I didn't think it possible to rig professional golf!!

But, at least to one extent, it appears as if the PGA is about to try it!!

With a hat-tip to my anonymous friend (a non-Tiger golf fan!!), Golf.com reports today that, as part of a ten-year extension of the title sponsorship of the season championship, players with rival sponsorships may no longer be able to play for the championship!!

That's right: If you have a sponsorship with UPS, PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan may be actively willing to exclude you from the season-long championship, even though the article on the possibility itself states that PGA rules allow the players, as independent contractors to...

"choose their sponsors, as long as they comply with maintaining the image and reputation of the Tour. The current Tour policy addresses alcohol, tobacco and gambling companies but not competitors of official Tour sponsors."

However, Monahan, in addressing the invoking of what is called a "category exclusivity clause", says:

"All I'm going to say on that front is when you're in business with someone for 30 years, and you're about to commit to 10 more, you do some things to protect each other on a long-term basis," Monahan said. "That's what we've done in this agreement, and our players know that; our players understand it; our players think so highly of FedEx and what they've meant to them in terms of playing financial opportunities. So we do everything we can to protect our partners." 

This means any player sponsored by a delivery service other than FedEx is OUT of the FedEx Cup and all associated tournaments in the event this goes through.

This would (and more thanks to my anonymous friend!) throw out of such competition future UPS-sponsored golfers from the FedEx Cup.  Two golfers, Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood, are currently sponsored by UPS and would be grandfathered in and allowed to continue their contracts.

Even so, their agent (and my anonymous friend!) both see the Pandora's Box this opens, because it won't take much longer for every sponsor on the Tour to want to invoke a similar clause -- say, the Sony Open and you end up having to throw out everybody sponsored by Cricket or Verizon or the like.

EDIT TO ADD 5/10 10 PM:  And my friend just came up with another great zinger!  What of the club and ball manufacturers?  Would this not mean that there would be a competition to put a lot of zeroes in front of Mr. Monahan and try to become the exclusive ball or clubs of the PGA Tour?  Not only that, but then Monahan would spin it as a means to equalize the equipment and allow the players to decide the tournaments!

Another sign of the Donald Trump-ing of American sports.  This might even go so far as to finish the PGA Tour, when you think of it...

DUMB MOVE, Monahan!!!