By Matt Smith
Greg Norman’s dream is finally about to become a reality as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tees off at Centurion Club, St Albans, just outside London this month.

A long time in the making, the former Super Golf League has been backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) and will come to fruition on June 9 in England for the first of eight lucrative three-round events with no cuts, shotgun starts, guaranteed payouts for all and a whopping $255 million purse. 

With each event offering at least $25 million in prize money — dwarfing the amounts on offer in even the flagship events on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour — the LIV Golf Series has certainly turned a lot of heads.

MORE: Dustin Johnson to headline LIV Golf field in London
Watch all the action live right here

Since Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf Investments, whose chief shareholder is the Saudi PIF, announced the launch of the series in March, the rumours and accusations have been flying. But one thing is for sure — it is happening, and in some style.

Back in March, a statement announcing the eight-event LIV Golf Series described the league as “100 per cent additive” to the pro game rather than a rival to the PGA and DP World Tours, with the “building blocks of a next generation golf experience”.

“I want golf to grow, players to have additional opportunities, and fans to have more fun,” said Norman.

“My mission is to help the game reach its full potential and we know the role of golf as an entertainment product is critical to overall participation in the sport. In many ways, we are a start-up. We have a long-term vision and aim to grow. I believe we have a very bright and exciting future.”

Inspiration

Greg Norman was working as a commentator at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits when he had his epiphany. Team golf is such a fan favourite — why not make a series? 

And so he began his journey, with team golf at the “heart of the new structure” with $5 million of the $25 million purse on offer at each of the first seven LIV Golf Invitational Series events going to top three placed teams.

Getty Images

There will also be a Team Championship grand finale, played in a match-play format for a whopping $50 million, at the conclusion of the series in late October in Miami. 

With $20 million on offer for individual performances at each event, plus a $30 million bonus pool for the top three players after the seven ‘regular season’ events, the team spirit will add a fresh element to the sport.

The Venue

Centurion Club in Hertfordshire is where it will all begin on June 9. The parkland course is nestled in a tall pine forest, with middle nine holes offering more open play after a wooded beginning. 

The course only opened in 2013 but has firmly stamped its place as a favourite in the UK, having previously held the DP World Tour GolfSixes and Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series events.

At over 7,000 yards from the back tees, the par-70 course near St Albans reflects the area’s links with its Roman history (hence ‘Centurion’), and each hole has been given a Latin name. The pine trees return on the final few holes, creating a dramatic setting for the finale. 

The course traditionally plays as a par 72, with six par 5s, six par 4s and six par 3s measuring a total of 7,064 yards, but the pros at the LIV Golf event will be playing the three par 5s on the front nine as par 4s, adding to a real mix of challenges. Raised tees offer clear views over the fairways on most of the holes, but the 80-odd bunkers and four major water features are sure to cause plenty of problems for the 48 hopefuls over three challenging days.

Fan Village 

The Centurion Club is going all out to make a big opening statement, with all tickets — starting from just over AED 300 — including access to all the activations over a fun-filled weekend.

Gates will open at 11am all three days of tournament play in advance of the 2pm shotgun start, so guests can enjoy and take part in all of the interactive activities onsite. Grounds passes will allow fans to walk the course, view the tournament from select viewing platforms and grant entry to the Fan Village, with Covent Garden-style street performers and a food and drink festival atmosphere inspired by the best of Borough Market. A specially designed Kids Zone will also engage youth with children’s entertainers, face painting, soft play equipment for climbing, crazy golf putting challenges, and educational activations based on STEM lessons.

Also in the Fan Village, LIV Golf’s Performance Centre will feature professional coaches who will offer tips as guests test their skills on simulators and putting area. Meanwhile, gamers can deploy in the Metaverse Tent, where e-sports and virtual reality exhibits will take fans inside the game through friendly competition.

As part of the shotgun start, fans will enjoy an air show featuring The Blades aerobatic team, while London black cabs will transport the field of 48 players to their respective starting holes.

The event will also include ‘Apres Golf’ entertainment from local artists and DJs and free concerts each day. “LIV Golf is about more than just hosting a new golf tournament. It’s about creating an event experience,” said Norman. “We want players and fans to feed off a unique energy rarely encountered through this game. From intense competition to entertainment, there will be something for everyone at Centurion.”

How it works

The 48 players will be split into 12 teams of four, with big-name stars taking on captain roles — much like in the Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series — and those skippers choosing from a pool of available players. 

The teams will tee off simultaneously around the course with a shotgun start, meaning all marquee players will be on course at the same time, so no need to wait for your favourite to tee off, with all the action crammed into a few hours rather than the sometimes arduous 10+ hours of golf we see on the regular tours.

Also keeping up the pace is the fact that, with no cut, each tournament will take place over three days rather than four, the 54-hole events running from Thursday to Saturday.

As mentioned, there is no cut, so you are guaranteed to see your favourite players all three days, even if they are having a stinker. That team factor also means players will continue to push even if they are out of the individual running as their team could still earn a title — and a tidy pay day.

There will be an eye-watering $255 million in prize money alone, and with Norman having been pledged a further $2 billion by the Saudi PIF, those purses are only going to get bigger, in the hope of luring the biggest names along the way — the carrot of a hefty signing-on fee also helps sweeten
the deal. 

Norman has said he’s keen to work with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, despite both tours threatening players with bans if they compete in the LIV events.

Norman described the move as “anti-golf” and said several top players have told him they will play without a release.

“Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament,” said Norman.

“This is particularly disappointing in light of the Tour’s non-profit status, where its mission is purportedly ‘to promote the common interests of professional tournament golfers.’

“Instead, the Tour is intent on perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market.

“The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive. But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”

Who is playing? 

News broke on Wednesday morning of the field finally being announced for the inaugural tournament in London from June 9-11 at Centurion Club. Click here for the full list and players to watch.

“Free agency has finally come to golf. This is an opportunity to start a movement that will change the course of history by bringing new and open competition to the sport we all love. The desire shown by the players to participate in LIV Golf demonstrates their emphatic belief in our model and confidence in what we’re building for the future,” said Norman. “We couldn’t be happier at the diversity of our field, featuring players from around the world including major champions and those making their debut with us competing in their first professional event. We can’t wait to start our journey at Centurion Club with this group of first movers who are committed to growing the game in new and exciting ways.”

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The post LIV and let live: All you need to know for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational event at Centurion Club in England appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall and Dan Rapaport
According to a Golf Channel report, LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman sent a memo to agents and players saying the proposed Super Golf League seeks to challenge the PGA Tour’s ability to ban players.

Rex Hoggard reports that Norman and LIV believe such a ban will violate antitrust laws and laid out their case with seven bullet points.

“Permanently banning from the PGA Tour professional tournament golfers who contract to play professional golf would violate its non-profit purpose and would subject the PGA Tour to possible liability or government action, and could cause it to lose its non-profit status for not operating in accordance with its exempt purpose,” read one of the points, according to Hoggard.

One of the provisions in the PGA Tour Player Handbook and Tournament Regulations is that each PGA Tour member acknowledges the commissioner, the tour’s policy board and the appeals committee have the authority to permanently ban a member from playing in a tour co-sponsored, approved or coordinated tournaments if the member violates its regulations. Legal experts have told Golf Digest that the tour would be within its legal rights to suspend or ban players under current antitrust legislation in the United States. —Joel Beall

•••

Koepka, Fowler don’t think Saudi golf threat is over

FEB. 23, 3:00 p.m.: PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — On Sunday night at the end of the Genesis Invitational, Rory McIlroy described the proposed Saudi-backed golf league as “dead in the water” in the wake of the backlash from Phil Mickelson’s incendiary comments about the Saudi league, and Dustin Johnson’s and Bryson DeChambeau’s statements that they were sticking with the PGA Tour leaving almost every top-ranked player publicly aligned with the tour. “Who’s left?” he asked rhetorically. “Who’s left to go? I mean, there’s no one.”

Not everyone, however, is convinced that this is the last we’ll hear of the Super Golf League. Speaking Wednesday at the Honda Classic, Brooks Koepka, among those who’ve sided with the PGA Tour, sounded doubtful when asked about whether the existential threat of the SGL has ended.

“I think it’s going to still keep going,” Koepka said. “I think there will still be talk … everyone talks about money. They’ve got enough of it. I don’t see it backing down; they can just double up and they’ll figure it out. They’ll get their guys. Somebody will sell out and go to it.”

To his point, the Saudi Public Investment Fund is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds on the planet, and total assets are valued somewhere around $500 billion. Based on the reported deals being offered to players to consider a move to the SGL, it also appears that earning a profit isn’t the chief concern of the breakaway league. Combine those two factors—a bottomless war chest, plus a goal that may be tied to image management rather than profit—and you have a recipe for an ongoing threat. There’s no reason that everything that happened over the past month won’t simply repeat in another month, or a year.

Rickie Fowler, interviewed later in the afternoon, concurred with Koepka.

“I’ve known those guys for quite a while. I’ve played with Maj and Yasir in the pro-am over in Abu Dhabi,” he said, referring to Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund. “They love golf. They’re golf nerds kind of like all of us. No, I don’t see it going away. They’re not scared about the situation.”

The difference this time is that Mickelson, previously the face of the new enterprise, may have permanently burned his connection with the Saudis, his apology notwithstanding. When asked about that statement, Koepka was noncommittal but seemed firmly aligned against Mickelson.

“I mean, I skimmed it over,” he said. “I’m happy with the PGA TOUR. I think everybody out here is happy. He can think whatever he wants to think, man. He can do whatever he wants to do. I think everybody out here is happy. I think a lot of people out here have the same opinion.”

Koepka is the highest-ranked player at this week’s Honda Classic, and is coming off a missed cut at the Genesis Invitational after finishing tied for third a week earlier at the WM Phoenix Open.

Fowler didn’t necessarily seem eager for the Saudi threat to die out, saying that, “competition is a good thing.”

“Do I think the PGA TOUR is the best place to play currently? Yes,” he added. “Do I think it could get better? Yes.” —Shane Ryan

•••

The Saudi golf league’s rough week: Seven days that changed everything 

Oisin Keniry

A favourite cliché surrounding the proposed Saudi-backed golf league has been what would happen if “the dominos started to fall.” Say a top-ranked player went ahead and publicly revealed he had signed up for the upstart PGA Tour competitor, swayed by the guaranteed money, limited fields and team competition that Greg Norman’s LIV Golf Investments alleged to have on the table. Would another player follow soon after? And another? And another … until the so-called Super Golf League had gained the critical mass needed to go from rumour to rival?

The dominos did start to fall last week, but as it turned out, they dropped in the opposite direction. Instead of defectors, player after player—Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Will Zalatoris to name a few—stepped up at the Genesis Invitational to throw their support behind the PGA Tour. Yes, the tour has its flaws, some of which have been addressed due to the pressure that the looming league provides (see the increased purses/FedEx Cup payouts for 2022 and the newly created Player Impact Program), but the chaos that a competing circuit would create might be far worse. Something about the devil you know, to use another cliché.

The two biggest—and potentially most surprising—dominos to drop came on Sunday with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau. The major champions both were reported to be looking seriously at lucrative offers from the Saudi league only to announce they were staying put.

Unknown at this point is whether their decisions were hastened—if not altered—by the toxic fallout from Phil Mickelson’s comments about the Saudi league. On Thursday, the Fire Pit Collective’s Alan Shipnuck reported on an interview he had done with Mickelson last November for an upcoming biography on Lefty. According to Shipnuck, Mickelson in the interview acknowledged he had been working behind-the-scenes with SGL organisers in hopes of building the league up in part to pressure the PGA Tour to make changes.

“They’re scary —— to get involved with,” Mickelson told Shipnuck.

Swiftly, the conversation changed; if players were somehow previously able to overlook the motives behind the SGL, it was much harder when Mickelson had so blatantly laid them out.

Only days after upwards of 20 players were reportedly signed up for the SGL, it’s unclear how many of them remain—and exactly what caliber of player they might be. “Who’s left? Who’s left to go? I mean, there’s no one,” said Rory McIlroy, an ardent PGA Tour supporter, on Sunday after the final round at Riviera. “It’s dead in the water in my opinion. I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go.”

Among the players who have previously voiced interest are Adam Scott and Lee Westwood. Other players reportedly mulling offers included Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson. Indeed, there are some that are still out there but no player inside the top 20 of the World Ranking appears to be among them.

Asked if it would be more shocking for a player now to announce he was set to play in the rival league than it might have been before, McIlroy had this response:

“Well, it would be because who else have you got to fill the field? I mean, Greg Norman would have to tee it up to fill the field. Like, I mean seriously? I mean, who else is going to do it? I don’t think they could get 48 guys.”

It’s easy to say that the SGL threat is no more, but don’t forget that Norman’s LIV Golf Investments has already ponied up $300 million toward the Asian Tour presumably to lay the groundwork for the league. To think the group will fold things up at this point would be a mistake.

Even so, for those who expressed they were experiencing “Saudi fatigue” with all the talk of the rival league, Sunday brought an appreciated chance to exhale. —Ryan Herrington

•••

Major champs thought to be leaning toward rival league say they’re sticking with the PGA Tour

Feb. 20, 4 p.m.: The proposed Saudi golf league seemed to take a big hit on Sunday when a pair of major champions—Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau—both announced they would continue to play the PGA Tour.

Johnson and DeChambeau both reportedly had been heavily considering offers to join the proposed Saudi golf league. As recently as last month during a press conference ahead of the Saudi International, Johnson noted that there were aspects of the team competition believed to be part of the new circuit that appealed to him.

But, ultimately, the 24-time PGA Tour winner decided against jumping.

“Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of speculation about an alternative tour; much of which seems to have included me and my future in professional golf. I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully-committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family. While there will always be areas where our tour can improve and evolve, I am thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA Tour golf’s premier tour.”

A few hours later DeChambeau took to social media to say he, too, was sticking with the PGA Tour, albeit with a caveat:

“While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I,” DeChambeau said on social media. “As of now, I am focused on getting myself healthy and competing again soon. I appreciate all the support.”

DeChambeau reportedly had been offered a nine-figure deal to join the Super Golf League, to which the former U.S. Open champion said was wrong. And earlier this week DeChambeau tried to bat down speculation that he was not playing in the Genesis Invitational because he was set to join the breakaway league, taking again to social media to say that there were “many false reports” that were “completely inaccurate” and that he was missing Genesis due to injuries that also caused him to withdraw from the Saudi International last month.

Still, DeChambeau’s statement on Sunday was the first time that he had publicly committed to playing on the PGA Tour in the future. —Ryan Herrington

•••

REPORT: Trump properties in talks to host Saudi’s SGL events

Drew Angerer

Former President Donald Trump’s golf organisation is in talks to host tournaments for the proposed Saudi golf league, according to a report from the Washington Post.

No Laying Up first reported in 2021 that Trump’s properties were being scouted to host Super Golf League events. However, the Post reports LIV Golf Investments—the Saudi-backed group that will run the SGL—is in discussions with Trump’s company to place competitions in Bedminster, N.J. and Doral, Fla.

The Doral site was an annual PGA Tour stop for over 50 years, but the tour moved the tournament to Mexico City in 2016 following controversial comments made by Trump towards immigrants during his presidential run. As for the Bedminster property, it was selected to host the 2022 PGA Championship by the PGA of America in 2014. However, days after supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress to formalize President Joe Biden’s election victory on Jan. 6, 2021, the PGA of America’s board of directors exercised a vote to move its tournament from the Bedminster course, later awarding it to Southern Hills in Tulsa.

Trump was an advocate of Saudi interests during his presidency and defended the kingdom in the face of criticism for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. – Joel Beall

•••

Pat Perez says no one will follow Phil, Bryson to SGL

Feb. 17, 9:19 p.m.: Following his first round at the Genesis Invitational, PGA Tour veteran Pat Perez held court on Phil Mickelson’s statements about the Saudi-back golf league.

Perez, who like Mickelson hails from San Diego, said Lefty “is not speaking for me.” Perez also said he doesn’t “really care what [Mickelson] has to say about anything because I just don’t.”

“He’s had an amazing career, he obviously thinks there’s something else on the other side for him going down the line,” Perez continued. “If he gets it, great. He’s made $800 million on the tour, I don’t know what could be so bad about the tour. So I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Without stopping, Perez pivoted to state that his mindset about the potential rival league to the PGA Tour is more aligned with a different multiple-major winner.

“I think the way Tiger’s approaching it is phenomenal. I think he understands where he made all his money. I think these young kids, I think that’s great that they’re backing Tiger. But Tiger, Tiger’s our guy. Tiger and I are three months apart. I idolized him my whole life even though we’re the same age. What he says is pretty much gold. You know, I would follow his lead more than anything. If he doesn’t want to do it, Rory [McIlroy] doesn’t want to do it and if you don’t have the top kids doing it, I just don’t know how much water it’s going to hold anyway. I don’t know how long it’s going take.

“They’re not going to follow Phil, they’re not going to follow DeChambeau unfortunately. You need the young crew right now to go do this thing. I don’t know exactly what Phil, why he’s got so much hate towards the tour. I mean, He’s damn near 52 now. I know he won a major last year. It’s incredible what he did, it really is, but I don’t know, you know.”

Perez said he understands the gripes that the top players should make more money. Although he acknowledged he makes crumbs compared to them, “those crumbs pay nice.” Perez also said he understands why rumoured players would make the jump.

“So you look at the older group that wants to do it, they all have had phenomenal careers. Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Phil, these older guys that are my age. You throw me a hundred and I actually get it, I’m gone. I would take it. Why wouldn’t you?” He also said he likes the idea of some guaranteed money for the top 125 players.

Still, Perez says his commitment is to the PGA Tour.

“I’m all for building the tour, but like I said, I think the PGA Tour’s a phenomenal place to play, you know, and I’m lucky to be here.” —Joel Beall

Niemann declines comment on Saudi league

Feb. 17, 8:49 p.m.: Joaquin Niemann, who is leading the Genesis Invitational after 18 holes thanks to an eight-under 63, declined comment when asked if he’s in talks with the Saudi golf league.

“I don’t really want to say anything, any comment about it,” Niemann said Thursday. “I just don’t want to say anything, sorry.”

Niemann, 23, was a participant in the Saudi International earlier this month. —Joel Beall

•••

Kokrak says he’s had talks with Saudi league

Feb. 17, 4:48 p.m.: Jason Kokrak acknowledged Thursday that he’s had talks with the Saudi group behind the proposed Super Golf League.

“Yes, I’ve heard the rumors, I’ve been in some talks with the people over there playing in there tournament,” Kokrak told Golf Digest’s Dan Rapaport. “Yeah, I’ve been in talks with people, nothing on paper.”

Kokrak, who turned in a first-round 67 at Riviera, is a Saudi Golf ambassador and played in this year’s Saudi International. He reiterated he wants to make as much money as possible to retire at 44 years old (Kokrak is 36).

“You know, I grew up … I had what I needed but I didn’t have extra stuff. I don’t know how the other players grew up, that’s there business. We’re all independent contractors … I’ve had a goal in my mind when I turned pro and that was to retire when I was 44, to be a father and be at home. Being out here, the PGA Tour has too many events.

“You don’t see the players with the longevity playing 25, 30 years and moving to the Champions Tour. There’s too much on the line with the FedEx Cup, there’s points on the line in the fall. … The tour is all about giving player opportunities. The veteran guys, the top guys don’t want to play a schedule from Jan. 1 to December. So, I think that offseason for the top guys, to give some of those other guys who are barely keeping their card or didn’t make a ton of money a chance to get some of that PGA Tour money.” —Joel Beall

•••

Justin Thomas calls Mickelson’s statement ‘egotistical’

Feb. 17, 4:30 p.m.: Justin Thomas’ play did plenty of talking at Riviera Thursday, his four-under 67 good enough for a spot among the first wave leaders. The former PGA champ made quite the statement afterwards behind the mic.

Thomas was asked if he had seen Phil Mickelson’s comments in Thursday’s report at the Fire Pit Collective. Thomas said he had not, but was given the synopsis that Mickelson is leveraging the proposed Saudi golf league to better the PGA Tour. With this summary in hand, Thomas did not hold back.

“Seems like a bit of a pretty, you know, egotistical statement,” Thomas said. “I don’t know, it’s like he’s done a lot of great things for the PGA Tour, it’s a big reason it is where it is, but him and others that are very adamant about that, if they’re that passionate, go ahead. I don’t think anybody’s stopping them.”

Thomas was then asked if he feels the sport has reached a will-they-or-won’t-they precipice with some of the players rumored to be affiliated with the Super Golf League.

“I’m way past that,” Thomas said. “I’ve heard way too much talk about a lot of players that are so done with everything, but they keep hanging around, so clearly they’re not too done.” Thomas, a former FedEx Cup champ, has been adament that his loyalty is to the PGA Tour. —Joel Beall

•••

Report: 20 players have signed up for SGL, announcement coming at Players

Feb. 17, 8:40 a.m.: According to Alan Shipnuck of the Fire Pit Collective, the Saudi-backed league has now signed 20 players to its circuit, with plans to formally announce the group at the Players Championship. Shipnuck reported the news on Twitter, stating the source of the information was “a very prominent agent.” The source said that the 20-player threshold was the number officials with the Saudi league internally were waiting for before publically launching the league.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has promised any player that joins a rival circuit faces immediate suspension and a possible lifetime ban. —Joel Beall

•••

Rahm backs PGA Tour; Scott says he’s in talks with breakaway league

Feb. 16, 5:40 p.m.: The current World No. 1 is staying with the PGA Tour. A former World No. 1, however, may be on the move.

Amid growing speculation regarding a Saudi-backed golf league, Jon Rahm—in a bit of an impromptu press conference at the Genesis Invitational—reiterated his stance that he is sticking with the PGA Tour.

“I wanted to take the time to say, this is my official, one and only time I’ll talk about this … I’m declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour,” Rahm said Wednesday. “I know there’s been a lot of talk with the Saudi league; this is something I don’t believe is the best for me and the future of golf, and I think the best legacy I can accomplish is with the PGA [Tour].

“I don’t do this for the money, which to me is the only appeal to go over there.”

But 2013 Masters champ Adam Scott’s allegiance seems to be up in the air, confirming he’s been in talks with the proposed Super Golf League.

“I think the schedule they’re proposing is very appealing to most golfers,” Scott said. “But like everyone else, we’re sworn to secrecy.”

Scott is likely referencing an NDA, one that Lee Westwood said he signed during the week of the Saudi International.

Scott, 41, won the Genesis in 2020. But since that victory he’s dropped nearly 40 spots in the World Ranking, entering the week at No. 46. —Joel Beall 

Sam Greenwood
Jon Rahm repeated that he’s not interested in any offers from a potential rival league to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

The current World No. 1 is staying with the PGA Tour. A former World No. 1, however, may be on the move.

Amid growing speculation regarding a Saudi-backed golf league, Jon Rahm—in a bit of an impromptu press conference at the Genesis Invitational—reiterated his stance that he is sticking with the PGA Tour.

“I wanted to take the time to say, this is my official, one and only time I’ll talk about this … I’m declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour,” Rahm said Wednesday. “I know there’s been a lot of talk with the Saudi league; this is something I don’t believe is the best for me and the future of golf, and I think the best legacy I can accomplish is with the PGA [Tour].

“I don’t do this for the money, which to me is the only appeal to go over there.”

But 2013 Masters champ Adam Scott’s allegiance seems to be up in the air, confirming he’s been in talks with the proposed Super Golf League.

“I think the schedule they’re proposing is very appealing to most golfers,” Scott said. “But like everyone else, we’re sworn to secrecy.”

Scott is likely referencing an NDA, one that Lee Westwood said he signed during the week of the Saudi International.

Scott, 41, won the Genesis in 2020. But since that victory he’s dropped nearly 40 spots in the World Ranking, entering the week at No. 46. —Joel Beall

•••

Oisin Keniry

Rory: “All that money really isn’t going to change their life”

Feb. 16, 11:50 a.m.: Rory McIlroy reiterated his stance against a rival league to the PGA Tour on Wednesday, calling the eye-popping sums the Saudi-backed venture is reportedly offering players “just a number.”

“Look, I’ve lived it—for the top guys, all that money really isn’t going to change their life,” McIlroy told Golf Digest ahead of the Genesis Invitational, his first start on the PGA Tour in 2022. “I’m in a way better financial position than I was a decade ago and my life is no different. I still use the same three, four rooms in my house. I just don’t see the value in tarnishing a reputation for extra millions.”

McIlroy, who serves on the PGA Tour’s policy board, spoke out against a rival circuit when news of it first began percolating in 2020 and has consistently maintained his opposition since. The 32-year-old has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and ranks sixth all-time in career earnings with more than $59 million.

The proposed rival league, which is expected to be launched by the Greg Norman-led LIV Golf Investments in the near future, has dominated conversations around Riviera after tour player Kramer Hickok told the Stripe Show Podcast that 17 players had already signed up for the league and that huge-money, no-cut events would begin this summer. —Dan Rapaport

•••

Steph Chambers
Kramer Hickok plays a shot on the second hole during the first round of The American Express.

Tour pro tells podcast 17 players have signed up for rival circuit 

PGA Tour player Kramer Hickok claims that 17 players have signed on to the proposed Super Golf League.

Hickok, speaking Tuesday on the Stripe Show podcast, did not identify any specifically by name. However, Hickok alluded to the group not being short on star power.

“You’re going to see a lot of big names jump over there. I think there’s already been 17 guys that have jumped over, and I can’t say who they are, but there’s going to be some big names going over there,” Hickok said on the Stripe Show podcast. “Look, I mean, from what I’ve heard the money’s very, very appealing. You’re only gonna have 12-14 events. Those events are gonna have purses. You’re not going to have to deal with missing a cut anymore; there’s only going to be 40 players. And 10 of those 14 events will be in the States. Signing bonuses, huge, huge purses—it’s going to be very appealing for some of these guys. Yeah you’ll see some big names for sure.”

While Hickok asserted his belief that tour players should be receiving a bigger slice of the tour’s profits, he went on to say that those jumping to the SGL are “money-hungry.”

“I think you have to be thankful and appreciative for the tour. They’ve given us this platform to be able to chase our dreams and do what we love and make a great living doing it,” Hickok continued. “To go after a few extra bucks, I think it might be a little greedy because you don’t know how long that [SGL] tour is going to be around; you don’t know if that money’s going to dry up; you don’t know what’s going to happen, and if you do leave you’ll be banned from the tour; the tour’s come out and said that.”

Hickok said he’s heard the SGL is targeting a June start. The 29-year-old is 63rd in the FedEx Cup standings and is in this week’s Genesis Invitational field. —Joel Beall

•••

Collin Morikawa says he won’t be joining SGL

Collin Morikawa dismissed the possibility of joining the rumoured Saudi-backed golf league, saying he is “all for the PGA Tour” at his pre-tournament press conference for the Genesis Invitational on Tuesday.

“My entire life I’ve thought about the PGA Tour,” the World No. 2 and Southern California native said ahead of his hometown event. “I’ve thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable, but I’ve never had another thought of what’s out there, right? I’ve never thought about anything else, it’s always been the PGA Tour.

“Has [the rival league] opened up things for us as professional golfers, to open up things for the PGA Tour to look at what to do better? Absolutely. We’ve seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad, some that are still going to be amended I’m sure as time goes on. Right now, you look at the best players that I see and they’re all sticking with the PGA Tour, and that’s where I kind of stay and that’s where I belong. I’m very happy to be here.” —Dan Rapaport

•••

Icon Sportswire

Charley Hoffman says he should have phrased now-deleted Instagram post ‘differently’

Charley Hoffman is not backing down. Well, unless you believe deleting one of the spicier Instagram posts in recent memory—in which Hoffman called out the PGA Tour and the USGA for what he believed was a bad ruling—is backing down.

Despite the disappearance of the post from his Instagram account, Hoffman stands by what he said. He does, however, wish he had a mulligan of sorts, admitting as much in a radio interview on Monday on San Diego’s 97.3 The Fan.

“If I could go back in time, I probably would have phrased it a little differently at the end of those comments,” Hoffman told Gwynn & Chris, a show hosted by Tony Gwynn Jr. and Chris Ello.

Following the second round of the WM Phoenix Open, Hoffman ripped the PGA Tour and USGA for a rule and its enforcement, the rule and its enforcement, going so far as to say the situation was a prime example of why players are interested in leaving the tour for the proposed Super Golf League.

“You wonder why guys are wanting to jump ship and go play on another tour. Players need transparency, protection and consistency,” Hoffman wrote. “We don’t have that under the current governing bodies.”

Hoffman acknowledged the criticism he has received and admitted it affected his play over the weekend. “I lost a little bit of focus, definitely,” Hoffman said. “I was treading water with the PGA Tour and the USGA and my fellow players. When you make a post [on social media] there are a lot of different ways to interpret it; that’s this day and age of social media. So yes, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. You live and you learn. I’ll own it, and I’ll try and stay out of it going forward.”

However, he reiterated his post was purposeful in order to grab attention.

“I’ve gotten a little backlash on that,” Hoffman added. “But I felt, at the time, if I didn’t phrase it the way I did, the media might not pick up on it and no change could happen.” —Chris Powers

•••

Gregory Shamus

Bryson DeChambeau says reports on his PGA Tour status are ‘completely inaccurate’

Bryson DeChambeau took to Twitter Monday to clarify his absence from this week’s Genesis Invitational.

Amid speculation regarding his relationship and future with the PGA Tour, DeChambeau wrote that he’s missing this week’s tour event at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles due to injury and addressed what he calls “false reports.”

“There are many false reports going around by the media that are completely inaccurate,” wrote on Twitter. “Any news regarding my health or playing schedule will come directly from me and my team only. This is just another inaccurate report. I look forward to getting healthy and seeing everyone soon!”

DeChambeau’s statement came hours after the popular No Laying Up podcast relayed that the former U.S. Open winner—according to sources who had talked to the No Laying Up crew—had told his fellow players that he was done playing the PGA Tour. DeChambeau had originally stated to the players, according to the podcast, that the Sony Open would be his last event, although he withdrew from the Hawaiian tournament due to a wrist injury. DeChambeau would later play in the tour’s Farmers Insurance Open in late January. According to No Laying Up, DeChambeau again told fellow players he was done competing on the PGA Tour during the Saudi Invitational two weeks ago. DeChambeau only played one round at that tournament before withdrawing with hand and hip pain. Following his WD, DeChambeau said the injury wasn’t due to speed or weight training but a fall.

DeChambeau has been one of the more prominent names associated with the Super Golf League, a potential golf circuit to rival the PGA Tour backed by a group that also runs the aforementioned Saudi International. Earlier this month the Daily Mail reported DeChambeau has been offered a nine-figure deal to join the league, a report that DeChambeau said was wrong. And following the second round of last week’s WM Phoenix Open, in response to Charley Hoffman’s rant aimed at the PGA Tour—in which Hoffman wrote, “You wonder why guys are wanting to jump ship and go play on another tour” and tagged the Saudi International—DeChambeau lent his support, remarking “Agree wholeheartedly.” —Joel Beall

The post Report: Norman, LIV Golf asks players to challenge PGA Tour on antitrust laws — Saudi golf league updates appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
For the moment, the proposed Super Golf League remains just that, hearty in concept but short on substantive matter. What is clear is the PGA Tour’s stance towards the wannabe global tour, a position Commissioner Jay Monahan has not strayed from since the threat materialised two years ago: them, or us.

However, as the SGL toes closer to existence with players reportedly weighing eight- and nine-figure offers, Monahan’s warning to players in an email in January 2020—that those who join a rival circuit will face immediate suspension and a possible lifetime punishment—could be put to the test. Does the tour have the legal authority to permanently ban individuals for aligning with the SGL?

For starters, the PGA Tour, like any other employer or organization, has the discretion to enact rules of conduct of its members, employees and independent contractors. One of the provisions in the PGA Tour Player Handbook and Tournament Regulations is that each PGA Tour member acknowledges the commissioner, the tour’s policy board and the appeals committee have the authority to permanently ban a member from playing in a tour co-sponsored, approved or coordinated tournaments if the member violates its regulations. The handbook also provides that a player ceases to be a member of the PGA Tour if, in the judgment of the policy board, the member commits a serious breach of the Tournament Regulations, the PGA Tour’s Code of Ethics, or otherwise conducts himself in a manner unbecoming of a professional golfer.

One such regulation generally prohibits tour players from playing in events when there is a PGA Tour-approved or sponsored event taking place at the same time. Per the handbook, players who reach the 15-event minimum (which a member must meet as a condition of their membership voting rights) are eligible for three conflicting-event releases per season, which is why so many tour players were allowed to play in this week’s Saudi Invitational. However, the regulations also state such requests can be denied. In short, the PGA Tour likely has the discretion to decide that joining a competing tour is a serious breach of its regulations.

Now, one of the long-standing truths is that players are not tour employees but independent contractors. This seemingly bestows more freedom to when and where an individual can play and thus raises the question if the tour has the power to limit that. But according to Darren Heitner, who teaches at the University of Florida and has written several books on sports legislation, that contractor status is not as big of a factor in a potential league fight as some may believe.

“This response [of a suspension or ban] by the PGA Tour has the feel of a ‘non-compete,’ intending to prevent players from performing for leagues that do seem to be competitive to the PGA Tour,” Heitner says. “Players have the choice of complying or not.”

Attorney Tom Allen—who practices in government services, litigation, and labor and employment areas—agrees, saying that though the tour will need to be careful when navigating the laws regarding agreement to limit competition, it shouldn’t be a material difference. “Typically, employers have greater latitude with regard to independent contractors versus employees—hence, the ‘independent’ part of being a contractor,” Allen says. “Here, the focus will be on what powers the PGA Tour can exercise overall with regard to its members, and that shouldn’t depend on ‘employee’ versus ‘independent contractor’ status.”

Luke Walker/WME IMG

Still, do event denials and suspensions and bans violate antitrust laws?

Heitner asserts the tour is operating within the law. “I do not believe [the tour is violating antitrust laws], since the player has other options to compete, which is the basis for the ban itself,” Heitner explains. “The PGA Tour is a non-profit organization that has the right to exclude individuals from its ranks as long as it abides by its own policies, provides no preferential treatment, and does not act in a discriminatory manner.”

However it may not be that definitive, says Allen. Unlike Major League Baseball, which infamously received an exemption from the Sherman Act (which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce in the United States), the PGA Tour has to abide by the law and any argument against a ban would use antitrust as the heart of its counter.

“To make such a case, that would require a player to show, No. 1, that the tour has monopoly power in a market and, No. 2, that the PGA Tour is trying to maintain that power through means other than having a superior product or business savvy,” Allen says.

Allen notes this is not new ground for the PGA Tour. In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was brought by caddies against the tour using antitrust and intellectual property claims, an effort that proved unsuccessful. “Prevailing in an antitrust lawsuit is much more complicated because the plaintiff would have to establish many things, but most importantly, a threshold requirement: defining the market,” Allen says. “That’s where the caddies lost.”

Allen also mentions the tour could face heat not just from players but the Federal Trade Commission on antitrust claims. In fact, the FTC concluded after a four-year investigation in the early 1990s that the tour had violated antitrust laws—partially due to the aforementioned rule stipulating permission for a conflicting-event release—and recommended federal action. But no action was ultimately taken, a circumstance credited to the work of then-tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (a lawyer himself who worked in President Jimmy Carter’s administration) and the tour’s lobbying mastery. Coincidentally, this clashed with Greg Norman’s first try to challenge the PGA Tour through his attempt to launch the World Tour.

Back to the present. There is another point to a theoretical antitrust claim that is unique to the tour. That would be the tour’s status as a charity—a status that has garnered plenty of scrutiny in itself. That circumstance, though, does not necessarily apply in this case. All entities, be it for profit or not, are subject to the Sherman Act, but the PGA Tour is a 501(c)(6) non-profit, which is different from the more commonly known 501(c)(3) entity. Organizations that are 501(c)(6) are typically entities such as business associations, chambers of commerce and sports leagues. Basically, as long as the entity’s actions are taken to benefit the association or its line of business, the entity is operating within the IRS Regulations. And as an extension, any rumblings that this could jeopardize the tour’s tax-exempt status are misguided.

Oisin Keniry

“To lose that status, the PGA Tour would have to do something to benefit one individual as opposed to its line of business, and I do not believe a ban of a player or players falls into this category,” Allen says.

Along with the caddie lawsuit, the tour has successfully defended itself against antitrust claims from Morris Communications Corporation regarding the tour’s limitations on real-time scoring, and it prevailed in former tour player Harry Toscano’s Clayton Act antitrust lawsuit against the Senior PGA Tour. History is on its side.

Of course, as professor Lee Igel of New York University’s Institute for Global Sport notes, beyond the legality of the decision of banning players are the moral and business questions of such an action.

“In a larger world, in which free agency, job hopping, and changing expectations about work are the norm, banning someone from participation because they want to take on a new opportunity may not be a good look,” Igel says. “It can also be a response to trying to hold on to too much of what made the organization successful.”

Even juxtaposed against the SGL’s ethical baggage are the optics that the tour is not operating for the good of the game but for the good of its own interests. “There are two separate, but related, issues being dealt with here. One is about the PGA Tour and its players needing to work out overdue updates to the business model, including what have become big-money items such as ownership of and income opportunities from video content,” Igel said, nodding to the complaints Phil Mickelson made to Golf Digest earlier this week. “Another is about the PGA Tour needing to work out its role in the future of the sport. Trying to combat an upstart competition puts attention, time, and resources there instead of thinking through what the PGA Tour could do to maintain its competitive advantage.”

On that last front, the tour may argue that combatting a rival and maintaining competitive advantage are one in the same. And it appears they have the legal power to do so.

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By Joel Beall
Brooks Koepka traffics in trolling, and give the man this: He is democratic in his aim. On Thursday, Phil Mickelson was the latest target for the four-time major winner.

Mickelson, in case you missed, was defiant in an interview with Golf Digest’s John Huggan regarding his beliefs that the PGA Tour is shorting its playing members over media rights. “It’s not public knowledge, all that goes on,” Mickelson told Huggan. “But the players don’t have access to their own media. If the tour wanted to end any threat [from Saudi or anywhere else], they could just hand back the media rights to the players. But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control. Or give up access to the $50-plus million they make every year on their own media channel.

“There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest. For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

In the normally-docile ambiance of PGA Tour life, Mickelson’s comments are as confrontational as it gets. Further amplifying this stance is its timing, as Mickelson is playing this week in the Saudi International, a tournament sponsored by the same Saudi-funded group that is backing LIV Golf Investments, which is exploring a rival circuit to the PGA and DP World Tours.

While Mickelson’s comments have made headlines, at least one player—the aforementioned Koepka—is not buying them. At least that’s what can be surmised by Koepka’s response on social media to the Mickelson story.

“[Don’t know] if I’d be using the word greedy if I’m Phil …” Koepka’s account wrote on Instagram.

Koepka took part in the latest iteration of “The Match,” which was executive produced by Mickelson. Koepka and Mickelson also faced off in the final group of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, where Mickelson bested Koepka to become the oldest winner in major championship history. Koepka would later tell Golf Digest that he was “trounced” by an act of gamesmanship from Mickelson.

“His body language. I don’t want to give it away, but I didn’t handle it well,” Koepka said. “You’ll have to ask him about it. I think he knew what he was doing. It wasn’t the reason I lost. I lost because I didn’t play well enough. It was tough for me to get into a rhythm, and the timing of how things were going. I could see [what he was doing] because I know it. I do it.”

Mickelson, it should be noted, is one of the players the yet-to-be-launched Saudi league is targeting. Though he would only note that “Pretty much every player in the top 100 in the world has been contacted,” when asked if he’s received a proposal this week, Mickelson’s comments to Huggan were a bit more ominous.

“I’m not sure how this is going to play out,” Mickelson said. “My ultimate loyalty is to the game of golf and what it has given me. I am so appreciative of the life it has provided. I don’t know what is going to happen. I don’t know where things are headed. But I know I will be criticized. That’s not my concern. All that would do is dumb down one of the most intricate issues in sports. It would be so naive to not factor in all of the complexities. The media rights are but a small fraction of everything else. And it is the tour’s obnoxious greed that has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere.”

The post Brooks Koepka calls out Phil Mickelson for “greed” comments appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After more than a year of behind-the-scenes collaboration, MENA Tour Commissioner David Spencer confirmed on Wednesday the regional developmental circuit is close to finalising a game-changing partnership with the Singapore-based Asian Tour.

The blueprint is to “mould” the MENA and the Asian Development Tours into the “most comprehensive and innovative development tour in men’s professional golf, outside of the United States”.

Just as the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour is the feeder circuit to the PGA Tour, the MENA/Asian DT offshoot will provide a pathway to a re-energised Asian Tour, the details of which are soon be revealed after the circuit was put on ice following the outbreak of COVID-19.

While the PGA Tour’s historic strategic alliance with the European Tour (announced Nov. 27) has been the most significant development in the world of golf since the outbreak of the pandemic, the quiet manoeuvrings of the Asian Tour should not be underestimated.

Sources continue to hint at a link to Golf Saudi and more loosely with the cash-rich, Kingdom-backed Super Golf League, the demise of which appears to have been hastily reported.

The MENA Tour, via the Asian Tour partnership, has decided to back the ambitious Saudi plan to reinvent the professional game. A major powerbroker in the shake-up is young Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, Cho Minn Thant. He was promoted to the top job in July 2019 after more than a decade working several key roles with the organisation, most recently as Chief Operating Officer.

“I’ve long been keen on seeing golf harness some younger administrators. Cho has clearly articulated his vision for the Asian Tour and I believe in his vision,” Spencer said.

“I’ve always wanted to find the MENA Tour the right home and partner and I believe this is it. And this is just the beginning.”

Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Image
Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant tees off in the Pro-Am ahead of the 2019 Panasonic Open India in Gurgaon.

Spencer is convinced just announced changes to how the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) will be calculated from August 2022 will make it harder for players to graduate from the Korn Ferry and Challenge Tours to the PGA and European Tours respectively and could even kill off many smaller development circuits around the globe. The PGA-European Tour alliance is also likely to limit playing opportunties, further narrowing the pathway to the elite level for the game’s next generation. That double-whammy has the Thai-based Australian administrator convinved a combined MENA-Asia Development Tour will be a boon for the region’s best up and coming talent.

“Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make the perfect omelette,” he said.

Golf Digest Middle East understands a schedule of between 12-15 events, including tournaments in the Middle East, is likely in 2021-2022 and could build to a maximum of 25 events over time. The goal, as opposed to a packed schedule, is richer prize purses than previous US$75,000 MENA Tour events, cheaper entry fees and more opportunities at the elite level, firstly on the Asian Tour and, presumably, the Super Golf League if it takes flight.

“To be clear, what we are putting together is not going to be perfect straight away, especially not in what is something of a transitional year as we mould the tours together,” Spencer said. “But as we’ve always strived to do, we’ll eventually get to perfect or as close as we possibly can.”

Wednesday’s announcement comes after two failed attempts to reschedule the five 2020 events postponed when the MENA Tour shut down on March 4 last year, and to play a full 2021 schedule after that. The first plan included a lock-in at the tour’s destination partner, Ayla Resort in Aqaba, Jordan, the second a wider travelling bubble taking in Jordan, Oman and the UAE.

David Spencer

Now it seems likely events as early as December are on the cards as part of a new, more powerful joint tour. What Spencer did guarantee is that all members of the MENA Tour in 2020/21 will be able to renew their membership for 2022 and there will not be a Q-School until later in the 2022 calendar for the 2023 season.

“Cho has been working tirelessly since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect his tour and create an even better future for his players. He realises that a tour must demonstrate and invest in a clear pathway to attract players and provide them with a future.

“It is because of this vision and set of beliefs that the MENA Tour and the Asian Development Tour will escalate dialogue to create the most comprehensive and innovative development tour in men’s professional golf, outside of the United States, to inspire the next generation and to be an expanded development pathway to the Asian Tour and beyond.”

The post The Asian and MENA Tours are planning a joint development circuit to rival PGA Tour’s Korn Ferry feeder appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — The current golf order has congregated on this idyllic island for the second major championship of the year. The disruptors, however, are here as well.

On Tuesday evening, just 36 hours before the first tee shot of the PGA Championship, representatives for the Super Golf League hosted a number of agents for a meeting at a home on Kiawah Island. A source who attended tells Golf Digest that the purpose of the gathering was to make clear that the project continues full-speed ahead—and that a number of additional players would have ready-to-sign offers within four to six weeks.

“It all happened pretty quick,” the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. “It was like, We have everything sorted, it’s all going to work out.”

The group seems undeterred by concerted efforts to stop its progress, and it hopes to host its first event as soon as January—an idea the source described as “highly ambitious.”

Present for the meeting were lawyers from a high-profile American law firm that is handling the venture’s contractual work. These attorneys assured agents that they were combing through any potential legal hiccups and that their process, too, would be completed sooner rather than later.

“I left the meeting more confident than I was before that this likely won’t go forward,” the source said, and suggested he feels others in attendance share his sentiment. “I think they’ll realise there are too many hurdles, too many obstacles.”

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the SGL’s proposal is the prospect of guaranteed money—players will be paid a yearly salary, $30 million or more for some, and be required to play a specific set of events. The PGA Tour gives players great freedom to make their own schedule, but compensation is contingent upon on-course performance.

To address that issue, the PGA Tour recently established the Player Impact Program, a $40 million prize fund that will be distributed at the end of the year to the 10 players that bring positive exposure to the game. The PIP was widely seen as a response to the guaranteed-money issue; a way for the Tour to pay its biggest stars even if their games fall on hard times.

As Alan Shipnuck of the Fire Pit Collective reported, the Super Golf League is a separate operation from the Premier Golf League, whose backing comes largely from Europe and the West. The group that hosted the meeting on Tuesday is funded largely by Saudi Arabian interests, and a high-ranking official from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund—which invests money on behalf of the Saudi government and includes more than $300 billion—video conferenced into the meeting.

The SGL has been a frequent topic of discussion at this week’s PGA Championship. On Tuesday, PGA of America president Seth Waugh seemed to suggest any player signing with the SGL would not be eligible for his organisation’s events.

“If someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the U.S., they’re going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the tour,” Waugh said. “I believe the Europeans feel the same way, and so I don’t know that we can be more clear than that.

“Particularly for younger players that are going to have a 20-year career out here, I just don’t think they’re going to be better off in that format than they already are,” Waugh continued. “I’ve talked to a bunch of them. As you can imagine, you look them in the eye and you just say, ‘Be careful what you wish for, because short-term gain feels good for a little while, but long-term gain is what makes lives.”

On Wednesday, however, U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau said it was something he was considering. “I’ve got a lot of people in the background working on it for … my agent, we’re all dealing with that. I think at the end of the day there’s interesting concepts, but that’s all I really have to say about it. There’s not much I can do personally. I’m out here just playing golf trying to win a major championship. You know, I think at the end of the day it’s people in the upper management that has to be taking care of that compared to me. I really can’t do unfortunately much about it. I wish I had a bigger say in things, but I don’t, I just play golf.”

Jamie Squire
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau have both said they are curious about the SGL concept and have people in their camps exploring options.

News of this latest potential challenger to the PGA Tour began early last year, but a number of big-name players quickly shut down the possibility of leaving behind the current golf ecosystem for something entirely new. The idea seemed dead until earlier this month, when a report from The Telegraph suggested a number players—namely Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka—had been offered $20 million or $30 million or more to sign with the new league, which feature smaller fields and a more global schedule than the current PGA Tour structure.

Dustin Johnson’s agent, David Winkle, confirmed to the Associated Press that Johnson had been approached.

“He has listened to their presentation, like all the other top players,” Winkle said. “No commitment whatsoever.”

The news dropped just hours before the PGA Tour held a mandatory players’ meeting at Quail Hollow. During that meeting, commissioner Jay Monahan reiterated the stance he took when the first PGL noise surfaced last year: it’s us or them. Any player that signs with this new league, Monahan conveyed, would face immediate suspension and likely expulsion from the PGA Tour.

A number of players, highlighted by Player Advisory Council chairman Rory McIlroy, again threw cold water on the idea.

“People can see it for what is, which is a money grab,” McIlroy said. “Which is fine if that’s what you’re playing golf for is to make as much money as possible. Totally fine. Then go and do that if that’s what makes you happy. But I think the top players in the game — I’m just speaking my own personal beliefs — I’m playing this game to try to cement my place in history and my legacy and to win major championships and to win the biggest tournaments in the world.

“I’m very much against it. I don’t see why anyone would be for it.”

Other players seemed a bit more open to the possibility. Rickie Fowler called the idea “definitely interesting,” while Phil Mickelson outlined what he sees as potential benefits for fans.

“I think the fans would love it because they would see the best players play exponentially more times,” Mickelson told ESPN. “Instead of four or five times, it would be 20 times … I don’t know what the final number is.

“But that’s a big deal to give up control of your schedule. I don’t know if the players would be selfless enough to do that. But every other sport, the entity or teams or leagues control the schedule. The players kind of play where they are told to play. Whereas here, we’re able to control it.”

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