I've never paid a great deal of attention to golf, subscribing as I do to Mark Twain's observation that it's a good walk ruined. I covered golf as a sporting event back in the Stone Ages when I worked in television and it's a tough sport to cover well (one of the reasons I no longer cover it) but cynic that I am, I think I prefer bowling because you can have boneless chicken wings and drink beer at the same time.
Over the weekend LIV Golf was hosted at the Trump National Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. I've never had the pleasure to visit Bedminster, much less pay my respects to the final resting place of Ivana Trump, the first wife of the former President and not-yet-indicted co-conspirator and insurrectionist, but there's a chance I have to believe their luck will run out.
From what I read, there wasn't quite the demand by spectators for tickets that might have been anticipated especially since the host was a larger-than-life (and most objects in it) orange impersonation of P. T. Barnum, and while a sucker may be born every minute, the mugs stayed away in droves.
Apparently, a not inconsiderable number of folks have terribly accurate and absolutely horrible memories associated with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who more or less owns LIV Golf and the educational pursuits, especially aeronautical training, of some of their citizens a little more than two decades ago. Not surprisingly, everyone's Favorite President (at least in his own mind) had a curious but delightfully profit-driven motive for his own perspective on history.
And there's also the small and uncomfortable matter of the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi and the alleged involvement of Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud making me wonder if those who competed at Bedminster were expected to have both a sand wedge AND a bone saw in their golf bags.
My most favorite fun fact about LIV Golf is the origin of the name which "is a reference to the Roman numeral for 54, the score if every hole on a par-72 course were birdied and the number of holes to be played at LIV events."
I'm impressed. I thought for sure they'd call it CMXI especially since no one on this side of the sand trap would have noticed.
-bill kenny
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