There may come a day - and for many it is already here - when sportswashing is so common and accepted that it is no longer a talking point. But for me, it is not here yet.
Saudi Arabia has bought big boxing matches, a Formula 1 race and Newcastle United and Qatar has bought a World Cup. All participants have been rightly grilled on the issue.
So it is only right to quiz the golfers who are teeing up at the first Saudi-backed golf event at the Centurion Club this week - the LIV Golf Invitational London - on whether they feel they are being used to promote the Saudi regime. If they really care. And is there anywhere in the world where, as “independent contractors”, they would not ply their trade.
