In a memo sent by the tour’s policy board to membership Sunday, and later published on the tour’s website, the tour said discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund remain ongoing while asserting the DP World Tour will continue to be a part of the new for-profit venture, PGA Tour Enterprises.

“Please know that while we can’t get into more details at this time, we are very confident in an eventual, positive outcome for all players and the PGA Tour as a whole,” the board wrote.

SGS is a collective of several investors and firms, fronted by the Fenway Sports Group. The sports conglomerate owns the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool FC, and a NASCAR racing team. The group also has Fenway Park and the New England Sports Network under its umbrella.

Other members of SGS include Arthur Blank owner of the Atlanta Falcons), Wyc Grousbeck (Boston Celtics), Marc Lasry (Milwaukee Bucks), Tom Ricketts (Chicago Cubs), Cohen Private Ventures (New York Mets) and HighPost Capital. Many of the aforementioned names have an ownership stake in TGL, the Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy mixed-reality circuit that was set to launch in 2024, but was pushed back a year when its facility suffered damage in a storm last month.

The memo to players noted that the policy board had unanimously agreed to continue talks with the SSG after a series of meetings over the past several days to “thoroughly review, discuss and debate the extremely strong proposals submitted by a final set of outside investors.” Published reports had said that three private equity groups previously remained in the mix: Fenway Sports Group, Acorn Growth Cos. and Liberty Media Corp.

The memo comes as the December 31 deadline nears for the PGA Tour and PIF to finalize their framework agreement, although the two parties can agree to push the deadline back. It remains unclear if the private equity backing is an alternative to PIF money, or if it will be used to supplement the deal in order to appease government antitrust regulations.

Sources tell Golf Digest that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan are scheduled to meet face-to-face this week after a meeting planned for last week was postponed.

Adding to the ambiguity is the recent defection of Jon Rahm to LIV Golf (which is financially backed by PIF), a move that some believe could accelerate a PGA Tour-PIF deal, while others think Rahm’s signing could renew professional golf’s civil war. Rahm was the first PGA Tour player to jump to LIV Golf in nearly a year. Speculation is that other players might follow in the coming days as the PIF looks to increase its leverage in the negotiations with the PGA Tour.

Main image: Fenway Sports Group’s John Henry and Tom Werner are among several pro sports owners of the Strategic Sports Group. Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox

The post PGA Tour advances negotiations with private equity group; Saudi PIF discussions remain ongoing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

What is looking clear, should the 2024 season play on, is the unlikelihood that Matthew Wolff will remain on the Smash GC team captained by Brooks Koepka.

On Friday, after the opening round of the LIV Golf Invitational event in Saudi Arabia, Koepka was asked a question about the “brotherhood” between the members of his team, which includes Wolff, Chase Koepka (Brooks’ younger brother), and Jason Kokrak. His response was telling.

“There’s only three of us on our team,” said Koepka, who would go on to win the tournament in a playoff over Talor Gooch. “I mean, obviously my brother, I’m pretty tight with him, and then—I’ve enjoyed being around Jay for the last—I’ve been pretty close with Jay for maybe the last three years. I’ve enjoyed being around him. He’s a good player, super talented. It’s been fun to be around him, and he’s played pretty solid this year. Yeah, I can’t say anything bad about him.”

But in saying nothing about Wolff, Koepka sort of said a lot.

In July, Koepka did specifically call out Wolff during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” Koepka said. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. It’s very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you’ve got one guy that won’t work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it’s very tough. I’ve basically given up on him—a lot of talent, but I mean the talent’s wasted.”

Wolff, who has been open about mental-health challenges he has faced since turning pro in 2019,  responded in a statement by saying Koepka’s comments were “beyond disappointing”: “When I chose to join his team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks’s stature. Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment. This has been quite difficult for me. My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health have been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day.”

Wolff is scheduled to compete for Smash at this week’s LIV Golf team championship event in Miami. But with his T-38 in Jeddah, he wrapped up the regular season in 27th place on the individual points list. Outside the top 24, it means he can be traded or released from his team during LIV’s offseason.

Main image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf

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A number of alleged points of note cropped up during the Tuesday Congressional hearing looking into the proposed partnership between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Among the most noteworthy is the suggestion that LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman would step aside from the new deal.

In his opening remarks during the hearing on the planned partnership, Senator Richard Blumenthal said there had been a side-agreement among members of the PGA Tour and PIF negotiators that Norman would not be involved in the new alliance, but would take up another role.

However, a PGA Tour spokesperson said the agreement has not yet been signed.

The new entity formed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF will “undertake a full and objective empirical data-driven evaluation of LIV and its prospects and potential and will make a good faith assessment of the benefits of team golf in general, and PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour will work together in an effort to determine how best to integrate team golf into PGA Tour and DP World Tour events going forward.”

PGA Tour COO Ron Price and board member Jimmy Dunne also spoke at the hearing in the wake of the June 6 announcement of a framework arrangement between the PGA Tour, the PIF and the DP World Tour.

In response to Senator Blumenthal’s question: “What is the amount of the Saudi investment that is going to be made? What are the amounts that have been discussed?” Price said investment will be “significant … north of $1 billion.” That’s about the same number as the PGA Tour’s net assets last year ($1.3 billion).

Among the three-hour discussion it also emerged that the PIF allegedly wants to sponsor at least two PGA Tour designated events — with one being held in the Kingdom.

It was also documented that world No. 3 Rory McIlroy met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. “In our meeting, Rory and His Excellency talked of the need for compromise to benefit the game’s stakeholders, be it players, fans, broadcasters, sponsors and charities,” the documentation read. The document also states McIlroy “was seeking no personal financial gain, he was simply trying to unify the game”.

Regarding the announcement, Saudi and LIV Golf advisor Michael Klein asserted the need for the relationship to look true and to set the narrative off the jump, one that would be supported by a “softball segment” on CNBC. “The press teams are aligned on this. They are also taking all of the recent lessons from the Boeing Saudi announcements, which went extremely well in DC, nationally, and internationally.” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Al-Rumayyan ultimately announced the partnership during a CNBC appearance.

This has been another talking point from the tour after the word “merger” was used in the initial joint press release. Instead, Price and Dunne said, the PGA Tour will remain intact, with the PIF contributing to the new for-profit entity as a minority investor.

The post Greg Norman to step aside? Reported PIF and PGA Tour Senate hearing findings appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The long-term future of the LIV Golf League might be unsettled as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund works toward formalizing a partnership with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. In the short term, however, the eighth of 14 events on the 2023 LIV schedule went off with one of LIV’s hottest players this year grabbing a third victory of the season.

With a closing four-under 67 at Real Club Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain, including birdies on the final two holes, Talor Gooch jumped up the leaderboard to pass 36-hole leader Bryson DeChambeau and win by one shot with a 12-under 201 total to win the first tournament since the framework deal between the three parties was announced.

RELATED: Talor Gooch wins third season title at Valderrama

There was genuine anticipation for this week’s tournament, given Valderrama’s past as a host site for the Ryder Cup, World Golf Championships event and an annual stop on the DP World Tour. And Spanish fans were rooting hard for one of their own, Sergio Garcia, who finished tied for 10 at two-under 211 total.

The standard prize money payout was up for grabs in the no-cut, 54-hole event: a $20 million individual purse, with Gooch pulling in the $4 million first-place prize money payout. There was also $5 million on the line in the team competition, with Torque GC (Joaquin Niemman, Mito Pereira, David Puig and Sebastian Munoz) winning by five strokes.

Here’s the prize money payout for the field at Valderrama. Come back after the tournament and we’ll update the post with names and individual paydays.

INDIVIDUAL

Win: Talor Gooch, -12, $4,000,000
2: Bryson DeChambeau, -11, $2,250,000
3: Brooks Koepka, -9, $1,500,000
4: Sebastian Munoz, -6, $1,000,000
T-5: Jason Kokrak, -5, $703,333
T-5: David Puig, -5, $703,333
T-5: Patrick Reed, -5, $703,333
T-8: Dustin Johnson, -3, $495,000
T-8: Cameron Tringale, -3, $496,000
T-10: Joaquin Niemann, -2, $402,500
T-10: Sergio Garcia, -2, $402,500
T-12: Ian Poulter, -1, $360,000
T-12: Cameron Smith, -1, $360,000
T-14: Matt Jones, E, $296,000
T-14: Carlos Ortiz, E, $296,000
T-14: Dean Burmester, E, $296,000
T-14: Thomas Pieters, E, $296,000
T-14: Mito Pereira, E, $296,000
T-19: Paul Casey, +1, $250,000
T-19: Laurie Canter, +1, $250,000
T-19: Abraham Ancer, +1, $250,000
22: Brendan Steele, +2, $230,000
T-23: Louis Oothuizen, +3, $208,750
T-23: Richard Bland, +3, $208,750
T-23: Phil Mickelson, +3, $208,750
T-23: Pat Perez, +3, $208,750
T-27: Marc Leishman, +4, $187,500
T-27: Kevin Na, +4, $187,500
T-27: Lee Westwood, +4, $187,500
T-27: Scott Vincent, +4, $187,500
T-31: Branden Grace, +5, $167,500
T-31: Henrik Stenson, +5, $167,500
T-31: Danny Lee, +5, $167,50
T-31: Bubba Watson, +5, $167,500
35: Bernd Weisberger, +6, $155,000
T-36: James Piot, +7, $148,750
T-36: Martin Kaymer, +7, $148,750
T-38: Charl Schwartzel, +8, $140,000
T-38: Graeme McDowell, +8, $140,000
T-38: Anirban Lahiri, +8, $140,000
T-38: Eugenio Chacarra, +8, $140,000
T-38: Harold Varner III, +8, $140,000
43: Peter Uihlein, +10, $132,500
44: Matthew Wolff, +12, $130,000
T-45: Charles Howell III, +14, $126,250
T-45: Jediah Morgan, +14, $126,250
47: Chase Kopeka, +15, $122,500
48: Sihwan Kim, +17, $120,000

TEAM

Win: Torque GC (Niemann, Pereira, Puig, Munoz), -16, $3,000,000
2: RangeGoats GC (Watson, Gooch, Varner, Pieters), -11, $1,500,000
3: Crushers GC (DeChambeau, Casey, Lahiri, Howell), -7, $500,000

The post Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 LIV Golf League — Andalucia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The word “merger” has been used to describe the PGA Tour’s new deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), partially because the tour used the word “merge” in its press release announcing the historic partnership on Tuesday. However, the new alliance is with the PIF, the financial backer of the tour’s rival LIV Golf and not LIV Golf itself, as Rory McIlroy pointed out Wednesday.

Speaking with the media ahead of this week’s RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy—who has served as the face of the PGA Tour during its battle with the LIV Golf league—expressed that his feelings toward LIV remain unchanged.

“It’s not LIV. That’s the thing. I still hate LIV,” McIlroy said. “Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. That’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV.

“All I’ve tried to do is protect what the PGA Tour is and what the PGA Tour stands for. Going forward there may be a team element, and you’re going to see, maybe me, maybe whoever else play in some sort of team golf. But I don’t think it will look anything like LIV has looked, and I think that’s a good thing.”

As for the “merger” part of Tuesday’s announcement, McIlroy said that part has been “misconstrued” in terms of the structure and LIV Golf’s part in the new deal.

“LIV’s got nothing to do with this. The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund are basically partnering to create a new company,” McIlroy said. “This has gotten—I think that’s where I was a little frustrated. Because all I’ve wanted to do and all I’ve wanted in the past year, from basically this tournament, is to protect the future of the PGA Tour and protect the aspirational nature of what the PGA Tour stands for. I hope that this does that.

“But I think with the headlines being, ‘merges with LIV,’ like that’s not the—I mean, if you look at the structure now, this new company sits above everything. Jay’s the CEO of that. Technically anyone who is involved with LIV now would answer to Jay. So the PGA Tour has control of everything.”

Over the past three years McIlroy has been an outspoken critic of the controversial funding of LIV Golf, funding that is now part of the PGA Tour’s structure. Asked about the uneasy element, McIlroy said “I’ve come to terms with it.”

“I see what’s happened in other sports. I see what’s happened in other businesses,” McIlroy explained. “Honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what’s going to happen. It’s very hard to keep up with people who have more money than anyone else. Again, if they want to put that money into the game of golf, then why don’t we partner with them and make sure that it’s done in the right way. That’s sort of where my head’s at.”

The post Rory McIlroy: ‘I still hate LIV Golf’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rory McIlroy has served as the de facto face of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, standing up for his tour in the absence of leadership and doing so because he believed it was the right thing to do. He also has admitted that putting himself out there in the game’s civil war took an emotional and physical toll, one he’s still reckoning with.

To those who sensed that McIlroy might be feeling betrayed after Tuesday’s stunning announcement between the tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, well, you’re right.

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.” McIlroy said Wednesday at the RBC Canadian Open.

McIlroy, who spearheaded a player-led initiative that restructured and saved the PGA Tour, said he was not informed of the tour’s decision until Tuesday morning and that it wasn’t PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan who told him but PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne. When asked if he still had confidence in Monahan, McIlroy took a pause before responding, “I do.”

“I’ve dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have. From where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole, as an entity,” McIlroy said. “What that looks like for individual players in terms of keeping a tour card and bringing players back into the fold and then that sacrifices other people, that’s where the anger comes from, right. And I understand that.”

McIlroy, 34, has been outspoken about the controversial funding of LIV Golf, given the accusations of human-rights atrocities levied at Saudi Arabia. Although McIlroy didn’t back down from that stance, he said he’s come to accept PIF’s role as the tour’s financial partner.

“I’ve come to terms with it,” McIlroy said. “I see what’s happened in other sports. I see what’s happened in other businesses. And, honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what’s going to happen. Like this is — it’s very hard to keep up with people that have more money than anyone else. And, again, if they want to put that money into the game of golf, then why don’t we partner with them and make sure that it’s done in the right way. And that’s sort of where my head’s at.”

Taking himself out of the equation, McIlroy said he does think this deal will benefit the sport and the fans. “I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be, it’s going to be good for the game of professional golf. I think it secures the — it unifies it and it secures its financial future. So there’s mixed emotions in there as well, as there’s going to be. I don’t understand all the intricacies of what’s going on. It’s a very, what’s the word? There’s a lot of ambiguity. There’s a lot of things still to be sort of thrashed out. But at least it means that the litigation goes away, which has been a massive burden for everyone that’s involved with the tour and that’s playing the tour. And we can start to work toward some sort of way of unifying the game at the elite level.”

McIlroy is the defending champ at this week’s RBC Canadian Open.

The post Rory McIlroy: ‘It’s hard for me … not to feel like a sacrificial lamb’ after the PGA Tour-Saudi deal appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is the primary financial backer of LIV Golf, have announced a treaty and potential merger, ending two years of civil war in professional golf.

In a surprise press release Tuesday morning, the two circuits, along with the DP World Tour, announced “a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis.”

“The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game’s best players,” the statement reads.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced they will mutually end all pending litigation between the entities. Additionally, the organizations will work cooperatively to allow a process for any LIV players to reapply for PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership following the 2023 season.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.

“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights. This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better.”

“Today is a very exciting day for this special game and the people it touches around the world,” said PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. “We are proud to partner with the PGA Tour to leverage PIF’s unparalleled success and track record of unlocking value and bringing innovation and global best practices to business and sectors worldwide. We are committed to unifying, promoting and growing the game of golf around the world and offering the highest-quality product to the many millions of long-time fans globally, while cultivating new fans.”

This breaking news story will be updated.

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With concerted promotional efforts and considerable backing from Golf Saudi and the Government’s Public Investment Fund, the game has expanded greatly in the Kingdom in recent times, from global events such as the LIV Golf Invitational Series, and the flagship Saudi International on the Asian Tour, to a growth in golf tourism as well as an upturn in Saudis of all ages and abilities — both male and female — taking up the game for the first time.

There are two young men who are enjoying the ride first-hand — amateur golfers Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif.

The pair have risen to prominence in the Middle East thanks to some outstanding performances, and their dedication to the cause is reaping dividends. 

Salhab, at 24, is the slightly more experienced of the two, and his recent achievements include victory in the 2021 Saudi Open, another title at the 40th Pan Arab Championships in Cairo, second spot at the GCC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi and a third consecutive invite to the stellar Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

“The game is coming together nicely,” Faisal told Golf Digest Middle East after competing at the Tillman Trophy in England in late July, where he scored a first-round 65 to top the leaderboard before settling for 15th in a talented field. “It’s still not completely there but things are going in the right direction.”

While still only 22, AlSharif is also showing similar promise, as he builds on his triumph at the Jordan Open late last year. 

He has been honing his game in England alongside Salhab this past month — all under the watchful eye of Golf Saudi Senior Professional Grant Smith, who is helping mentor the duo, who are based at the Claude Harmon III Academy at Els Club in Dubai. Smith offers first-hand coaching on the boys’ travels, with three more Asian Tour events on the horizon very soon ahead of the Eisenhower Trophy — the World Men’s Amateur Team Championships — in Paris.

Thanks to their progress and Golf Saudi’s backing, Salhab and AlSharif are getting more and more opportunities to shine, with multiple events on the Asian Tour‚ including the new International Series which took them to Slaley Hall, Newcastle, for the Tour’s first-ever event in England.

Faisal Salhab has been gaining vital experience at the Saudi International and Asian Tour tournaments in Europe

“With the Asian Tour events we have been given the opportunity to play in, those have really sharpened up our game,” said AlSharif, embracing the journey the pair are on together. “Speaking of myself, they have been a very important reason behind my being comfortable out there in any tournament I have been in, or any situation I have faced, because I am now in these bigger fields with more to play for and playing alongside all these professionals. 

“It is a massive plus for my game and I am so grateful for that. It is really showing in how we both perform and also how we feel more confident and comfortable in some of the other amateur events — it is such a positive thing. We certainly don’t take it for granted and are very grateful to Golf Saudi and the Asian Tour for these opportunities.”

Salhab is happy to concur.

“What is happening with the Asian tour is great,” he added. “Especially with the International Series as it’s giving an opportunity to both me and Saud to test ourselves with some of the top players. The field was so strong in Newcastle and there was the added incentive of a spot at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series up for grabs, which made the competition even more intense.”

Intense is also a word you could use to describe the elements in the UK for these two, who are much more used to the sunshine and warmth of the Middle East.

“The weather was certainly different,” laughed Salhab, who found the course layouts more of a challenge than the wind and rain. 

“It was much colder than we were used to but very enjoyable. It is nice to escape the heat sometimes. The biggest difference were the types of courses over here, whether it would be links or heathland or parkland, it’s very different to the courses back home.”

With Golf Saudi’s links to Greg Norman’s innovative LIV Golf adventure, the series has inevitably caught the attention of the Saudi pair, who would love to play alongside the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson at the ground-breaking, 54-hole tournaments in the future. 

“I am very hopeful — whenever it happens — to tee it up with those guys,” said AlSharif. “They are some of the best players in the world, and LIV Golf is a very cool format, if you ask me. It would be very cool to be part of that environment.”

Salhab also thinks it is a welcome addition to the golfing calendar. “To be able to be competing in the Asian tour and in the International Series is already a bonus,” he said. “Of course, if I get the opportunity with LIV Golf, it would be incredible, and I would be interested in competing there.”

Saud AlSharif is based at CH3 Academy in Dubai, where he works with Jamie McConnell

NEXT STEPS
Back to the immediate future, and CH3 coach Jamie McConnell has been helping out from afar as Faisal and Saud continue their travels.

“We have done some online lessons with Jamie when being in the UK with the supervision of Golf Saudi’s Grant, and implemented what needs to be worked on,” explained Salhab. “Also with the support of the national team we were able to do a training camp at Centurion in Hertfordshire, England, and keep playing events to not get too rusty.”

Soon the pair will be back in Dubai after their summer trip to the UK, but that doesn’t mean the work stops, even if the heat is unrelenting, as there are the Asian Tour’s remaining 2022 events coming up thick and fast. 

“My plans over the next few weeks when I get back to the UAE are training with Jamie at Claude Harmon III Academy at the Els Club in Dubai for the upcoming Asian Tour schedule,” said AlSharif. “We obviously haven’t seen Jamie in a while as we have been on the road, so we are heading back his way now for some prepping in Dubai. It might be in the heat, but we are used to that these days! 

“We are looking forward to the fully packed schedule for the rest of the year on the Asian Tour and beyond. I feel like it is going to be a good year for all of us and, hopefully, we get a lot of chances. But we will go out there, enjoy it and give it our best and see what happens.” 

Despite the travel and hard work, Salhab is also eager to keep going.

“I’m keen to play all the International Series events on the Asian tour, also I have never competed in the Eisenhower Trophy which I’m very excited about,” he said. “There are also a few Asian Development Tour events and I am hoping to play in the Saudi international again next year. I want to use all the knowledge from the upcoming season to try to compete at that event. It would mean so much to me to do well at an event on home soil. 

“I believe I have the game it takes to be competing out there. It still has not come together on the Asian Tour but I see the light at the end of the tunnel and just have to keep at it and something good will happen.”

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The post Flying the flag: Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif ready for next step in their careers appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Golf’s worst-kept secret has finally been confirmed, at least partially, with Greg Norman formally linked to a Saudi investment fund with still largely guarded but seemingly well-advanced plans to revolutionise the pro game worldwide.

Norman was unveiled on Friday as the CEO of LIV Golf Investments in a media release promising a series of “momentous developments” in the wake of the company’s formation.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds which came into sharp focus with its recent acquisition of English Premier League club Newcastle United, is the majority shareholder in the new company.

While there was no reference to the rival circuit that Norman has long been linked to, sources have confirmed to Golf Digest Middle East that the former world No.1 and World Golf Hall of Famer will also be Commissioner of a pioneering league with bold and global ambitions.

Rory McIlroy rebuffed Saudi overtures with a “For me, I’m out,” quote in Feb. 2020.
(Photo: Christian Petersen)

Whether there is enough commercial gravitas and emotional hooks in the plans to change the mind of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and/or Brooks Koepka – all of whom have previously rebuffed Saudi overtures – remains to be seen. But sources understand the league will go ahead regardless with Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey and Koepka previously linked to formal offer letters worth “hundreds of millions of dollars”. Be sure that Liv Golf Investments firming plans will have further heightened blood pressures at the PGA and European Tours HQs and undoubtedly further roused their respective legal eagles.

Sources have also linked the stagnant Asian Tour to the still highly secretive league, no great stretch given the circuit was confirmed on Friday as the first major benefactor of the Saudi cash injection.

The retort to Friday’s announcement from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and European Tour counterpart Keith Pelley will be fascinating.
(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

A series of 10 “marquee” events will be bolted onto the Asian Tour schedule from 2022 courtesy of a 10-year, $200 million investment from the Liv Golf Investments. The new events will be broadcast globally in an effort to “stabilise” the professional game in the Asia-Pacific region and “unlock” the region’s “untapped potential”.

RELATED: The Asian and MENA Tours are planning a joint development circuit to rival PGA Tour’s Korn Ferry feeder

“This is only the beginning,” Norman said in the statement before an attempt to position the company’s formation as no threat to golf’s traditional stakeholders.

“LIV Golf Investments has secured a major capital commitment that will be used to create additive new opportunities across worldwide professional golf,” Norman continued.“We will be a cooperative and respectful supporter of the game at every level, and today’s announcement alongside the Asian Tour is the first example of that.”

“We will be a cooperative and respectful supporter of the game at every level.” – Greg Norman.

There has been widespread speculation that the now-named Saudi investors might purchase the Asian Tour outright but Golf Digest Middle East understands that total acquisition was never on the table and that Liv Golf Investments will seek only to position themselves as promoters of the 10 events. While further detail is to come via the Asian Tour, simple math points to a series of 10, $2 million events annually, a boon for a tour Norman regularly graced throughout his career and now describes as a “sleeping giant” of the global game. Before the pandemic stalled the Asian Tour in March 2020, there was only one tournament dating back to 2019 with a prize purse north of $1.75m– the $3 million Maybank Championship in Malaysia.

“I have been a staunch supporter and believer in playing and developing golf in Asia for more than four decades. The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant and we share ambition to grow the series and unlock what we believe is significant untapped potential,” the Australian said.

“We see our promotion of these new events as a vital first step in supporting emerging markets, creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that create valuable player pathways.”

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.

The exciting news for Middle East fans is that the region will host at least one of the new Asia Tour events. Surprisingly, it won’t be the Saudi International which was announced as the Asia Tour’s flagship event and 2022 season-opener with a $5 million purse last month. That landmark 10-year deal with Golf Saudi is separate from the 10 new “marquee” events although the Saudi International will embrace the same open eligibility category, one that will ignore tour affiliation so that “opportunities are available to the broadest cross-section of players.”

RELATED: Saudi International aligns with Asian Tour in seismic 10-year deal

Tournaments in Asia and Europe are also promised among the 10 new events which will count towards the overall Asian Tour order of merit.  They will be weaved into new 25-event schedule to bolster a “backbone” of already established events. It is understood the new schedule will represent a record-breaking combined prize-fund in 2022.

Friday’s media release said further detail, “including a reveal of the brand and series name” would follow in the “near future”.

“This is the single biggest development in the history of the Asian Tour and a major milestone for professional golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, the Asian Tour’s Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer.

“The opportunity will secure unprecedented new playing opportunities, establish new player pathways, allow us to compete commercially with other sports, and enhance our social agenda.

Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Image
Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant

“We are particularly excited at the prospect today’s landmark announcement brings to the amateur game, providing new inspiration to aspiring players through a new level of top-flight professional competition in the region.”

The Asian Tour’s suspended 2020/21 season will be reignited in Thailand in November and December with the staging to of two tournaments, before two additional events in Singapore scheduled for January.

Friday’s media release also said LIV Golf Investments “has been established with group companies in the USA, UK, with Asian offices to follow. Several high-profile C-Suite executives have already been appointed, with further announcements to follow in due course.”

“I am pleased that the investor base is 100 percent commercially driven by the opportunity to improve golf for all involved. I am happy to partner with this group of investors to bring the significant resources to bear that are necessary for the fundamental changes required for the greater good of the sport,” Norman said.

“Plans are in place to introduce further investment partners, who share the passion and belief in how new opportunities in professional golf can create widespread benefit for fans and players.”

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