Imagine LIV Golf banning a journalist for his reporting. Can’t? Well, it happened. Bill Hobson, the host of “Michigan Golf Live,” initially got the green light from LIV Golf for tournament credentials from Friday to Sunday. However, after he interviewed and then aired a podcast with Pat Perez, a former LIV golfer, LIV Golf told Hobson on Tuesday afternoon he’d no longer have access to media areas for the Team Championship.

But the question is: why did it happen at all? Hobson says LIV Golf took issue with two specific questions he asked – one about the tour’s funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and another about the rocky tenure of former CEO Greg Norman, who was replaced earlier this year. In January, LIV Golf named Scott O’Neil as Norman’s successor, after Norman had led the Saudi-backed league since its 2021 launch.

So, did asking about Norman really land Hobson in hot water? The journalist suggests so. “I had no desire whatsoever to have anything come out of this except for a fun conversation with a guy I find interesting, and that’s what I thought we had,” Hobson explains to The Detroit News, “When I do screw up, I’m pretty quick to say, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry.’ That didn’t happen here.”

LIV Golf confirmed that they pulled Hobson’s media credentials. In its statement, LIV Golf said, “LIV Golf values open and honest dialogue with media partners and has welcomed a wide range of perspectives since our inception. We are committed to working with journalists who approach interviews with fairness, integrity, and respect for the players and the sport.”

Hobson was instead offered complimentary grounds passes by LIV Golf – what they called a “revision” of his access. These passes would’ve let him in as a fan, but without media perks like questioning players like Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, or Brooks Koepka. Hobson turned down the offer and won’t attend the tournament.

However, this isn’t Hobson’s first run-in with LIV Golf. Back in June, during a radio spot on WJR 760-AM, he pressed LIV CEO Scott O’Neill about the league’s PIF funding, sparking pushback. Despite that history, Hobson’s credential for this week’s Team Championship was initially approved – until the interview with Pat Perez brought tensions flaring up again.

Perez, for his part, showed support to Hobson, saying, “It’ll be fine. I don’t think you were antagonizing in any way. You are entitled to your opinions and thoughts.” Interestingly, in his over 100 pro golf tournament coverage, this is the first time Hobson’s credentials have been rescinded.

The controversy isn’t without precedent. LIV Golf has locked horns with media outlets before. Though it’s rare for credentials to be revoked after being granted, LIV Golf’s rival league did the same thing ten years ago.

The PGA Tour has been down this road before…

In 2015, golf reporter Stephanie Wei had her media credentials yanked by the PGA Tour after she used Periscope, Twitter’s live-streaming app, during a practice round at the World Golf Championship Match Play in San Francisco. Wei, working for Fox International Channels and running her site “Wei Under Par,” said she was experimenting with Periscope on the range, following a group because she “thought it would be interesting and [would] spread fanfare for the Tour.”

The PGA Tour explained in an email that Wei’s credentials were revoked for the season due to “a history of violations of our media regulations, of which Stephanie had been made aware of throughout the process.” Joel Schuchmann, the Tour’s Senior Director of Communications, said.

Wei got backing from fellow reporters like Sports Illustrated‘s Alan Shipnuck, who tweeted, “No scribe has been to more events than @StephanieWei the last few years. Her passion/energy is unsurpassed. And now they’ve squashed her.” Back in 2015, leagues were scrambling to figure out policies for apps like Periscope and Meerkat. MLB wasn’t banning fans from using them, and the NFL let journalists live-stream the amateur draft.

A decade later, the PGA Tour still has tight media rights rules – they own exclusive rights to tournaments, requiring players to hand over media rights and strictly governing all content use. So, yes, such cases may be rare, but they do happen across professional circuits.