Professional golf is at a crossroads, and not everyone knows about it. Rival golf leagues are popping up on every corner like McDonald’s, golfers are rumored to be taking their talents to greener pastures — in terms of money — and it’s tough for the casual golf fan to follow exactly what’s going on.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) still command the services of best players in the world — all independent contractors — but now those players have options in the form of LIV Golf and, technically, the Premier Golf League.
The volume surrounding LIV Golf has been turned up since the Genesis Invitational when Phil Mickelson’s controversial remarks regarding the Saudi Arabia regime, which is funding the league, were made public. The six-time major champion has been in hot water for the better part of three months for his integral role in the Saudi-backed golf series. In late April, Mickelson’s agent, Steve Loy, confirmed Lefty’s registration in LIV Golf’s first event.
Slowly but surely, other players are beginning to follow in Mickelson’s footsteps. There have been official announcements made by Robert Garrigus, Lee Westwood and Richard Bland along with unofficial claims made by the likes of Sergio Garcia, Jason Kokrak, and Adam Scott. Kevin Na, Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, and former World No. 1 Martin Kaymer have all been connected to LIV Golf through various reports.
On Tuesday, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told Sky Sports that 19 of the top 100 players in the world, six of whom rank inside the top 50, have committed to play in the inaugural event next month in London. While names have yet to officially surface, LIV Golf plans to divulge those to the public next week during the PGA Championship.
What is LIV Golf?
Currently run by Norman, LIV Golf is putting together an eight-tournament series starting this summer with some truly outrageous purses ($20 million in individual prizes, plus a $5 million team payout). These payouts are funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which Norman said just put up an additional $2 billion in funding, and this eight-event series is thought to be a forerunner to a full-blown year-long league. The goal is to expand to 10 tournaments in 2023 and 14 tournaments the following two years. The entire thing is already a bit of a mess, especially with distribution not going swimmingly and ticket prices absolutely soaring.
Who could play, and when?
Some names are mentioned above, but who else is even eligible? The PGA Tour allows players up to three “releases” per season to play on various worldwide tours. The Saudi International in February is an example of an event for which releases are given as it was part of the Asian Tour. A quid pro quo of sorts with the PGA Tour was agreed upon for those who chose to participate. Players who chose to play had to agree to play in a future AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am on the PGA Tour as the event was held the same week.
There are eight total LIV Golf events in 2022, and the PGA Tour is not expected to grant releases to all of them (the DP World Tour might take a different stance). Additionally, the PGA Tour does not grant waivers to tournaments in other leagues being played on North American soil when they coincide with PGA Tour weeks, which could be true for up to five of the eight LIV Golf tournaments. This means that a battle between leagues might not come on the golf course but rather in a courtroom.
Additionally, Norman will invite several top amateurs to join the 48-player fields.
The deadline for players to put in their request for the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London was April 25 with the PGA Tour’s decision set to come May 10. There were reportedly a grand total of 170 entries to play. Much will be made of those who are granted releases for the London event from June 9-11, but the PGA Tour is likely to grant releases to many players into that event.
The more significant point of contention comes in regards to the second LIV Golf event in Portland from July 1-3. The final three rounds of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic are scheduled for the same dates, and who is not there may be a bigger storyline than who is in contention.
LIV Golf participation list*
*unofficial
Dates: June 9-11
Location: Centurion Club — London, England
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Phil Mickelson |
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Lee Westwood |
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Martin Kaymer |
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Sergio Garcia |
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Robert Garrigus |
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Richard Bland |
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here