COLUMBUS, Ohio — Larger than a dozen PGA Tour players, along with two-time essential champion Dustin Johnson, are included throughout the space for the first LIV Golf Invitational Sequence event, which is perhaps carried out subsequent month exterior of London.
The itemizing of 42 players was launched by LIV Golf on Tuesday night time time. It moreover consists of longtime PGA Tour players Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel and Lee Westwood.
Six-time essential champion Phil Mickelson was not included on the itemizing of players launched on Tuesday. LIV Golf had beforehand acknowledged its events would include 48 players competing in 12 teams of 4 players. The last word six spots is perhaps stuffed by players invited by CEO Greg Norman and qualifiers from an Asian Tour event, LIV Golf acknowledged in a launch.
Mickelson, who skipped the Masters and PGA Championship, an event he acquired remaining 12 months, was among the many many players who requested a launch from the PGA Tour to compete throughout the first LIV Golf event, scheduled for June Sept. 11 at Centurion Golf Membership exterior London. Mickelson hasn’t carried out on the PGA Tour since missing the reduce on the Farmers Insurance coverage protection Open at Torrey Pines in late January.
Among the many many alternative PGA Tour players who will defy the PGA Tour by having fun with throughout the LIV Golf Invitational Sequence — which is being fronted by Norman, the two-time Open winner and former No. 1 participant, and financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund — are Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford. Brooks Koepka‘s brother, Chase, can also be among the many many LIV people.
The sector moreover consists of former Clemson star Turk Pettit, the 2021 NCAA explicit individual champion, and former Michigan State star James Piot, who acquired the 2021 U.S. Beginner.
Johnson, whose 24 PGA Tour victories embrace wins on the 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters, was crucial shock throughout the LIV space. On Feb. 20, shortly after Mickelson’s controversial suggestions regarding the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed” and the Saudi Arabian monarchy prompted a firestorm, Johnson issued an announcement, by which he acknowledged he was devoted to the PGA Tour.
“I actually really feel it is now time to position such speculation to leisure. I am completely devoted to the PGA Tour,” Johnson acknowledged. “I am grateful for the prospect to play on the best tour on the earth and for all it has provided me and my family.”
His agent, David Winkle, issued an announcement on Tuesday.
“Dustin has been contemplating the prospect off-and-on for the previous few years,” Winkle wrote. “Lastly, he decided it was in his and his family’s most interesting curiosity to pursue it. Dustin has on no account had an issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, nevertheless finally, felt this was too compelling to cross up.”
Norman acknowledged in an announcement that “Free firm has lastly come to golf.”
“This can be a probability to start a movement that may change the course of historic previous by bringing new and open opponents to the sport all of us love. The desire confirmed by the players to participate in LIV Golf demonstrates their emphatic notion in our model and confidence in what we’re setting up for the long term,” he acknowledged. “We couldn’t be happier on the vary of our space, that features players from world large along with essential champions and other people making their debut with us competing of their first expert event.”
Nonetheless, the preliminary LIV space shouldn’t be as strong as Norman and his group had envisioned. Quite a few excessive PGA Tour players, along with Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and others, pledged their loyalty to the tour.
“I received right here away from the U.S. PGA and really couldn’t care a lot much less about how rather a lot I made that week,” England’s Matt Fitzpatrick acknowledged Tuesday. “I was merely gutted that I didn’t win. I had a chance and I didn’t take it, and that type of acknowledged a lot to myself about myself that that’s all I’m bothered about out proper right here.
“That you must have info, I have to win tournaments, and for me, that’s the reason for now, the type of LIV Golf wouldn’t curiosity me. In 5 years, if swiftly that turns into the first tour, then clearly you type of rethink your selections. Nevertheless for now I’m out proper right here wanting to make sure I’m giving myself the best chance of profitable tournaments, profitable majors and going about my career like that.”
On Would possibly 10, the PGA Tour denied conflicting-event releases for its players to compete throughout the London event, which coincides with the Canadian Open in Ontario that week. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has suggested players that they will face self-discipline, along with potential suspensions and/or lifetime bans, by competing throughout the breakaway tour.
“We now have now notified those who have utilized that their request has been declined in accordance with the PGA Tour Occasion Legal guidelines,” the PGA Tour acknowledged in a memo to its players. “As such, Tour members mustn’t licensed to participate throughout the Saudi Golf League’s London event beneath our guidelines. As a membership group, we think about this dedication is in the best curiosity of the PGA Tour and its players.”
Norman referred to as the PGA Tour’s dedication to not grant releases to its players “anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive.” The DP World Tour, beforehand the European Tour, has moreover denied releases to its players.
Norman has argued that expert golfers are unbiased contractors and should be allowed to play wherever they want. He acknowledged his licensed group was in a position to downside the PGA Tour’s place in courtroom if needed.
“Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying expert golfers their correct to play golf, till it’s utterly in a PGA Tour occasion,” Norman acknowledged in an announcement. “Nevertheless it does not matter what obstacles the PGA Tour locations in our technique, we cannot be stopped. We’re going to proceed to current players selections that promote the good recreation of golf globally.”
The eight-event LIV assortment will operate 5 tournaments carried out within the USA. It could embrace seven regular-season events and a bunch championship match play finale at Trump Doral in Miami from Oct. 28 to 30. The second LIV event is scheduled for July 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Membership in Portland, Oregon.
The LIV Golf Invitational Sequence will embody 54-hole events, no cuts and shotgun begins “to verify a sooner and additional thrilling tempo.” There is perhaps a most of 48 players on 12 four-man teams at each event, and rosters is perhaps determined by a draft the week of the occasion.
Complete prize money for the eight events is perhaps $255 million, in step with LIV Golf Investments, and the seven regular-season tournaments might have complete purses of $25 million, which is perhaps the richest in expert golf, with $20 million particularly individual prizes and $5 million for the best three teams. The best three individuals after the seven regular-season events might even share a $30 million bonus.
The season-ending group match-play championship will current one different $50 million in prizes.
