Saudi Arabia is investing enormous resources into creating tourist attractions to lure global businesses to the Kingdom and convince them to remain. They hope that with an assortment of sights to see and activities to participate in as well as places to stay they will convince global companies that Saudi Arabia offers plenty of reasons for them to remain.
LIV Golf, organized by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, has caused outrage among golf traditionalists.
It’s personal
Dave Davies of Fresh Air and Alan Blinder from The New York Times discuss why Saudi Arabia is making golf such an integral part of their culture.
The kingdom invested hundreds of millions into an alternative golf league that was meant to rival PGA tour, creating an uproar and upsetting many. While PGA has expressed deep displeasure with this move, details on what was agreed upon remain obscure due to being negotiated behind closed doors.
Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A high-ranking official who enjoys close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, al-Rumayyan has his hands in several different ventures such as state-owned oil giant Aramco as well as having acquaintances such as Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia among his personal friends. An avid golfer himself with an 11 handicap handicap score he sees golf as an effective means of elevating PIF brand awareness.
It’s business
At first glance, it may appear to be sportswashing by Saudi Arabia–using sport as an attempt by an authoritarian regime to divert attention away from human rights violations, harsh foreign policies, and their devastating war in Yemen. But that doesn’t give an accurate account.
Saudis are investing a considerable amount in golf. They’ve invested hundreds of millions to launch an alternative tour that competes with the PGA tour, drawing in both veteran golfers as well as promising young talent with prize pools, appearance fees and signing bonuses that dwarf anything offered on its calendar.
But it will be an uphill struggle: both the PGA and its players remain opposed to a deal that would merge both tours into one company, with Jay Monahan serving as CEO and Yasir Al-Rumayyan overseeing as chairman of the board; that means Saudis would have first right of refusal on investments as well as considerable influence over it all.
It’s a way to get one over on Qatar
Human rights groups have strongly condemned Saudi Arabia for investing in golf, soccer and boxing as part of a strategy known as sportswashing, an attempt to conceal their oppressive regime and cruel treatment of women and LGBT people as well as its participation in Yemen’s devastating civil war. A new golf league may further infuriate traditionalists.
BLINDER: The person responsible for running the golf league is a governor at Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – its sovereign wealth fund – which makes him close to both crown prince, de facto ruler and many different aspects of kingdom life.
His goal in creating the golf league was to outwit Qatar, which has ambitions of becoming an international sports powerhouse and is competing with Saudi Arabia for regional supremacy. That is why he brought in veteran designers like Nicklaus and Norman to craft courses that fit within their aesthetic and feel like those that exist elsewhere.
It’s a way to buy legitimacy
Saudi Arabia and golf represent two facets of its overall strategy in many ways. Their promotion plan mirrors that used by their national soccer team, who has become powerhouses as they prepare to host this year’s World Cup tournament.
Saudi Arabia has turned to sports as a tool to improve its global image, to deflect criticism of its harsh foreign policy and treatment of women, minorities and LGBTQ people – an ownership in golf is one effective means by which Saudi Arabia does this.
So when the Public Investment Fund and its new tour launched, it did so with an eye toward buying legitimacy – which they did successfully. Now the question remains as to whether Saudis can sustain their ambitions over time, particularly as they’re embroiled in a lawsuit with Qatar that may have devastating effects on global golf.
