Q&A with former PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman

As a former PGA Tour winner who then went on to spend 20 years as PGA Tour Commissioner, Deane Beman has seen it all in professional golf.

Beman, 84, who ran the Tour from 1974 to 1994, was the architect behind making the Tour a billion-dollar business. He developed much of the business model still in use today, and while now devoted to enjoying retirement, playing golf as he likes to joke only on days ending in ‘Y,’ he remains is one of the brightest minds in golf. He still has plenty of opinions, especially on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf controversy. Here’s a short conversation held recently on the subject with Beman, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

GWK: Given that you created the playbook that the PGA Tour has been running all these years later since your retirement in 1994, I imagine you must be a tad bit annoyed at what’s happening in the world of professional golf with star players defecting to LIV Golf?

Deane Beman and course architect Pete Dye during TPC Sawgrass construction in 1980. (Photo by Bill Knight/PGA Tour)

DB: I’m not emotionally involved there. I can understand some of the older guys that aren’t looking forward to their career getting better but only worse. I can see them grabbing the money. It’s not something I probably would do myself. Hell, I took a cut in pay to turn pro and I took a cut in pay to become Commissioner. I was making more as a touring pro when I took the job as Commissioner. But everybody’s not me.

Sergio (Garcia) and players like that are grabbing the money and going, that’s fine. Overall, I don’t think the people putting up the money give a damn about the game of golf. They are trying to use what we built over decades, what I think is the most courageous and responsible sport that there is and that has integrity and respect for the rules and respect for the game and respect for competition, I don’t think the people putting up the money give a damn about any of that. They are putting up money for their own personal benefit. I don’t think it is good for the game of golf. I think what the head of the R&A (Martin Slumbers) said (during the British Open) is exactly right. He got it spot on. They’ve got all the money in the world. I don’t think what they are doing is sustainable financially unless they keep throwing money at it.

GWK: Did you fear something like this ever happening?

Then PGA Tour Commissioner…