Marc Leishman Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

‘It would be a fun plane ride to Miami’: Leishman and Rippers target a hat-trick of wins in Jeddah

Matt Smith — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:56:15 +0000

Marc Leishman shot a five-under 65 to lead by one in the first round of the regular season-ending LIV Golf event at Royal Greens & Country Club. The Ripper player has rediscovered his form to sit one stroke ahead of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Harold Varner III — and this weekend could be a triple celebration for the Rippers as captain Cameron Smith leads the season-long Individual Championship race, and the Rippers themselves sit atop of the Jeddah team standings alongside Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers.

Next up is the Team Championship in Florida, and Leishman said it would be the perfect way to head into the 2023 finale with three trophies in the bag from Saudi.

“It would be a fun plane ride to Miami,” he told Golf Digest Middle East. “But we are all process guys and we try not to get too far ahead of ourselves. That hasn’t even entered any of our heads I don’t think. But that would certainly be a good way to end the regular season and go into Miami next week. It might not be so good for the golf next week, but it would certainly be a lot of fun.”

It is early days in Jeddah however, with two more rounds to go and with Johnson, Koepka and Varner — all previous winners at Royal Greens — breathing down his neck, Leishman is just taking it one step at a time, while also battling the course over the next two days.

“It was pretty tough,” he said of his round. “There was a fair bit of wind, and it was nice to be finding the middle of the face. I played pretty well today and made a couple of good putts to go along with it. When the conditions are tough like they were today, it’s nice to get a good score on the board, and hopefully I can keep it going for the rest of the weekend.

“It’s quite difficult when the wind is blowing like it is at the moment. But growing up in a really windy place, I enjoy that, and I think that’s a big part of my success in the wind maybe. Hopefully I can continue playing like I did today and have two more low scores.”

Asked if a team win would give Rippers a boost ahead of Miami next week, Leishman added: “Definitely. Yeah, next week is a huge week for the team. We got close there last year finishing second, and I know all the boys want to try and go one better than that.

“Obviously, it is a big week this week, but next week is going to be hopefully another week of good golf and we can try and get a win on the board.”

Main Image: Marc Leishman. LIV Golf

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Leishman maintains his hold at the top in LIV Golf Tucson

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 06:20:32 +0000

Marc Leishman. LIV Golf

Marc Leishman hasn’t had many opportunities in recent years to enter the final round of a golf tournament as the solo leader.

“There’s been a few here and there,” the 39-year-old Ripper GC member said. “But it’s been a year or two.”

He’ll get to reacquaint himself with the pressure now after shooting a second-round 66 to move to 11-under at LIV Golf Tucson. That gives him a two-shot lead over Sergio Garcia going into Sunday’s final round at The Gallery Golf Club.

“Obviously you play early in the tournament to try to put yourself into a good position, and I’ve played well enough to do my first part of the job,” said Leishman, who’s seeking his 14th career pro victory. “But there’s probably more than half the work to do tomorrow.”

In the team competition, Garcia’s Fireballs have slept on the lead as recently as last October when they won LIV Golf Bangkok. Unlike that tournament, when the Fireballs entered the final day with a seven-shot lead, their lead this time is much smaller.

Thanks to Garcia’s 6-under 65, Eugenio Chacarra’s 67 and Carlos Ortiz’ 68, the Fireballs are at 22-under — just one shot ahead of Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers. Cameron Smith’s Ripper are another four shots back.

“Obviously super happy about how the team has done the first two days, even more so today. Very, very strong day,” said Garcia, the Fireballs captain. “We still have to do more of the same. If we think that it’s done, that it’s over, then we’re going to get passed left and right.”

Indeed, with three counting scores, the potential for volatility on the team leaderboard was on full display Saturday. First-round leaders Torque had the least productive day of any of the 12 teams and fell into a tie for eighth. At one point midway in the second round, four teams shared the lead before the Fireballs grabbed the initiative down the stretch.

“We’ve seen over the past 10 events how quickly leaderboards can change out on the golf course with a team,” said Oosthuizen, whose Stinger are seven shots back. “Five, six behind is not a lot from the team aspect. You need three guys to play really well, and hopefully we can put three good rounds together tomorrow.”

The HyFlyers had three terrific rounds on Saturday to shoot a cumulative 15-under, best of any team, thanks to Brendan Steele’s 65, Cameron Tringale’s 66 and Mickelson’s 67. The HyFlyers had a share of third place in one tournament during the inaugural 2022 Invitational Series but now find themselves with their best chance to claim a team trophy.

“We’re going to have to be really aggressive,” said Steele, who joined LIV Golf this season as one of six new members. “We’re going to have to keep doing what we did today because obviously the scores were really good today.”

Leishman also may have to be aggressive in order to fend off his chasers, as eight players are within four shots of the lead.

One of those is Charles Howell III, tied for third at 8-under with Tringale, Steele and Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen. Howell won the season-opening LIV Golf Mayakoba with a final-round eight-under 63. Is there another 63 out there for the taking on the South Course?

“Probably not for me, maybe for someone else,” said Howell, who plays for Crushers. “I think the hole locations are really difficult. I think it’s really hard to get the ball close, the slope and the greens and all that. You’ve got to putt really well to do that because you’re not going to hit close very often. You’ve got to take advantage of the par 5s to do it.

“It may be out there but it’s going to be one heck of a round to do it.”

Leishman realises he’ll enter Sunday with a target on his back.

“There’s a lot of great players that are just behind me,” he said. “It’s a course where you can make a lot of birdies, and if you’re a little bit off, you can make a lot of others. So you can lose a lead quickly, or you can extend it.

“I just need to do my job, hopefully do as good as I can, and see where we end up at the end of the day.”

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Back to business: Leishman rips a 65 to lead the way at LIV Golf Tucson

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 07:01:42 +0000

Australian Marc Leishman played mostly social golf during his extended off-season. Even though he’s back to business, he’s maintained his relaxed approach — and it paid off on Friday at LIV Golf Tucson.

Team Ripper’s Leishman opened with a six-under 65 at The Gallery South Course to grab a one-shot lead over Abraham Ancer of the Fireballs, Smash’s Matthew Wolff and Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen. 4 Aces’ Peter Uihlein and Torque teammates Joaquin Niemann and David Puig are tied for fifth, two shots behind.

“I’m enjoying my golf at the moment … Playing with no consequences over the off-season kind of gave me a little bit of confidence with some of the shots I hit and how they turned out,” said the 39-year-old Leishman, who is seeking his 14th career pro victory.

In the team competition, Torque lead at 10-under thanks to counting rounds by Niemann (67), Puig (67) and Sebastian Munoz (69). The Spanish-speaking team is one shot ahead of three teams — Smash, Fireballs and Iron Heads .

Torque come off their first-ever podium finish, a third-place at LIV Golf Mayakoba. The next step for captain Niemann and his crew is a first-place celebration.

“I’m pretty excited to see what’s going to happen on the weekend,” Niemann said of Torque, the youngest of the 12 LIV Golf League teams.

The youngest player is the 21-year-old Puig, who played collegiately at Arizona State in Tempe before turning pro last year to become a LIV Golf member. Puig recently played a practice round with Arizona State legend Phil Mickelson and carded 11 birdies. He produced seven on Friday, tying for the most in the field.

“It’s nice to see David playing great,” Niemann said. “Pretty cool to see him scoring well. The practice rounds, you could tell he was feeling like home.”

As for the affable Leishman, he and his Ripper teammates — captained by reigning Open Champion Cameron Smith — are building the type of camaraderie they hope will manifest itself into team trophies. Next month, LIV Golf travels to Australia for the first time, with huge crowds expected for LIV Golf Adelaide.

“It’ll be nice to be able to play in front of home crowds in Adelaide, which is a really cool city,” Leishman said. “They love their sport. Certainly excited to get down there and just showcase what we’ve got with LIV.”

The immediate focus, of course, will be on the final two rounds of LIV Golf Tucson. Saturday’s tickets have been sold out. Leishman and the players chasing after him hope to feed off their energy.

“I actually holed a nice putt in 16 in front of the Birdie Shack,” Leishman said. “It was nice to make a birdie in front of there and get a nice cheer.”

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Arrival of Cameron Smith has Aussies Wade Ormsby and co punching hard on LIV Golf ahead of Chicago

Matt Smith — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:52:09 +0000

By Matt Smith
Wade Ormsby has fired a warning to his rivals at this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Chicago, as his Punch team are now a force to be reckoned with.

The 42-year-old was thrilled to welcome Cameron Smith as his team captain for the Boston event two weeks ago and, along with the arrival of Marc Leishman to the all-Australian line-up, results have rapidly improved. Punch were last in Portland and 11th out of 12 in Bedminster, before the new-look side vaulted to sixth in Boston. And Ormsby is sure a spot on the podium is theirs for the taking this time around at Rich Harvest Farms.

“It was great for Team Punch to have a nice boost with a couple of superstar players,” the three-time winner told his Asian Tour. “They have a huge pedigree. Cam comes in fantastic form and Leish is a fantastic player. So, along with Matt Jones, who is playing good golf, I have three really strong guys as part of my team.

“Straight away, you can see Cam is a world-class player. He is right there at the peak of his powers. That just gave us a huge boost.”

Ormsby finished 43rd out of 48 in Boston, while Smith was T4 and Leishman and Jones both T26.

“I would have personally liked to play a fraction better than I did,” Ormsby added. “But the game is coming back around now. So hopefully, I can be of more help.”

Wade Ormsby

Ormsby is understandably delighted to have Smith on board, despite the storm that came with his fellow Aussie’s arrival from the PGA Tour.

“There’s a lot going on around Cam,” he said. “He is such a huge signing for LIV. So, there is that pressure as well, apart from whatever else good or bad is being said about him. But, I think once he gets inside the ropes and plays golf, he’s still playing tournament golf.

“I wasn’t surprised at all that he showed up and performed straight away. He has obviously got a lot of good stuff in there. He is a great ball striker, he has got fantastic mental processes going on, and then there is his short game and putting … he is the best in the game there is.

“It’s nice being in the team box when someone’s playing as well as Cam is. It’s always nice to be around such people. There’s a lot of good stuff happening, a lot of good energy coming off them. As a team, we will try to feed off Cam. It’s only good when you’re around guys like that.”

Team contributions are key to success for Ormsby, with Leishman and Jones also adding to the bigger Punch picture.

“Mattie is the same age as myself and we came through Australian golf at the same time and turned pro,” he said. “Marc has had an amazing career, and he’s just a really good guy overall. I think all three of them are so down-to-earth, which makes it easy. There are no massive egos in the team, which is fantastic.

“It just makes it easy for anyone just to rock up and get along, even though I spend most of my career in Europe and Asia. It’s nice to click straight away as a team.”

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith in Boston

Ormsby is disappointed at the DP World Tour’s attempt to block LIV golfers — where he first player in 2004. He now spends most of his time on the Asian Tour and is quite happy with how things are progressing on the continent thanks to contributions and promotion form Golf Saudi.

“We’ve got an amazing new partner in Golf Saudi, and we all know how much they have supported the Asian Tour,” he said. “I think it’s the most exciting time the Tour has ever seen. I’m just happy to be part of it. I’m happy to be over there a lot more.

“And it’s close to home. That’s fantastic for me. Any combination between LIV Golf and the (Asian Tour) International Series, and the fact that individual events on the Asian Tour continue to become stronger, is a very exciting schedule for me going forward.

“The Asian Tour is going to be high on the priority list for a lot of players around the world to come and play as it continues to evolve into a new, stronger Tour. The International Series is such an exciting addition to the existing Asian Tour. I know it’s going to be an enviable Tour worldwide.

“It’s been nearly 20-odd years I’ve played in Europe, so that’s kind of sad in a way that you’re not gonna go that way, but nothing is forever. There’s always got to be an end. I guess I am lucky that I have got these new opportunities and I’m really excited about it.

“We’re all in different phases of our life. I’ve got a young daughter and I want to be closer to her and see her grow up, but I still want to play world golf. I’m trying to compete at the highest stage I possibly can. I feel like the balance is back in my favour.”

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LIV Golf Boston pairings: Cameron Smith to make bow alongside Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson

Matt Smith — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 10:21:24 +0000

Cameron Smith at the LIV Golf Invitational pro-am at The International outside Boston. LIV Golf

By Matt Smith
New recruit, world No. 2 and Open champion Cameron Smith will tee off his first-ever round alongside fellow major winners Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson at The International outside Boston on Friday.

Watch the action live here!

The Australian is in good company in one of the LIV Golf fourth event’s marquee groups with American Masters and US Open champ Johnson, plus Sweden’s 2016 Open winner Stenson.

Stenson won the individual tournament on his LIV debut last time out in Bedminster, while DJ’s 4 Aces have claimed the last two team titles.

Smith’s fellow new recruit and fellow Punch team member Marc Leishman goes out with Hy Flyers captain Phil Mickelson and Fireballs skipper Sergio Garcia.

Chilean No. 1 Joaquin Niemann will make his bow alongside big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch in the shotgun start (1.15pm local time, 9.15pm UAE).

MORE: LOOK: The LIV Golf standings ahead of fourth event
Ones to watch at LIV Golf Invitational Boston

Round 1 groups for LIV Golf Invitational Series Boston

Hole 1: Henrik Stenson, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson
Hole 2: Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch, Bryson DeChambeau
Hole 3: Harold Varner III, Patrick Reed, Paul Casey
Hole 4: Anirban Lahiri, Jason Kokrak, Ian Poulter
Hole 5: Kevin Na, Charles Howell III, Bernd Wiesberger
Hole 6: Wade Ormsby, Richard Bland, Sadom Kaewkanjana
Hole 7: Shaun Norris, Jediah Morgan, Sihwan Kim
Hole 8: Phachara Khongwatmai, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, Chase Koepka
Hole 10: Laurie Canter, Scott Vincent, James Piot
Hole 11: Turk Pettit, Graeme McDowell, Peter Uihlein
Hole 12: Pat Perez, Hudson Swafford, Sam Horsfield
Hole 13: Adrian Otaegui, Matt Jones, Charl Schwartzel
Hole 15: Carlos Ortiz, Branden Grace, Cameron Tringale
Hole 16: Lee Westwood, Matthew Wolff, Martin Kaymer
Hole 17: Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Marc Leishman
Hole 18: Abraham Ancer, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen

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It’s official: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann confirm signing with LIV Golf

Matt Smith — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:15:51 +0000

By Matt Smith
World No.2 Cameron Smith is finally heading to LIV Golf — and he is not alone.

WATCH the LIV Golf action live here!

The Australian will be joined by compatriot Marc Leishman and the top player under the age of 25 — Joaquin Neimann — when the new series tees off its fourth event at The International, Bolton, Massachusetts, this week.

Welcome to LIV Cameron Smith ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/XhZeAyneyg

— LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) August 30, 2022

Smith had widely been reported to be joining LIV Golf ever since his Open Championship win at St Andrews in July — something he has never denied — and reports suggest he has signed on for $100 million.

Chilean Niemann will also be in the field after his manger Carlos Rodriguez confirmed to AP that he is on the way.

Niemann is the highest-ranked player in the world under the age of 25 and, along with Smith, will be regarded as a big miss on the PGA Tour, who have suspended any players who compete in LIV Golf.

Leishman will be one of a number of Australians in the LIV Golf ranks as CEO Greg Norman looks to put an Antipodean team together, to line up alongside Dustin Johnson’s all-American 4 Aces, the Spanish-speaking Fireballs the Japanese Torque and the cream of Europe at Majesticks.

Also joining up for Boston is India star Anirban Lahiri and American Harold Varner III.

Here is the full line-up for the fourth LIV Golf event at The international.

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LIV Golf: Cameron Smith has ‘no comment’ on report that he is moving from PGA

Matt Smith — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 05:02:55 +0000

By Shane Ryan
For most of Tuesday, the emails from the PGA Tour communications team said the same thing: Cameron Smith, No. 2 golfer in the world, would be speaking to the assembled media at the FedEx St Jude Championship at 5.15pm CT ahead of the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The events of the day made that outcome seem increasingly unlikely, but the tune didn’t change: Smith was coming.

Earlier in the afternoon, The Telegraph reported that Smith had come to terms with LIV Golf following months of negotiations, and that the final total he’d be paid to jump to the new circuit was $100 million — a number that perhaps grew after his win at the Open Championship.

Smith’s intent was to compete in the playoffs before joining LIV, The Telegraph reported, but he would forfeit his right to join the International Presidents Cup team by playing in the next LIV event outside of Boston in early September. The report followed on the heels of another curious development, when Australian pro Cameron Percy told hosts on an Australian radio program that both Smith and another countryman, Marc Leishman, were heading to LIV.

MORE: PGA Tour wins court battle over LIV Golf to prevent banned players from competing in FedEx Cup
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“Unfortunate, yeah, they’re gone,” he said, sparking a media furore and eliciting a phone call from Andy Pazder, PGA Tour chief tournaments and competitions officer. Later, speaking to Australian Golf Digest, Percy said, “Look, I was just conveying what was said in the locker room during the many rain delays we’ve had on tour the past few weeks.”

Speculation about Smith’s future has swirled for a while, his answer to the critical question after he won the Open Championship reading as a potential signal that he was on the way out. Weeks passed, no action was taken, and Smith arrived in Memphis for the first playoff event, fully intending to play through to the Tour Championship and attempt to win the $18 million first prize. He had a good chance, too; his dual victories at the Players Championship and the Open positioned him in second place in the FedEx Cup points standings at the end of the regular season, trailing only Scottie Scheffler.

Somewhat surprisingly, at 5pm on Tuesday — just as a weather horn sounded on the property at TPC Southwind and the fans were evacuated from the premises — Smith entered the media centre and the press conference began. After one question about golf, he was asked about a possible departure to LIV.

“My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs,” he said. “That’s all I’m here for. If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy. I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”

A follow-up about The Telegraph report elicited another non-answer.

“I have no comment to that,” he said. “Like I said, I’m here to play the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That’s been my focus the last week and a half, that’s what I’m here to do, I’m here to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs.”

As to the Presidents Cup, scheduled for September 22-25 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, he still professed excitement at the prospect of playing.

“Absolutely, yeah,” he said. “That’s something that we’ve been looking forward to for the last three years. We missed a year because of COVID, and that’s something that I look forward to being a part of.”

Of course, his chances of playing in the Presidents Cup are slim to none if he plays in the LIV Boston event three weeks earlier, but when asked a final question specifically about that LIV tournament, he shook his head at the reporter and basically repeated his previous statement.

To date, PGA Tour policy has been that a player is not suspended until he plays in a LIV Golf event. Smith could earn millions of dollars in the playoffs, and then move on to LIV afterward.

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Team spirit: Your 2022 Zurich Classic tee times

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 06:01:48 +0000

Australians’ Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith take a selfie with the trophy after winning the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Stacy Revere

By Greg Gottfried

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler returns to action this week for the PGA Tour’s only full-field team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’ll partner with Ryan Palmer, a winner in 2019, and they’ll be one of the 80 duos looking to defeat the defending champs, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman.

With four-ball (best ball) on Thursday and Saturday and foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday and Sunday, the Zurich Classic’s fifth year as a team tournament will feature captivating star pairings and even one father-son squad.

Jay and Bill Haas will tee off this week, the former playing at age 68. So will Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter. Not only are the pairings fun, but last year’s event went to extra holes as the Australian team Leishman and Smith outlasted South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

The winning team will receive 400 FedEx Cup points per player and a $2,398,700 million share of the $8.3 million purse.

TEE TIMES: FIRST ROUND

First tee

8am
Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon
Martin Laird/Robert MacIntyre

8.13am
Austin Cook-Jason Dufner
Bo Van Pelt-Ben Martin

8.26am
Danny Lee-Sangmoon Bae
Seung-Yul Noh-Michael Kim

8.39am
Keith Mitchell-Brandt Snedeker
Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown

8.52am
Lucas Glover-Chez Reavie
Garrick Higgo-Branden Grace

9.05am
Robert Streb-Troy Merritt
Sung Kang-John Huh

9.18am
Scott Piercy-Sean O’Hair
Tommy Gainey-Robert Garrigus

9.31am
Hank Lebioda-Chase Seiffert
Denny McCarthy-Ben Kohles

9.44am
Adam Hadwin-Adam Svensson
Matthew NeSmith-Taylor Moore

9.57am
Michael Gligic-Ryan Armour
Dawie van der Walt-Brett Drewitt

1.05pm
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

1.18pm
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

1.31pm
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

1.44pm
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

1.57pm
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

2.10pm
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

2.23pm
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

2.36pm
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

2.49pm
Alex Smalley-Hayden Buckley
Lee Hodges-Vince Whaley

3.02pm
Curtis Thompson-Nick Hardy
Seth Reeves-Jared Wolfe

10th tee

8am
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

8.13am
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

8.26am
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

8.39am
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

8.52am
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

9.05am
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

9.18am
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

9.31am
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

9.44am
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

9.57am
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

1.05pm
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

1.18pm
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

1.31pm
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

1.44pm
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

1.57pm
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

2.10pm
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

2.23pm
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

2.36pm
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

2.49pm
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

3.02pm
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

SECOND ROUND

First tee

9.20am
Matt Wallace-Sam Horsfield
Alex Noren-Henrik Norlander

9.31am
Jason Day-Jason Scrivener
Joel Dahmen-Stephan Jaeger

9.42am
Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
Brian Stuard-Russell Knox

9.53am
Lucas Herbert-Arjun Atwal
Jim Herman-Vaughn Taylor

10.04am
Seamus Power-Graeme McDowell
J.T. Poston-Patton Kizzire

10.15am
Brendon Todd-Chris Kirk
Sungjae Im-Byeong Hun An

10.26am
Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard
Tyler Duncan-Adam Schenk

10.37am
Cameron Tringale-Wyndham Clark
Maverick McNealy-Joseph Bramlett

10.48am
Patrick Rodgers-Brandon Wu
Scott Gutschewski-D.A. Points

10.59am
Max McGreevy-Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama-Kiradech Aphibarnrat

1.35pm
Chad Ramey-Joshua Creel
Martin Trainer-Jim Knous

1.46pm
Trey Mullinax-Wesley Bryan
Aaron Rai-David Lipsky

1.57pm
Bill Haas-Jay Haas
Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman

2.08pm
Cameron Smith-Marc Leishman
Viktor Hovland-Collin Morikawa

2.19pm
Sergio Garcia-Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton-Danny Willett

2.30pm
Talor Gooch-Max Homa
Shane Lowry-Ian Poulter

2.41pm
Kevin Tway-Kelly Kraft
Richy Werenski-Peter Uihlein

2.52pm
Brandon Hagy-Cameron Percy
Doc Redman-Sam Ryder

3.03pm
Will Zalatoris-Davis Riley
Sahith Theegala-Beau Hossler

3.14pm
Justin Lower-Dylan Wu
Callum Tarren-David Skinns

10th tee

9.20am
Sepp Straka-Greyson Sigg
Adam Long-Bo Hoag

9.31am
Brice Garnett-Scott Stallings
Chesson Hadley-Jonathan Byrd

9.42am
Emiliano Grillo-Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Charl Schwartzel-Christiaan Bezuidenhout

9.53am
Scottie Scheffler-Ryan Palmer
Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele

10.04am
Sam Burns-Billy Horschel
Bubba Watson-Harold Varner III

10.15am
Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson
Joaquin Niemann-Mito Pereira

10.26am
James Hahn-Kevin Chappell
Kyle Stanley-Camilo Villegas

10.37am
Harry Higgs-Austin Smotherman
Doug Ghim-Matthias Schwab

10.48am
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At the Saudi International, the Super Golf League is all anyone is talking about

Kent Gray — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 03:35:45 +0000

Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Ian Poulter has reportedly been offered up to £22 million to align to the Saudi-backed breakaway league.

By Kent Gray
All going according to schedule, an actual golf tournament threatens to break out at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club today. Just don’t expect the conversation to shift much from breakaway leagues and geopolitics, perhaps not until a brief moment down the stretch on Sunday.

Up until Thursday morning, all the focus has been LIV Golf Investments, initially after the Saudi company announced an increase to their stake in the Asian Tour’s new International Series to $300 million, and then, by extension, to the mooted Super Golf League.

Phil Mickelson has been the most vocal on the proposed LIV Golf league thus far, saying the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed” around media rights meant he was looking. Lee Westwood reckoned the established tours were facing something of a comeuppance given the fiscal “threat” the Asian Tour had suddenly become. Dustin Johnson, meanwhile, said he thought the concept for the Saudi-backed breakaway, reportedly including a teams component, was “really good”.

“I think it makes it a little more interesting for the fans and for the players. Yeah, I like the concept,” said the Saudi International’s two-time defending champion.

Would you be tempted to take part?

“We’ll see.”

British newspapers reported overnight that Ian Poulter had been offered up to £22 million by LIV Golf, which like the Saudi International is bankrolled by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund, but would have to turn his back on his beloved Ryder Cup to cash in.

Is that what you’re hearing, Dustin?

Dustin Johnson has won two of the thus far three Saudi International events in KAEC near Jeddah. The event has switched from the European Tour to become the Asian Tour’s new “flagship” season-opener in 2022.

“I can’t speak for Ian. Yeah, I’m sure they’re — well, yeah, obviously whether they have or haven’t, I’m not allowed to disclose. You’d have to ask Ian on that one.

But you haven’t had a similar offer?

“No, not similar. (Laughter) It’s just not similar.”

In his media conference to help preview the Asian Tour’s $5 million season-opener, the juicy bits were Mickelson’s thoughts on the breakaway concept which is causing the PGA Tour and DP World Tour much consternation.

“I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there’s parts of it that they’re probably concerned with,” the reigning U.S. PGA Championship champion said.

Luke Walker/WME IMG
Phil Mickelson poses with Greg Norman, CEO of Liv Golf Investments during a practice round ahead of the Saudi International. Norman is overseeing the possible creation of the Super Golf League.

“I’m appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour, meaning we would not have an incentive programme like the PIP for the top players without this type of competition. We would not have the increase in the FedEx Cup money. We would not have the increase in The Players Championship to $20 million this year if it wasn’t for this threat. It was projected to get there in a couple years. To have a season-long payout for the top 10 guys on the FedEx Cup list came about last year for the first time at 10 million, it’s going to double to 20, I think, and that wouldn’t be around.

“I’m appreciative of the competition, and what my hopes are is that the biggest thing, which are media rights and the way the players have been used for so long, I hope that that changes through the competitive opportunity, as well.

Are you able to tell us if you’ve had a direct offer to play in the Super League eventually?

“I think every player has been contacted. I don’t think there’s a player that hasn’t been.

So that’s a yes?

“It’s a softer way of saying, of answering your question directly. I’m just saying that pretty much every player that is in the top 100 I would say in the World Ranking has been contacted at some point, absolutely.

Westwood, who has been competing on the Asian Tour for the best part of three decades and has won on the circuit six-times, reckons golf’s traditional tours find themselves in a game of poker with an opponent they’d previously not taken seriously.

Lee Westwood in action during Wednesday’s Pr0-Am. (Photo: Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour).

“Well, the players of the other tours see the Asian Tour as a threat now, don’t they, because of the huge investment [from LIV Golf],” said Westwood.

“It’s kind of like a game of poker really where the European Tour and the PGA Tour have had the biggest hand, and now there’s somebody else come to the table with more chips, so everybody is on their guard and very defensive and are clearly seeing the Asian Tour as a threat. Nobody can deny that. There wouldn’t have been all this trouble with releases and things like that if that wasn’t the case.

“Yeah, I can see why they feel threatened, but at the same time, the PGA Tour and the European Tour have gone into areas I suppose in the Asian Tour’s path over the years and never had any problem playing tournaments all over Asia and the Middle East, which I think has probably cost Asia, as well.

“Now that the Asian Tour has this backing, it appears to me like they’re just doing what the PGA Tour and the European Tour have been doing the last 25 years.”

Do you like the team aspect linked to the LIV league, Lee?

“I don’t know whether I want to answer questions on that. I’ve signed an NDA.”

With that, Westwood answered anyway.

“Well, coming at it from my perspective, you can ask Helen, but when I’m at home I watch a lot of sport but not a lot of that sport is golf because it seems to me it’s just 72-hole stroke play week in and week out, and when I’m playing it, I’ve had enough of it by then. The weeks and days that I would watch I would turn on for the Ryder Cup if I wasn’t in it. I would turn on for the Match Play. I think the first day at the Dell Match Play when you’ve got 32 matches going is one of the most exciting days viewing all year really. I used to love watching the World Match Play at Wentworth. I think team golf every now and again is a good thing. People seem to enjoy watching it.

“Yeah, I think people like to pick teams rather than individual now and then. It’s different, and I think golf does need different. I think it’s pretty similar all over the world wherever you play, they just seem to stick to the 72 holes.”

Cameron Smith, who will tee it up in Saudi fresh from winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, was playing a straight bat to repeated questions related to the Super League.

“Again, that’s a conversation for another time. I’ve got guys around me and a really good team around me that can think about that stuff. They’re just worried about how I can compete and how I can be the best golfer I can be.”

Marc Leishman (Photo: Cliff Hawkins)

Fellow Aussie Marc Leishman, meanwhile, said he welcomed the competition to the status quo.

“I don’t know the exact details of it yet, but as an independent contractor and golfer, I feel like you’ve got to explore all options, and I think, yeah, the competition as far as golf goes will help, help the game, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”

On that last point, Leishman wasn’t alone. Now, to the actual golf…few a few days at least.

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Wolff, Reed and Finau join Aussie trio as Saudi International field grows ever stronger

Kent Gray — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 09:45:10 +0000

Getty Images
Matthew Wolff is set for his Saudi International debut.

By Kent Gray
Just when you thought the field for the Saudi International couldn’t get any better, along comes Patrick Reed. And the 2018 Masters champion’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tony Finau. And U.S. Ryder Cupper-in-waiting Matthew Wolff. Did we mention Frenchman Victor Perez and Aussie debutants Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert?

The field for the Asian Tour’s 2022 season opener is the gift that keeps on giving with the $5 million event set to boast three of the world’s top seven players in addition to a plethora of major championships and Ryder and Presidents Cup stars.

With two-time defending champion Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele already confirmed, the Feb. 3-6 event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club boasts the world No’s three, five and six. Among the other big names previously signed for King Abdullah Economic City are world No.11 Louis Oosthuizen, crowd favourites Phil Mickelson and Tommy Fleetwood and Masters champions Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia.

Monday’s announcement of Reed, Wolff and co. is another coup for tournament promoters Golf Saudi as the event switches from former European Tour to now Asian Tour sanctioning as part of a new 10-year deal. Wolff won the 2019 3M Open for his maiden PGA Tour victory, was runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open and recently opened up on his mental health battles. Finau finished runner-up to Johnson at Royal Greens last year, Reed is a desert swing regular while the freshly-named Australian trio are sure to give Scott a run for his money in the race to be the best from Down Under in KAEC.

Patrick Reed (Getty Images)

The new names were released as Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was unveiled as the tournament’s new naming sponsor, ensuring the 4th PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers has instantly become the Asian Tour’s strongest ever field.

“We’re under a month to go to one of the biggest Asian Tour events in recent times – a brilliant lineup of global names bringing together the best players from different continents and nationalities,” said Asian Tour CEO and Commissioner Cho Minn Thant.

“With our season-ending double-header approaching in Singapore, to confirm our top 30, we’re set for a hugely exciting and historic month for the Asian Tour. Exposing our members and growing talent pool to events where they play against household golfing names can only attract more interest from fans and our key stakeholders, as we enter a historic and exciting era for the Asian Tour.”

The top-30 players on the Order of Merit at the conclusion of the convoluted 2020-21-22 Asian Tour season – which concludes after the inaugural Singapore International (Jan 13.16) and the SMBC Singapore Open (Jan 20-23) – qualify for Saudi. That means exposure for the likes of Wade Ormsby (Australia), Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand) and Joohyung Kim (South Korea) who hold the podium places in the OOM heading into this month’s Singapore double-header.

The Asian Tour contingent form an important part of the mix for Majed Al-Sorour, CEO and Deputy Chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation respectively.

“The mix of the world’s best players from across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific will make this year our most anticipated yet,” said Al-Sorour.

“Bringing together strong fields for our international men’s and women’s events has shown to play a vital role in driving participation and engagement in the sport in Saudi Arabia. This impacts our schools and grassroots programmes as well as our rapidly improving national teams as part of the long journey we’re on in Saudi Arabia.”

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