaments and a shotgun start that sees every group start at the same time on different holes. The winner gets $5.5 million, while last place gets $166,000.
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