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LIV Golf - All You Need To Know About The Saudi-Backed Tour

All we know about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, one of golf's biggest talking points

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What Is The LIV Golf League?

Liv golf league schedule, liv golf league prize money, liv golf league players, liv golf players, how is liv different from the pga tour, will liv golf be on tv, who owns liv golf and why is it controversial, how have the pga tour and dp world tour responded to liv golf, does liv golf get official world golf ranking (owgr) points, which players won't be playing in the liv golf league, can the liv golf league co-exist with other circuits.

If 2022 was defined by the emergence of LIV Golf, 2023 seems certain to be dominated by its efforts to become an established player at the top of the game's hierarchy.

Once the speculation had subsided last year and the action began, June's $25m curtain-raiser at London's Centurion Club saw South African Charl Schwartzel secure the $4 million first prize. Six other regular-season events followed, each offering the same attractive purse. That enabled it to secure more high-profile signings as the season progressed, building up an impressive roster to add to the likes of Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson from the initial intake. 

By the time October's season-closing Team Championship began, the likes of Cameron Smith , Brooks Koepka , Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau had all signed too. Eventually, Johnson was crowned Individual Champion and scooped a $18m bonus for his efforts, while it was his 4 Aces team that won the finale at Trump National Doral in Florida. 

With that inaugural season now behind us, a US TV deal secured and the schedule for the 2023 season confirmed, we take a detailed look at everything we know about LIV Golf, how it has impacted the golf world as we once knew it, and what to expect in 2023.

After the eight-tournament Series of 2022, the Greg Norman-fronted circuit expands to an ambitious, $405m 14-tournament League for 2023.

Each of the regular events features three rounds with no cut, and with play commencing by shotgun start. There is also a team format with no more than 48 players making up 12 teams of four, while the action in each tournament takes place over 54 holes rather than the more traditional 72.

The concept of a breakaway league is not new to golf or in fact, Greg Norman. The former World No.1 put forward his own plans for a World Golf Tour in 1994, a lucrative, eight-field event that would showcase the game's best players as independent contractors, unfettered from the PGA Tour.

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Norman's path to 'growing the game' never came to fruition but you sense there has always been a determination to challenge golf's status quo. And so here we are, 29 years later with the game on the precipice of civil war and now an official league to rival the established ecosystem. 

The Australian is confident in the future success of his product, describing the Series as "a carrot too hard to resist." It has already taken a monumental financial investment to get the circuit off the ground and with Major champions including Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau having opted to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, it seems only a matter of time before more high-calibre players go down the same path.

The 14-tournament 2023 League takes place across Mexico, the USA, Australia, Singapore, Spain, England and Saudi Arabia, and runs from February to November.

• February 24-26: Mexico - El Camaleon Golf Club
• March 17-19: Arizona, USA - The Gallery Golf Club
• March 31-April 2 : Florida, USA - Orange County National
• April 21-23: Australia - The Grange Golf Club
• April 28-30: Singapore - Sentosa Golf Club
• May 12-14: Oklahoma, USA - Cedar Ridge Golf Club
• May 26-28: Washington DC, USA - Trump National Golf Club
• June 30-July 2: Spain - Real Club Valderrama
• July 7-9: England - Centurion Country Club
• August 4-6: West Virginia, USA - The Greenbrier
• August 11-13: New Jersey, USA - Trump National Golf Club
• September 22-24: Illinois, USA - Rich Harvest Farms
• October 20-22: Florida, USA - Trump National Doral
• November 3-5: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

The first 13 'regular' events each carry a total purse of $25m, comprising $20m in individual prizes and $5m for the top three teams. In each event, the winner will receive a cheque for $4m. However, one of the big attractions for players - aside from reports of huge signing on fees - is that, unlike the PGA Tour, even finishing last in an individual event guarantees $120,000. In contrast, missing the cut at a PGA Tour event ensures a player will go home with nothing. 

The League will also crown an 'Individual Champion' with a bonus pool of $30m for the top-three performers of the season - Dustin Johnson earned the title of Individual Champion in the inaugural season, pocketing an $18m performance bonus - taking his earnings in excess of $30m.  

The season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship Finale will feature a huge $50 million purse. The winning team will split $16 million four ways, with $10 million awarded to second place and $8 million to third.

In short, the financial riches of LIV Golf is almost impossible for anyone to keep up with and by and, despite the PGA Tour's attempts to do so by offering increased purses for several of its events, it comfortably eclipses the money on offer on the more established circuit.

Bryson DeChambeau speaks at LIV Golf press conference

For a long time before the 2022 season, LIV Golf participants were shrouded in mystery with multiple reports that players had signed non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from talking about the venture.

Greg Norman teased that 36 of the top-150 in the Official World Golf Ranking, former World No.1 players, Major champions and Ryder Cup stars were either included, or to be included in future, which led to a barrage of speculation as to who had committed.

Trusted sources reported the names of many but the surprise inclusion ahead of the inaugural event was Dustin Johnson - who had reportedly been offered $125m after pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour just a few months prior. 

Johnson was joined by the likes of Phil Mickelson, who returned from a self-inflicted hiatus for the inaugural event after anti-Saudi comments were made public, Sergio Garcia , Lee Westwood , Ian Poulter , Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell also joined, with Norman adding Major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka to the ranks at a later date. 

Henrik Stenson was a name that grabbed the headlines when it was announced he had joined the venture. The Swede, who was set to captain the European Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, reportedly met with DP World Tour officials and informed them of his decision to join the breakaway circuit. In return, Stenson was stripped of the captaincy.  Stenson made his debut at the Bedminster event, pocketing a combined $4.375 million for winning the individual format and coming second with the Majesticks.  

Whilst they each hold their own importance, the acquisition of Cameron Smith is perhaps the most significant. Not only did the Australian win the 2022 Players Championship - the PGA Tour's flagship event - but he followed that up by winning his first Major, the 150th Open at St Andrews last July. Another player who signed last year but didn't play due to injury is Bubba Watson. He will be expected to tee it up as a regular this year. 

As for the 2023 season, six new signings have been made. Chilean Mito Pereira and Colombian Sebastian Munoz join Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC team. Elsewhere, American Brendan Steele joins Phil Mickelson's Hy Flyers GC and Dean Burmester completes the all-South African Stinger GC. New Zealander Danny Lee is another new signing, and he starts the season with Kevin Na's Iron Heads GC. Finally, six-time DP World Tour player Thomas Pieters joins Bubba Watson's Range Goats GC for the season opener.

Below is a list of players who competed for LIV Golf in 2022:

• ABRAHAM ANCER
• OLIVER BEKKER
• RICHARD BLAND
• ITTHIPAT BURANATANYARAT
• LAURIE CANTER
• EUGENIO CHACARRA
• RATCHANON "TK" CHANTANANUWAT (AM)
• BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
• HENNIE DU PLESSIS
• OLIVER FISHER
• SERGIO GARCIA
• TALOR GOOCH
• BRANDEN GRACE
• JUSTIN HARDING
• SAM HORSFIELD
• CHARLES HOWELL III
• YUKI INAMORI
• DUSTIN JOHNSON
• SADOM KAEWKANJANA
• MARTIN KAYMER
• PHACHARA KHONGWATMAI
• RYOSUKE KINOSHITA
• CHASE KOEPKA
• BROOKS KOEPKA
• JASON KOKRAK
• JINICHIRO KOZUMA
• SHERGO AL KURDI
• ANIRBAN LAHIRI
• PABLO LARRAZABAL
• MARC LEISHMAN
• VIRAJ MADAPPA
• GRAEME MCDOWELL
• PHIL MICKELSON
• JEDIAH MORGAN
• JOAQUIN NIEMANN
• SHAUN NORRIS
• ANDY OGLETREE
• LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN
• WADE ORMSBY
• CARLOS ORTIZ
• ADRIAN OTAEGUI
• TURK PETTIT
• IAN POULTER
• DAVID PUIG (AM)
• PATRICK REED
• CHARL SCHWARTZEL
• CAMERON SMITH
• TRAVIS SMYTH
• HENRIK STENSON
• HUDSON SWAFFORD
• HIDETO TANIHARA
• CAMERON TRINGALE
• PETER UIHLEIN
• HAROLD VARNER III
• SCOTT VINCENT
• LEE WESTWOOD
• BERND WIESBERGER
• BLAKE WINDRED
• MATTHEW WOLFF

Several factors differentiate LIV Golf from the PGA Tour, aside from the incredible financial backing. The format of each tournament is fundamentally different and more streamlined. Instead of a 72-hole tournament played over four days, LIV Golf events take place over three days and 52 holes.

There is also a shotgun start in LIV events, meaning all the players are one the course simultaneously. Another significant difference is the far smaller fields, which comprise just 48 players. Finally, there is an individual competition and team element to each regular LIV Golf event - with the team element expected to gain increasing prominence as a franchise model is introduced, allowing the 12 teams, led by one established captain, who can build their team franchise to gain the greatest fan followings and sponsor interest.

One of the big wins LIV Golf needed to ensure its financial viability was a lucrative TV deal. The 2022 season was show free on the LIV Golf official website and via YouTube, but it was hardly ideal for the start-up, and appeared to suffer from poor viewing figures at times.

As the 2023 season approached, it was finally announced that it had struck a multi-year TV deal with the CW Network , which will offer live coverage in the US, with confirmation to follow as to how to watch the action in other regions. As part of the agreement with the CW Network, weekend tournaments will air live on Saturdays and Sundays on both TV and on the app, while coverage on Friday will be available only through the app.

From an operational perspective, the LIV Golf League is pioneered by LIV Golf Investments with Greg Norman as its CEO. LIV Golf Investments is financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Assets included, it is said to be worth in excess of $620 billion - which includes Newcastle United Football Club after a consortium-led purchase in 2021. 

The chairman of the Public Investment Fund is Mohammed bin Salman, colloquially known as MBS. He is a Saudi Arabian politician who is the crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defence of Saudi Arabia. He also serves as the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and chairman of the Council of Political and Security Affairs.

Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan is the Governor of the PIF, serving directly under MBS. Al-Rumayyan also serves as the Chairman of Newcastle United Football Club and Chairman of state-owned petroleum company Saudi Aramco. Majed Al Sorour acts as an Advisor to the PIF as well as CEO of Golf Saudi, Saudi Golf Federation and Director of Newcastle United Football Club.

Despite the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund, Norman has insisted that he "does not answer to Saudi Arabia" and that they (including MBS) are not "his bosses." The former World No.1 described LIV Golf Investments as "independent" to the Public Investment Fund. 

As well as the financial backing of the LIV Golf League, the Public Investment Fund has invested a separate $300m with LIV Golf Investments in a 10-year deal with the Asian Tour and its International Series . This has already seen the Saudi International, which was previously sanctioned by the DP World Tour until the threat of a breakaway tour emerged, formally recognised as an Asian Tour event. 

The Public Investment Fund extended its financial backing to LIV Golf last July, with  plans to transition into a fully fledged League for the new season, with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in an expanded 14-tournament schedule – and an enormous $405m total prize purse.

Much of the controversy surrounding LIV Golf has stemmed from the origin of its finances, with many advocacy groups accusing players of sportswashing human rights atrocities within the Kingdom. 

Attention has also been drawn to the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. America's Central Intelligence Agency concluded that MBS ordered the killing of Khashoggi, adding tension to the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, including calls for the US to sever diplomatic ties with the Kingdom. 

Norman also sparked outrage when he claimed that "we've all made mistakes" as he attempted to rebuff questions over Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses and the murder of Khashoggi, while former President of the United States, Donald Trump, endorsed the Saudi investment. This led to further public tension given Saudi Arabia's links with the September 11 attacks as 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the tragedy were Saudi nationals.

Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi democracy activist, penned an open letter to the LPGA Tour urging they re-consider their arrangement with Saudi Arabia. The letter was released during the Aramco Series, funded by the Kingdom's state-owned petroleum company, and after LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan  hinted that she would engage  with the controversial circuit if it could help promote the women’s game.

The threat of a breakaway circuit put the DP World and PGA Tour on guard , with Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner, repeatedly warning any player who sided with a rival league would face suspension. 

In a memo sent to players in May, the PGA Tour officially denied its members conflicting-event releases to play in the  LIV Golf Series  opener at the Centurion Club. The  memo stated that granting release would "significantly and unreasonably harm the PGA Tour and Tour sponsors" before affirming that "your participation in the event is not authorised under the Regulations."

Norman, who accused the PGA Tour of bullying,  has repeatedly insisted that PGA Tour players are independent contractors and that the Tour does not have the legal right to deny their entry to tournaments. 

Those that took part in the inaugural event at Centurion Club did so without the pre-requisite permission from the PGA and/or DP World Tour and were therefore met with sanction.

The PGA Tour suspended all players that took part who didn't tender their resignations first, and has promised it will continue to do so in future, whereas the DP World Tour suspended players for three co-sanctioned events and imposed a £100,000 fine. Ian Poulter responded with legal action against the DP World Tour and his suspension was "temporarily stayed". The Englishman then played in the Scottish Open, one of the tournaments he was initially suspended from.

The PGA Tour excluded all LIV Golf players from its new FedEx Cup points list, as to ensure that "suspended members do not negatively impact other players’ tournament eligibility, positioning on the priority rankings or eligibility to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs."

In response, 11 LIV Golf players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. That number has since dropped after Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak, among others, withdrew from proceedings. The motion says: "The Tour's conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades."

Additionally, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford issued a temporary restraining order against the PGA Tour in a bid to allow them to compete in the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs. 

The PGA Tour responded via its attorneys and claimed "LIV is not a rational economic actor, competing fairly to start a golf tour. It is prepared to lose billions of dollars to leverage Plaintiffs [the 11 LIV Golfers raising the case] and the sport of golf to 'sportswash' the Saudi government's deplorable reputation for human rights abuses. 

"If Plaintiffs are allowed to breach their Tour contracts without consequence, the entire mutually beneficial structure of the Tour, an arrangement that has grown the sport and promoted the interests of golfers going back to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, would collapse.

"Despite knowing full well that they would breach Tour Regulations and be suspended for doing so, Plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money supplied by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to procure their breaches." 

Judge Freeman found there was "no irreparable harm" as "LIV contracts are based upon players' calculation of what they were leaving behind" and therefore denied the restraining order. Gooch, Jones and Swafford were therefore denied entry to the FedEx Cup playoffs. 

LIV Golf joined the antitrust motion against the PGA Tour, in which it described the organisation as "an entrenched monopolist with a vice-grip on professional golf." Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set the date for the summary judgement for July 23 next year, with the trial to begin on January 8, 2024.

The battle between LIV Golf Investments and the PGA Tour is sure to continue; especially with the future of world ranking points, Major championships and the Ryder Cup called into doubt. The 2022 Presidents Cup was the first team event to feel the effects of the tension, with LIV Golf defectors not permitted to take part.

As the divide between LIV Golf and the established eco-system appears to grow, the DP World Tour and PGA Tour entered into, and strengthened, their "strategic alliance" with the the key focus on "enhancing and connecting the ecosystem of men’s professional golf through a number of areas, including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships".

It was also revealed that three events will be co-sanctioned, meaning they will count towards both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai. These are: the Barbasol Championship, the Barracuda Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open. 

A total of 75 DP World Tour members had access to the Barbasol and Barracuda Championships for the first time, while the Irish Open was also given a major boost, with its prize purse set to nearly double to $6million for its 2022 staging. 

Most recently, on 6 February, a five-day hearing began in London to determine whether LIV Golf players could continue on the DP World Tour, with the outcome expected to be announced in the weeks to follow.

As it stands, LIV Golf does not award Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for its events, but that's not for a lack of trying. 

The Greg-Norman fronted venture submitted a formal application to the OWGR Board, which includes PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. 

On face value, one of the expected pushbacks was that the LIV Golf format remains at odds with certain qualifying criteria. Among others, there are no 36-hole cuts and the average field size is less than the 75 required.

The application received the support of the Asian Tour, which is of significance as all applications require a "nomination from an established full-member Tour." 

Norman himself was said to be "growing impatient" at the "slow progress" since the application was submitted and subsequently entered into a strategic alliance with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Tour in the hope it would "immediately qualify" for ranking points. That however, was denied by the OWGR board on the grounds of "insufficient notice", saying that "only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments" [the LIV Golf Invitational Series]."

That decision was met with dismay by MENA Tour Commissioner David Spencer, who reasoned LIV Golf should be granted the status, saying: "None of this communication pointed towards any technical reason for the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok to be treated any differently to any MENA Tour event, every one of which has received OWGR since we were accepted into the OWGR framework in 2016."

Prior, 50 LIV Golf players signed a letter  addressed to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson urging a decision in LIV Golf’s favour whilst Norman questioned the validity of the OWGR without the Saudi-backed venture being able to award its players points. 

OWGR recognition is one of many subjects surrounding LIV Golf that has divided opinion. Graeme McDowell insisted LIV Golf player are "getting hurt the longer this game is played" whilst Viktor Hovland claimed "you can't just make up new rules as you go." 

Meanwhile, as the impasse continues into 2023, several key figures in the game have called for the OWGR to be scrapped, claiming it has lost any credibility , while LIV Golf players continue to slide down the world rankings , leaving their futures in Majors in jeopardy - at least as time goes on.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have pledged loyalty to the PGA Tour

Despite the overwhelming amount of money on offer, many players have stated that they will remain with the PGA Tour.  Tiger Woods said: “I’ve decided for myself that I’m supporting the PGA Tour. That’s where my legacy is. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won 82 events on this Tour and 15 Major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA Tour”.

Four-time Major champion, Rory McIlroy , also agreed, with the Northern Irishman stating that the league is "nothing more than a money grab". His European counterpart, Jon Rahm , said: "I don't do this for the money. They throw numbers at you and that's supposed to impress people. I'm in this game for the love of golf and the love of the game and to become a champion."

Jordan Spieth, who is among the most popular players after he become the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win the Masters, said he is "supportive of and happy on the PGA Tour."

Collin Morikawa confirmed his future is with the PGA Tour, while Patrick Cantlay added that the chance to pick up a huge appearance fee for playing in the Saudi International was "very tempting" but he ultimately "wasn't swayed".

Former World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is another that has publicly distanced himself from the Series. The Masters champion said that playing in the venture is "definitely not" something "we" want the PGA Tour members to do.

PGA Champion Justin Thomas has reiterated his loyalty to the PGA Tour and has told prospective players to "go". Thomas also drew on comments and actions from the Tour's Commissioner: "I think Jay's made it very clear from the start of what would happen or, you know, I think a lot of people are probably like, 'I can't believe you did this' or, 'Wow, you went through with it'. But I mean this is what he said was going to happen all along," he said.

Outside of a playing capacity, Jack Nicklaus revealed in an interview with the Fire Pit Collective that he turned down "in excess of $100m" from the Saudis to do a job he described as "probably similar to the one Greg Norman is doing." Nicklaus said: “I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing. I said, 'Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.’”

So, what's next? Well, if it's anything like the last few months, who knows?

What we do know is that the speculation is over and there is a Saudi-backed league muscling its way to the top of the game's eco-system - one that is holding events with extended plans into the future and plenty of financial backing.

The PGA Tour has responded with heavy sanctions and suspended those that have taken part. It has also promised suspend anyone that takes part in future; which will almost certainly be met with legal challenge.

The DP World Tour responded in a less severe manner when it suspended for the three events it co-sanctions with the PGA Tour. It also added a £100,000 financial penalty. A legal challenge temporarily resulted in the players favour but a full hearing is set to take place in February 2023. 

Between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Investments, one party insists that it is lawful in denying releases as per its regulations, whilst the other insists it is not lawful as the players are independent contractors with the legal right to play where they wish. Both believe they are right and both seem to have a legal basis; but of course, there can only be one 'winner'. 

Reports had suggested the Major championships will look to ban LIV Golf players, although so far there is encouragement for the rebels, with the R&A, which governs the Open Championship, stating that "is not in their nature" and Augusta National allowing LIV Golf players to compete in the 2023 Masters .

While the Ryder Cup is yet to make an official statement, United States captain Zach Johnson dealt a blow to the LIV Golf players looking to take part. "In order to play on the Ryder Cup team whether you're top 6 or a pick, you must garner Ryder Cup points through the PGA of America. In order to garner Ryder Cup points through the PGA of America you have to be a member of the PGA of America. The way that we're members of the PGA of America is through the PGA Tour. I'll let you connect the dots from there." 

On the opposite side of the Atlantic, Team Europe captain Luke Donald has also hinted that LIV Golf stars' Ryder Cup days are over .

We are still very much at the beginning but with the second season upon us, we have a small glimpse into the future of professional golf and can begin to ask ourselves the question - does LIV Golf compliment the current ecosystem that will ultimately satisfy the needs of both the player and spectator, or is this the beginning of an out-and-out rivalry with the intent to knock the PGA Tour off its perch? Time will tell.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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The LIV Golf series: What we know, what we don’t, and the massive ramifications of the Saudi-backed league

Andrew Redington/WME IMG

The threat of a competing Saudi Arabia-backed professional golf league has floated like a storm on the game’s horizon for the better part of two years. That storm is no longer on the distance but at the sport’s doorstep, as LIV Golf announced 42 players will compete in its inaugural event beginning June 9 in London. With the fledgling league beginning in earnest, it’s time to catch up on what has transpired thus far, what we know and what we don’t, and the ramifications of a possible fissure in professional golf.

When did this begin?

The idea of a breakaway circuit from the PGA Tour is far from a novel idea; the PGA Tour itself came to pass after players split from the PGA of America in 1967 to form the Tournament Players Division. More recently, former World No. 1 Greg Norman and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch attempted to create a “ World Golf Tour ” in the mid-1990s featuring the top players competing in an eight-event series. A television contract with Murdoch’s Fox Sports was even secured. But the endeavor was squashed as then-PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem flexed both the tour’s legal chops and standing in the game. Other iterations of a world tour have come and gone without much fanfare.

However, the current framework began to arise in earnest in the fall of 2019, to the point that current PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan issued a warning in January 2020 that any player who sided with a rival league would face suspension and possibly a lifetime ban. In spite of Monahan's threat, multiple players are reportedly weighing offers to join a fledgling league.

Who is challenging the PGA Tour?

Technically, there are two entities trying to rival the tour: the Premier Golf League and a Saudi-backed golf tour. The PGL was the first of the groups to coalesce in 2020, backed at the time by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. However, the PIF—the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, which, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, has $580 billion in assets—eventually backed another entity in the newly formed LIV Golf Investments. LIV Golf aspired to have its own global professional tour, often referred to as the “Super Golf League.” The PGL attempted to achieve a partnership with the European Tour but failed, with the Euro Tour eventually agreeing to a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour . Though the PGL concept still exists, and officials behind the venture reportedly have reached out to the PGA Tour about forming a partnership, its prospects have faded with the emergence of LIV Golf.

Why is the LIV Golf league controversial?

The PIF is essentially the financial arm of the Saudi Arabia government, which has been accused of numerous human-rights violations. To improve its reputation, especially to the Western world, Saudi Arabia has heavily invested in various athletic organizations and events, a practice often referred to as “sportswashing.” This exercise, particularly when used by state-run groups, is considered a form of propaganda to distract the public from its abuses. The most famous example of sportswashing is when Nazi Germany hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Saudi Arabia has recently hosted motorsports, soccer, boxing, tennis and wrestling spectacles. In October 2021, the PIF purchased an 80-percent stake in Newcastle United, a Premier League soccer club. Since 2019, the country has hosted the Saudi International, an event formerly sanctioned by the European Tour that has drawn some of the top names in golf, who are paid considerable appearance fees.

What do we know about LIV Golf?

Founded in 2021, LIV Golf named the aforementioned Norman as its CEO in October, followed by a number of former executives from the PGA Tour and other sports affiliations. In February 2022, LIV Golf announced a $300 million, 10-year investment in the Asian Tour at the Saudi International (which now falls under the Asian Tour umbrella and is sponsored by PIF) that included a 10-event international series that will host tournaments in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Luke Walker/WME IMG

On March 15, LIV Golf announced an eight-tournament, $255 million series—called the LIV Golf Invitational—that will kick off at the Centurion Club outside of London the week before the U.S. Open starting June 9. Each event will be a three-round, 54-hole competition with no cuts. There will also be shotgun starts in order to fit the events in a shorter time window, along with a team component, with 48 players divided between 12 squads. Five of the events will be held in the United States. Those sites are Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland (July 1-3), Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (July 29-31), the International in Boston (Sept. 2-4), Rich Harvest Farms in Chicago (Sept. 16-18) and Trump Doral (Oct. 29-31). Other hosts include Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok and Royal Greens Golf Club in Jeddah.

The first seven events will each boast $25 million purses, $20 million for individual prizes and another $5 million for the team competition. The eighth event will offer $30 million for the top three players of the season, with another $50 million for teams in total prize funds.

On Tuesday, May 31, LIV Golf announced the players who signed up for the opener in London, an event that is headlined by Dustin Johnson. The two-time major winner was previously linked to the fledgling circuit, although Johnson came out with a statement in February pledging loyalty to the PGA Tour. But Johnson's agent, David Winkle, released a statement to various outlets Tuesday saying Johnson continued to weigh the offer. "Dustin’s been contemplating this for the past two years and decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it," Winkle said. "He’s never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it’s given him but in the end felt this was too compelling to pass up.”

Phil Mickelson has also jumped to LIV Golf and will play in the London event, ending the 51-year-old’s three-month sabbatical from golf. The news is not necessarily surprising; Mickelson has been among the most prominent names connected to the LIV Golf operations and he noted in a February interview with Golf Digest that the PGA Tour's “obnoxious greed” had him looking elsewhere to play professionally. Moreover, Mickelson’s agent, Steve Loy, acknowledged in April that Mickelson had requested a release from the PGA Tour to play in LIV Golf's inaugural competition at the Centurion Club.

Other notable names in the field include Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Talor Gooch, Martin Kaymer, Kevin Na and Ian Poulter. All told, four players in the top 50 are among the participants—Johnson (13), Oosthuizen (20), Na (33) and Gooch (35)—and 16 of the top 100.

Additionally, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will reportedly join the series when it comes to the United States. Despite DeChambeau denying rumors multiple times, his agent confirmed on June 8 that DeChambeau is leaving the tour. "Bryson has always been an innovator,” agent Brett Falkoff wrote to multiple outlets. “Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something unique has always been intriguing to him. Professional golf as we know it is changing and it’s happening quickly.”

It’s very possible that a number of players will jump to LIV Golf later this summer or next season. Some could be waiting until after the U.S. Open to defect, while others are watching for the tour’s response before making their decision. Among those players linked to LIV Golf that are not in the London event include Jason Kokrak (who is sponsored by Saudi Golf) and Adam Scott (who has expressed interest in the limited schedule). Rickie Fowler has also telegraphed interest in the LIV Golf concept.

As of writing, here are those scheduled to appear at the London opener: Oliver Bekker, Richard Bland, Laurie Canter, TK Chantananuwat, Hennie Du Plessis, Oliver Fisher, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Branden Grace, Justin Harding, Sam Horsfield, Dustin Johnson, Matt Jones, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Martin Kaymer, Phachara Khongwatmai, Sihwan Kim, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Chase Koepka, Jinichiro Kozuma, Pablo Larrazabal, Graeme McDowell, Jediah Morgan, Kevin Na, Shaun Norris, Andy Ogletree, Louis Oosthuizen, Wade Ormsby, Adrian Otaegui, Turk Pettit, James Piot, Ian Poulter, David Puig, JC Ritchie, Charles Schwartzel, Hudson Swafford, Hideto Tanihara, Peter Uihlein, Scott Vincent, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Blake Windred.

Jared C. Tilton

What don’t we know about LIV Golf?

No broadcast partner has been announced, although more than a few eyebrows were raised when former FOX Sports President David Hill was signed by LIV Golf; mentioned above, Murdoch’s FOX Sports was originally aligned with Norman’s WGT in the mid-1990s. It appears the first event will be made available on YouTube and Facebook.

Also unclear is the role of sponsors, be it with the league or players. For example the Royal Bank of Canada stripped its logo from its staff members who played in the Saudi International, and RBC appeared to cut ties with Johnson following Tuesday’s announcement.

What players have said they don't want to be involved with LIV Golf?

Rory McIlroy has been LIV Golf’s most outspoken critic, stating he’s not comfortable with where the money is coming from. McIlroy reiterated his stance at the 2022 Genesis Invitational to Golf Digest. “Look, I’ve lived it—for the top guys, all that money really isn’t going to change their life,” McIlroy told Golf Digest’s Dan Rapaport. “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.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka have also said they will not defect to the SGL. Following Mickelson’s comments, Xander Schauffele committed to the tour as well. Perhaps most importantly, Tiger Woods pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour at the end of 2021.

“I’ve decided for myself that I’m supporting the PGA Tour. That’s where my legacy is,” Woods said in November 2021. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have won 82 events on this tour and 15 major championships, and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have allegiance to the PGA Tour.”

What has been the response from the PGA Tour?

Some observers believe the tour’s recent purse and FedEx Cup prize money increases are a direct response to the SGL threat; however, when the tour’s new media rights deal was announced in the beginning of 2020 (a nine-year agreement believed to be valued at $7 billion), Monahan promised the money would “put us in a position to significantly increase player earnings.” In that same breath, the tour enacted a Player Impact Program in 2021 , an initiative aimed at compensating the game’s most popular names separate from how they perform on the course. Last year, $40 million was allocated for the top 10 players on the tour’s PIP standings, with $50 million assigned for 2022. The tour will also award a $50,000 bonus for any player who reaches 15 starts during the 2021-22 season.

As for the idea that players may be excommunicated from the tour if they join the SGL, Monahan remains steadfast in his declaration from January 2020: them or us. Per Monahan’s ultimatum from 2020: “If the Team Golf Concept [one of the other names used by the PGL] or another iteration of this structure becomes a reality in 2022 or at any time before or after, our members will have to decide whether they want to continue to be a member of the PGA Tour or play on a new series.” At a players meeting at the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, Monahan repeated his position: Any player joining the Saudi-backed golf league will face immediate suspension and possible expulsion from the PGA Tour. Though questions have arisen if the tour can lawfully ban a player for life, legal experts confirmed to Golf Digest that the PGA Tour would likely win any battle challenging its authority to do so.

At the Players Championship, the tour’s flagship event, Monahan said “We’re moving on,” adding “All this talk about the league and about money has been distracting to our players, our partners and most importantly our fans. We’re focused on legacy, not leverage.”

What has been the response from golf’s other organizations?

With its strategic alliance, the European Tour— rebranded in 2022 as the DP World Tour —is in lockstep with the PGA Tour. Perhaps the biggest unknown is how Augusta National, the PGA of America, the USGA and the R&A will respond to players siding with LIV Golf; specifically, if LIV Golf players will still be allowed to compete in the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Augusta National, the USGA and R&A issued statements supporting the PGA Tour and European Tour in May 2021, yet most of the statements didn't address the playing status of those who defect. The PGA of America was direct in its answer, with CEO Seth Waugh stating at the 2021 PGA Championship that those players who joined the rival league would not be allowed in future PGA Championships or Ryder Cups.

“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 [PGA] 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. It's a little murkier in our championship, but to play, from a U.S. perspective, you also have to be a member of the tour and the PGA of America to play in our championship, and we don't see that changing.”

Waugh reiterated his stance at the 2022 PGA, calling the LIV Golf concept “flawed” and “not good for the game.”

However, the 2022 U.S. Open will allow LIV Golf players to compete. “Regarding players who may choose to play in London this week, we simply asked ourselves this question—should a player who had earned his way into the 2022 U.S. Open, via our published field criteria, be pulled out of the field as a result of his decision to play in another event? And we ultimately decided that they should not," read a statement. “Our decision regarding our field for the 2022 U.S. Open should not be construed as the USGA supporting an alternative organizing entity, nor supportive of any individual player actions or comments. Rather, it is simply a response to whether or not the USGA views playing in an alternative event, without the consent of their home tour, an offense that should disqualify them for the U.S. Open.”

Cliff Hawkins

Where might this head?

Most likely, a courtroom. The tour is adamant they have the legal authority to issue disciplinary measures, and Norman has openly expressed his desires for players to challenge that authority. Normall additionally telegraphed his litigation threats in an open letter to the tour.

"Surely you jest," Norman wrote in a February letter. "And surely, your lawyers at the PGA Tour must be holding their breath...for decades, I have fought for the rights of players to enjoy a career in which they are rewarded fully and properly for their efforts. They are one-in-a-million athetes. Yet for decades, the Tour has put its own financial ambitions ahead of the players, and every player on the tour knows it. The Tour is the Players Tour not your administration's Tour. Why do you call the crown jewel in all tournaments outside the Majors "The Players Championship" and not "The Administration's Championship?

"But when you try to bluff and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you are guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you likely are in violation of the law."

Antitrust issues are not new to the tour. 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 Norman’s first try to challenge the PGA Tour through his attempt to launch the World Tour.

There was a 2015 class-action lawsuit brought by caddies against the tour using antitrust and intellectual property claims, an effort that proved unsuccessful. The tour has also 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.

Why does all this matter?

Ethics and morals aside, a divided world at the sport’s top levels could have massive ramifications in the game . Should the list of LIV Golf defectors not grow from the initial London field list, the PGA Tour would be fine; only Johnson qualifies as a player with notable accomplishments that remains in his relative prime. Essentially, LIV Golf would be a Senior Tour light with a handful of amateur and young-ish players.

However, should a high number of 35-and-younger players with playing pedigrees and popularity side with the Saudi-backed league in the following months and years, professional golf could transform into professional boxing, a sport whose competition has been watered down by rivaling governing bodies with conflicting financial interests. The sport’s relevance, and to an extent existence, would be at stake.

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LIV Golf Invitational Series: All you need to know ahead of inaugural tournament at Centurion Club

LIV Golf's inaugural invitational tournament, worth a record $25m at Centurion Club, gets under way on Thursday; Phil Mickelson, former world No 1 Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are among the playing field

Thursday 9 June 2022 07:35, UK

After months of speculation and back-and-forth between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, the new Saudi-backed series is to get under way on the outskirts of London on Thursday. Here's all you need to know about who is taking part, what is the format, and why the new league has been so controversial...

Who is going to play?

The event is not being recognised by the Official Golf World Ranking (OWGR), meaning no world ranking points will be on offer during the tournament, although that has not stopped a number of high-profile names agreeing to play at the Centurion Club.

Johnson makes U-turn to headline Saudi-backed event

• DeChambeau confirmed for LIV series | Reed, Fowler expected to follow
• McIlroy: Money decisions never end well | Rory, JT sticking with PGA

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Former world No 1 Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were among the most notable names to commit, with major champions Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen also involved. Phil Mickelson was added to that list on Monday evening after months of controversy surrounding comments he made about the breakaway series.

Former British Masters champion Richard Bland and PGA Tour veteran Kevin Na also signed up, while reigning US Amateur winner James Piot is among the young players featuring in England.

Some 42 players were initially named in the field for the inaugural event, with five more added after the Asian Tour event at Slaley Hall on Sunday.

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Looking ahead to the second event at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland from June 30 to July 2, Bryson DeChambeau has said he will play in it and Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler are reportedly set to join him .

What does this mean for the Majors, Ryder Cup and other tours?

Johnson, Na, Garcia, Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace have all resigned from the PGA Tour, but Mickelson and DeChambeau do not plan to do so.

McIlroy questions quality of LIV Golf field

Norman 'surprised' by Na resigning from PGA Tour

Latest golf news

Johnson's decision to resign from the PGA Tour means that as of now he is unable to be selected for future Ryder Cups, although he remains hopeful that the situation may change.

European Ryder Cup legends, Garcia, Poulter and Westwood are also hopeful they will be allowed to take part in future events. Rory McIlroy has ruled out joining the LIV series but believes those that do compete should not be disqualified from Ryder Cup selection .

Each of the four majors are independently run and can decide whether LIV golfers can participate in their competitions. The USGA confirmed on Tuesday that those teeing it up at the Centurion Club that have already qualified for next week's US Open - which is live on Sky Sports from June 16 - will be allowed to take part.

How did the idea come around?

Reports first began to surface of a rival league to the PGA Tour as far back as 2019, but it was only in late 2021 that the proposal truly began to take shape with the formation of LIV Golf Investments.

This new entity, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - owners of Newcastle United - as its majority shareholder, made an initial $200m commitment to the Asian Tour, later increased to $300m, and appointed former world No 1 and Open champion Greg Norman as its CEO.

In March, despite the PGA Tour threatening to hand out lifetime bans to players who defect to a rival league, LIV Golf announced the schedule for an eight-event, $225m invitational series beginning at Centurion Club in St Albans on Thursday.

LIV is the Roman numeral for 54, which is the number of holes to be played in each event. It also refers to the lowest score a player can shoot were they to birdie every hole on a par-72 course.

Why is it so controversial?

Due to the PIF's links to the Saudi government, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman serving as chairman, LIV Golf has faced accusations of sports washing.

Norman has adamantly denied such claims, telling Sky Sports in May that Saudi Arabia is "changing their culture within their country" and insisting "I do not answer to Saudi Arabia. I do not answer to their government or MBS".

Comments from a Mickelson interview with author Alan Shipnuck, who is writing an unauthorised biography of the six-time major winner, came to light in February, in which the 51-year-old questioned Saudi Arabia's human rights record and called the regime "scary".

Mickelson has since apologised for his "reckless" comments.

What is the format?

All 48 players compete against each other in a traditional stroke play format, with the lowest 54-hole total from the no-cut event being the winner, while a draft will help allocate players into the team format.

Each team will have a LIV appointed team captain who will select their three open team positions via a snake draft format, similar to those used on the Ladies European Tour in the Aramco Team Series.

For the first two rounds, the best two stroke play scores will count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count, with the lowest overall team score after 54 holes being named the team winner.

The format changes in the Team Championship, which is a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out tournament. The top four seeds automatically receive a bye through the first round, with the remaining eight teams playing against each other to see who reaches the quarter-finals.

Team names and captains

Captains in bold, with the 48-strong field divided into 12 teams

4 ACES - Dustin Johnson , Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker, Kevin Yuan

HY FLYERS - Phil Mickelson , Justin Harding, TK Chantananuwat (a), Chase Koepka

PUNCH - Wade Ormsby , Matt Jones, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Blake Windred

CLEEKS - Martin Kaymer , Pablo Larrazabal, JC Ritchie, Ian Snyman

IRON HEADS - Kevin Na , Sadom Kaewkanjana, Hideto Tanihara, Viraj Madappa

SMASH - Sihwan Kim , Scott Vincent, Jinichiro Kozuma, Itthipat Buranatanyarat

CRUSHERS - Peter Uihlein , Richard Bland, Phachara Khongwatmai, Travis Smyth

MAJESTICKS - Ian Poulter , Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield, Laurie Canter

STINGER - Louis Oosthuizen , Hennie du Plessis, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace

FIREBALLS - Sergio Garcia , David Puig (a), James Piot (a), Jediah Morgan

NIBLICKS - Graeme McDowell , Bernd Wiesberger, Turk Pettit, Oliver Fisher

TORQUE - Talor Gooch , Hudson Swafford, Adrian Otaegui, Andy Ogletree

How much money will players earn?

The first seven events all have a prize purse of $25million, with $20m being distributed between the 48-man field and the remaining $5m being shared between the top three teams at the end of each week.

The winner will receive $4m (£3.2m), considerably more than the $2.7m awarded to Scottie Scheffler for his victory at The Masters and Justin Thomas secured for his PGA Championship success, while every player is guaranteed at least $120,000 just for completing 54 holes.

An Individual Champion will be crowned at the end of those events, with a $30m fund distributed for the top three players of the season, providing they have played in a minimum of four tournaments.

The prize purse doubles for the season finale in Miami and sees $50m allocated between each of the 12 four-man teams. Each player receives a 25 per cent cut of team earnings, with $16m awarded to the winning team and $1million for the team finishing 12th.

Where are future events taking place?

The inaugural event in London is the first of eight tournaments due to take place over the next few months, including five in the United States and two in Asia, with an expanded schedule then planned in the coming years.

Pumpkin Ridge GC in Portland from June 30-July 2 and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster from July 29-31 are the next two events, with further US-based tournaments take place in Boston from September 2-4 and Chicago from September 16-18.

Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok is the venue from October 7-9 and Royal Greens Golf Club - the site of the Saudi International in recent years - hosts the following week, with the season-ending Team Championship then hosted at Trump National Doral Miami from October 27-30.

LIV Golf plans to have 10 events in its 2023 calendar before expanding to 14 tournaments from 2024, although dates and locations for those have not yet been confirmed.

"We have a long-term vision and we're here to stay," said Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, via a release. "We're going to grow the game, give more opportunities to players, and create a more entertaining product for fans."

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Why the PGA is striking back against Saudi Arabia's new golf tour

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

LONDON — When the LIV Golf series launched Thursday, it looked like any other major tournament. But looming over the sports’ stars and characteristic rolling greens was a geopolitical cloud .

The likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were among the names at the inaugural event of this rebel golf tour, lured by the financial backing of Saudi Arabia . While they teed off at the unassuming Centurion Club near St. Albans, each swing reverberated far beyond the commuter city north of London.

Not long after the first shot, the PGA Tour said it was suspending all current and future players in the breakaway league . “These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to members.

Yet the LIV series is not just a challenge to the established golfing order but Riyadh’s latest apparent attempt to win international influence and prestige while rehabilitating a reputation tarnished by human rights concerns and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi .

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in motorsports, hosted major boxing matches and concerts, and last year its $400 billion sovereign wealth fund bought the English soccer team Newcastle United.

And now that same Public Investment Fund is backing the lucrative LIV golf franchise, seeking to challenge the established PGA and inject some excitement into a sport some consider quaint and that still retains many of its Victorian roots.

The LIV series has a different format from the PGA: 12 teams, 48 players and 54 holes per event (LIV is 54 in Roman numerals). A sparkling sign at the “fan village” at the Centurion Club on Thursday declared “Welcome to the Future.”

Players have reportedly been offered huge sums to join, while each LIV event offers $25 million in prize money — more than the $20 million for the PGA Tour’s flagship event — with the winner banking $4 million and the last-place player earning $120,000.

But the Saudi funding has left some of golf's biggest and most beloved names struggling to answer tough questions.

Mickelson, who had spent four months away from the game and the public eye, declined to confirm or deny that he had been offered $200 million to join the LIV series.

“I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” Mickelson said. He apologized this week for comments he made recently to an unofficial biographer describing the Saudis as “scary.”

Graeme McDowell, a former U.S. Open champion from Northern Ireland, said that he found the killing of Khashoggi — in which the kingdom has repeatedly denied its involvement  — “reprehensible” but was nonetheless happy to be part of the tournament.

“If Saudi Arabia wants to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, I think we’re proud to help them on that journey,” he said.

NBC News has contacted LIV Golf for comment.

It’s not just sports grappling with these questions, of course.

President Joe Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia next month and will likely meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , a significant reversal after vowing to treat the country as a "pariah" and one that comes amid concerns over rising gas prices in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary under George W. Bush, hosted the LIV tournament’s news conferences in the buildup to Thursday’s launch. And two of the eight LIV events will take place on courses owned by former President Donald Trump.

But while the kingdom seeks to emulate its neighbors Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who have both invested in sports teams and tournaments, experts say Saudi Arabia’s more high-profile modern history of human rights abuses could nullify any reputational gains.

“Saudi Arabia is still in the beginning of its soft [foreign] policy towards the world,” said Sebastian Sons, a researcher at the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient, a think tank in Bonn, Germany. “It tries to do similar things to the UAE and Qatar, but due to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi it will remain extremely problematic for S.A. to improve its image just through sports events,”

As Sons puts it, “Those golfers, whether they like it or not, and whether they acknowledge it or not, they are implicitly ambassadors and they are communicating messages on behalf of the Saudi state.”

Human rights campaigners have for years accused Saudi Arabia of “ sportswashing ” — using glitzy high-profile events to improve its global reputation despite limited domestic reforms.

“Instead of establishing the rule of law in the country and a professional legal system, ending the horrendous due process violations, halting arrests of people expressing themselves peacefully … instead of doing that, you invest massive sums of money in getting essentially a lot of celebrities and athletes to associate with you,” said Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch for the Middle East.

Like many Gulf states, the country is undergoing a long-term shift : It aims to make 10 percent of its national income from tourism by 2030, up from just 3 percent in 2019. Experts see sports as a big part of this — both by helping to attract foreign investment and providing jobs for a young population with high unemployment.

But reputational concerns still play a crucial role.

“On one hand I don’t think it’s principally engaged in what it’s doing for the purposes of sportswashing,” said Simon Chadwick, a professor and director of the Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry at the Emlyon Business School in France.

However, Chadwick added: “There are reputational benefits by focusing our attention on golf, or football, or motor racing or whatever else it might be, and that may divert people away from talking about Khashoggi, from talking about Yemen and talking about the 81 people who were executed on one day .”

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2023 LIV Golf Jeddah schedule, field of players, teams, prize money, purse, live stream, TV schedule

The final event of the liv golf regular season travels to saudi arabia.

The final event of LIV Golf's regular season takes place this week at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club as players travel to Saudi Arabia for 2023 LIV Golf Jeddah. Originally meant to hold the LIV Golf Team Championship, LIV Golf Jeddah will instead serve as the grounds on which players and teams alike jockey for postseason positioning.

As they have all year, the 4 Aces command a narrow lead atop the pylon. Capturing a third-place finish at LIV Golf Chicago, Dustin Johnson's squad remains out in front over a surging Crushers GC, led by Bryson DeChambeau. The 2020 U.S. Open champion has caught fire in recent months with his final-round 58 to win LIV Golf Greenbrier and his most recent victory at LIV Golf Chicago.

His team is making a push towards the top, having already leapfrogged Joaquin Niemann's Torque and Louis Oosthuizen's Stinger. Bubba Watson's RangeGoats round out the top five and those teams within shouting distance of the 4 Aces.

On the individual front, Cameron Smith holds a narrow lead in the season-long race with just 54 holes to play. The Australian has cooled since his two victories in the middle portion of the season, and both Talor Gooch and DeChambeau are breathing down his neck. PGA Championship winner and U.S. Ryder Cup participant Brooks Koepka ranks fifth thanks to his win at LIV Golf Orlando. He will look to successfully defend his LIV Golf Jeddah title.

How to watch LIV Golf Jeddah

Event:  LIV Golf Jeddah | Oct. 13-15 Purse:  $25 million ($20 million individual, $5 million team) Start time : 5:15 a.m. ET Location:  Royal Greens Golf & Country Club — King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia Viewing info:  Friday: 1-6 p.m. (CW App) | Saturday & Sunday: 1-6 p.m. (CW Network & App)

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The Long Game: Saudi Arabia and Professional Golf

• Sean L. Yom
• June 21, 2023
• Middle East Program

Bottom Line

• The alliance between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (which is chaired by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and includes the LIV Golf league) is a strategic victory for Saudi Arabia, which has sought a more integrated presence in global and Western institutions.
• The merger opens up serious commercial leverage for Saudi Arabia, including control over the PGA Tour’s lucrative licensing operation. 
• The deal has resolved a year-long legal dispute between the two organizations, but questions will be raised about the PGA Tour’s nonprofit status as well as monopoly issues that are being investigated by the US Congress.

When the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour commenced in 2022, most observers dismissed the spectacle as sportswashing . Sportswashing refers to sponsorship by authoritarian regimes over major sporting teams and events in order to elevate their image. Last year, LIV fit the bill. It was financed to the tune of $2 billion by Saudi Arabia’s $700 billion sovereign wealth fund (the Public Investment Fund, or PIF), and created exhibition-style golfing events featuring players lured away from the PGA Tour by lucrative cash payouts. Against the LIV stood the PGA Tour, the $1.5 billion sanctioning body based in the United States that traditionally organizes competitions, signs sponsors, licenses media, and pays cash purses at events. 

The PGA and LIV embarked upon an ugly feud fought out in the Western media and American courts. The battle ended recently with the shocking news that the two had agreed to instead merge their forces—alongside the smaller DP World Tour (formerly known as the PGA European Tour, now sponsored by the UAE’s state-owned DP World cargo and port company )—to “ unify ” the professional game under one organizational umbrella. Many Western observers have reacted with hostility . They frame the move as an upstart effort by Saudi Arabia to control global sporting by essentially buying out Western golf to conceal its poor human rights record, one pockmarked by the fact that most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals and the families of the victims from those terrorist attacks allege that those hijackers received Saudi government assistance. Congressional scrutiny has followed, as the merger raises antitrust issues . The Justice Department has also signaled it will investigate the deal , bringing forward the possibility that the merger may not happen after all.

Even if it falls through, however, the merger demands attention in how it has invoked political and strategic concerns that extend far beyond the game of golf. The PGA Tour-Saudi deal is not just sportswashing. The merger entails the Saudi government not buying the PGA Tour outright, but rather going into business with it by funding a new private enterprise to co-manage its commercial empire, of which the biggest components are corporate sponsorships, licensing deals, media rights, and digital assets. It also reflects an accelerating adaptation of the richest Gulf monarchies to the world’s changing geopolitical landscape. Saudi Arabia intends to draw considerable long-term profit from this business relationship, in line with its broader strategy—shared with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—of carving out permanent spots at the global cultural table. Gone are the days when unfamiliar foreigners, when asked about these kingdoms, would conjure up Orientalist images of camel-riding tribal sheikhs splurging newfound black gold on garish Beverly Hills mansions. The agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund instead shows the Saudis as something else: savvy businesspersons using their oil wealth to create new financial and political opportunities, even if this rankles Western audiences.

Sportswashing is hardly new. The Olympic Games have sometimes graced unsavory autocracies eager to hide their heinous domestic political practices (think Germany in 1936 or China in 2008). Over the past decade, the leading Gulf kingdoms have kicked their sportswashing campaigns into overdrive. The trend took off after the 2011–2012 Arab Spring, when these regimes were eager to rebrand themselves from what they were—illiberal ruling monarchies lucky to have survived that regional wave of revolutionary uprisings. Instead, they sought to remake themselves as international sites of progressive, cosmopolitan knowledge . They craved cultural legitimacy, or in marketing terms “brand equity” that could anoint cities like Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha as global centerpieces of education, tourism, and investment. This occurred during the 2010s despite regional affairs deteriorating. Saudi Arabia and the UAE orchestrated a humanitarian disaster with their Yemeni intervention; crackdowns on opposition proliferated in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; and Qatari abuses of migrant workers building the 2022 World Cup stadiums became too grotesque to hide.

Still, such nation-branding efforts , also known as “soft power” projection, yielded considerable fruit. For instance, elite Western universities created branch campuses in Qatar and the UAE, and the latter has hosted the French Louvre since 2017. Above all, glamorous sporting events and music concerts began gracing these countries, as well as Saudi Arabia. The FIFA World Cup, F1 Racing, World Wrestling Entertainment, mixed-martial arts, championship boxing, Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Madonna—this is the lexicon of cultural globalization, and over the past decade the Arabian Peninsula has become part of it. 

One successful result of such soft-power projection has been the close relationship between the Gulf and football. Qatar’s successful hosting of the 2022 World Cup triggered ferocious outcry among some Western observers, partly driven by discomfort over how such a tiny country with little footballing history could pursue its global ambitions by organizing a sporting event of this magnitude. Previously, however, Gulf royals had also purchased top-tier European football clubs , marking their entry into the highest levels of the sport’s global competition. The Emir of Qatar owns Paris Saint-Germain; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, son of Abu Dhabi’s ruler, owns Manchester City; and the Saudi PIF also owns Newcastle United. Gulf airlines like Emirates Airways are ubiquitous sponsors of prestigious clubs like Real Madrid. Finally, football fans know well that Saudi Arabia’s own football league has spent billions to tempt stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Lionel Messi (although the latter is now heading to Florida, to play his twilight years for David Beckham’s Inter Miami club).

It is tempting to see the PGA Tour-Saudi deal as the latest iteration of sportswashing. But the deal concerns far more than Saudi financiers snapping up yet another expensive Western sporting asset. If the merger passes US government review, then the PIF – and by extension, the Saudi government under Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who both chairs the PIF and will serve as the next Saudi king—will help direct a new private firm (thus far called “Newco”) in charge of these golf tours’ combined business. While the implications of the merger are still emerging, the end result promises to bridge two different worlds. The PGA Tour will remain the historical face of professional golf, but the financial muscle needed for its day-to-day commerce will come from the PIF, which alongside the PGA Tour will operate Newco. 

The upshot will be unprecedented in the typically staid world of golfing. Every monetizable implication of the PGA Tour’s gargantuan operations, from signing media deals and licensing video games to drawing tournament revenues and running players clubs, will generate profit for the two entities in charge of Newco—the PGA Tour and the PIF. The Saudis are not buying a golf tour, or even a golfer; they are capitalizing the game into a new commercial form.

Much of this novel strategy turns on the fractious nature of golf itself. For one, the PGA Tour is technically a tax-exempt non-profit enterprise based in Florida. Moreover, there are no teams to buy. Professional golfers are independent contractors, and the game itself has long been the elite preserve of mostly white men belonging to upper-class Western institutions. For another, the PGA Tour carries hallowed status among golf fans. While the four major tournaments—the Open Championship (or British Open), US Open, PGA Championship, and the Masters—are technically independent, and smaller regional outfits like the European DP Tour and the Asian Tour regulate their respective domains, the PGA Tour packs the biggest punch in terms of cachet and credibility for aspiring golfers, tournament organizers, and corporate patrons. All the global golf icons familiar to non-golfing fans, from Tiger Woods to Jack Nicklaus, are tied to the PGA Tour. By contrast, despite its superstar lineup, the LIV Tour failed to draw much mainstream attention. Its television ratings were dismal, and the only US broadcast network to air its events was CW, better known for its teen-themed superhero shows like Superman & Lois .

Still, the PGA Tour saw the LIV as a brazen Saudi-funded affront to its monopoly last year. Not only did some celebrated golfers like Phil Mickelson surrender their PGA Tour membership in favor of LIV thanks to astronomical signing bonuses, but both the PGA and LIV waged costly lawsuits against one another in federal courts . In the end, Saudi money won. The PGA Tour admitted that the cost of its litigation, plus ever-rising cash payouts designed to prevent more players from defecting to LIV, was the final straw: it simply could not defeat “ a foreign government with unlimited funds .” That congressional review now appears imminent is also ironic given PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s complaint that the PGA Tour received little US government support last year amidst its anti-LIV lawsuits and mounting operational costs, ostensibly due to Washington’s “ complex geopolitical alliance ” with Riyadh. 

For Saudi Arabia, the move marks a remarkable victory. In business terms, the PIF was hemorrhaging funds to underwrite its laughingstock golf tour. Making long-term profit was more important than beating the PGA Tour into submission, and now it will have a hand in guiding the business side of the game. In geopolitical terms, the venture reflects the Gulf’s positioning amidst the new realities of a multipolar world. Muhammad bin Salman, much like his counterparts in Qatar and the UAE, understands that US hegemony is waning. The military backbone of the American alliance with these kingdoms remains solid: Washington still maintains a massive infrastructure of bases across the Gulf littoral, and most of these Gulf kingdoms’ most advanced weaponry still originates from American firms. Yet America’s fading appetite for war, particularly with Iran, has convinced Gulf rulers that their foreign policies must be far more flexible in engaging a multipolar world where Chinese interests, Russian security, and global energy markets matter more than American opinions. 

The signs of such flexibility have been apparent for years. For instance, the Gulf kingdoms have repeatedly rebuffed US pressures to ramp up oil production, while Saudi Arabia astonished many last March when it agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Iran through Chinese mediation . The UAE’s efforts to normalize ties with Israel and also de-escalate tensions with Iran show a similarly pragmatic desire to stamp its own influence upon regional affairs, while exploring greater engagement with China as well. Such moves are not merely affronts to the Biden administration so much as outcomes of new Gulf foreign policymaking, one that is far more confident and adaptable than before. In step with ongoing nation-branding efforts, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf peers do not merely desire prestige; they want permanence . They are making their kingdoms central to global discussions about sporting, tourism, trade, and education—not by building vast militaries, but through increasingly savvy cultural and financial forays far beyond their borders. 

Much as the Gulf kingdoms have pivoted to embrace these new opportunities, Western audiences must also adapt. Such strategic responses, however, are still being calibrated given the novelty of this new reality. Western critics of sportswashing likewise need a stronger argument than human rights when evaluating partnerships between foreign autocracies and Western sporting leagues. The NBA, for instance, does $5 billion in business in China, which has become its second biggest market after North America. Because much professional sporting based in the West flourishes through competitive markets, there is little that can be done when Gulf financing enters the domestic picture through legal investment channels. The Saudi PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United in 2021, for instance, unfolded despite tenacious resistance from many club fans. Western governments cannot outright block such involvement, unless the funding appears tied to a foreign government under sanction (which explains why English football club Chelsea’s Russian ownership sold the team in 2022). 

In the case of the PGA Tour, the threat of US government review is anchored upon the possibility that the business structure of the proposed merged golfing entity may breach American antitrust laws, not because the source of funding is Saudi. However this deal pans out, one thing is clear: Gulf financing has irrevocably become an important new player in Western sporting, and it will have lasting influence.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a non-partisan organization that seeks to publish well-argued, policy-oriented articles on American foreign policy and national security priorities. 

Image: State Department

WELCOME TO GOLF SAUDI

Golf Saudi facilitates uptake and participation in golf through the delivery of world-class facilities, operational excellence, and the implementation of industry best practice to position the Kingdom as an exceptional golfing nation.

LADIES FIRST CLUB

The Ladies First Membership is an initiative which will create legacy impact from Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the first ever Ladies Professional Golf Tournaments. It is a world-first category, providing 1,000 women in Saudi Arabia with their first golf club membership and a pathway to enter the game in the best possible manner.

STRATEGIC PILLARS

Golf Saudi’s role is to unlock the universal appeal of the great game of golf by building a compelling narrative, across its six key pillars in order to create mass excitement around the game with key demographic targets. These pillars are:

ACCESS & INFRASTRUCTURE

The most ambitious modern golf development programme in the world

Nurture Saudi’s most talented players to international standard via the highest profile academies plan

MASS PARTICIPATION

Introducing, educating and entertaining via on and off-course programmes to build comprehensive touch points

Engage and connect golfers from around the world to consider Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most intriguing new golf destinations

Inspire and entertain local audiences on the power of the great game, bringing the world’s best players to Saudi Arabia

SUSTAINABILITY

Drive sustainable development of world class golf, enabling an entire golf ecosystem to deliver positive environmental and social impacts

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Catlin makes it back-to-back

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Eid meets golf

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; April 11, 2024 The 2024 Saudi Open presented by PIF promises not only world-class golfing action but also a vibrant atmosphere for fans of all ages to enjoy with #Golf&More set to take place at Riyadh Golf Club from April 17 to 20, 2024...

2024 Saudi Open

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 8 April 2024: The 2024 Saudi Open presented by PIF is set to make a triumphant return to Riyadh Golf Club from 17-20 April when LIV Golf captain Henrik Stenson is joined by five fellow LIV Golf members, a number of DP World Tour players, including Rafa Cabrero-Bello, and the stars of the Asian Tour...

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PGA Tour players learn how much loyalty is worth in new equity program

Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a “Player Equity Program” under the new PGA Tour Enterprises .

The bulk of that money — $750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power.

How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

The Telegraph reported Tiger Woods was to receive $100 million in equity and Rory McIlroy could get $50 million, without saying how it came up with those numbers.

Commissioner Jay Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players, a week after Strategic Sports Group became a minority investor in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

The private equity group, a consortium of professional sports owners led by the Fenway Sports Group, made an initial investment of $1.5 billion that could be worth $3 billion. The tour is still negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle behind the rival LIV Golf league — as an investor.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

Another person with knowledge of the Player Equity Program, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the dealings, said the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players and reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

It also reported how the 36 players from the top tier were judged on “career points,” such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories.

Jason Gore, the tour’s chief player officer, said in one of the videos, “It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal.”

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

LIV Golf lured away seven major champions dating to 2018 since it launched in 2022, all with guaranteed contracts and most of them believed to have topped $100 million.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy replied.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

PGA Tour suspends LIV Golf players as Saudi-backed rebel tour opens under reputational cloud

LONDON — When the LIV Golf series launched Thursday, it looked like any other major tournament. But looming over the sports’ stars and characteristic rolling greens was a geopolitical cloud .

The likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were among the names at the inaugural event of this rebel golf tour, lured by the financial backing of Saudi Arabia . While they teed off at the unassuming Centurion Club near St. Albans, each swing reverberated far beyond the commuter city north of London.

Not long after the first shot, the PGA Tour said it was suspending all current and future players in the breakaway league . “These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to members.

Yet the LIV series is not just a challenge to the established golfing order but Riyadh’s latest apparent attempt to win international influence and prestige while rehabilitating a reputation tarnished by human rights concerns and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi .

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in motorsports, hosted major boxing matches and concerts, and last year its $400 billion sovereign wealth fund bought the English soccer team Newcastle United.

And now that same Public Investment Fund is backing the lucrative LIV golf franchise, seeking to challenge the established PGA and inject some excitement into a sport some consider quaint and that still retains many of its Victorian roots. 

The LIV series has a different format from the PGA: 12 teams, 48 players and 54 holes per event (LIV is 54 in Roman numerals). A sparkling sign at the “fan village” at the Centurion Club on Thursday declared “Welcome to the Future.”

Players have reportedly been offered huge sums to join, while each LIV event offers $25 million in prize money — more than the $20 million for the PGA Tour’s flagship event — with the winner banking $4 million and the last-place player earning $120,000.

But the Saudi funding has left some of golf's biggest and most beloved names struggling to answer tough questions.

Mickelson, who had spent four months away from the game and the public eye, declined to confirm or deny that he had been offered $200 million to join the LIV series.

“I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” Mickelson said. He apologized this week for comments he made recently to an unofficial biographer describing the Saudis as “scary.”

Graeme McDowell, a former U.S. Open champion from Northern Ireland, said that he found the killing of Khashoggi — in which the kingdom has repeatedly denied its involvement  — “reprehensible” but was nonetheless happy to be part of the tournament. 

“If Saudi Arabia wants to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, I think we’re proud to help them on that journey,” he said.

NBC News has contacted LIV Golf for comment.

It’s not just sports grappling with these questions, of course. 

President Joe Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia next month and will likely meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , a significant reversal after vowing to treat the country as a "pariah" and one that comes amid concerns over rising gas prices in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary under George W. Bush, hosted the LIV tournament’s news conferences in the buildup to Thursday’s launch. And two of the eight LIV events will take place on courses owned by former President Donald Trump.

But while the kingdom seeks to emulate its neighbors Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who have both invested in sports teams and tournaments, experts say Saudi Arabia’s more high-profile modern history of human rights abuses could nullify any reputational gains.

“Saudi Arabia is still in the beginning of its soft [foreign] policy towards the world,” said Sebastian Sons, a researcher at the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient, a think tank in Bonn, Germany. “It tries to do similar things to the UAE and Qatar, but due to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi it will remain extremely problematic for S.A. to improve its image just through sports events,”

As Sons puts it, “Those golfers, whether they like it or not, and whether they acknowledge it or not, they are implicitly ambassadors and they are communicating messages on behalf of the Saudi state.”

Human rights campaigners have for years accused Saudi Arabia of “ sportswashing ” — using glitzy high-profile events to improve its global reputation despite limited domestic reforms.

“Instead of establishing the rule of law in the country and a professional legal system, ending the horrendous due process violations, halting arrests of people expressing themselves peacefully … instead of doing that, you invest massive sums of money in getting essentially a lot of celebrities and athletes to associate with you,” said Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch for the Middle East. 

Like many Gulf states, the country is undergoing a long-term shift : It aims to make 10 percent of its national income from tourism by 2030, up from just 3 percent in 2019. Experts see sports as a big part of this — both by helping to attract foreign investment and providing jobs for a young population with high unemployment.

But reputational concerns still play a crucial role.

“On one hand I don’t think it’s principally engaged in what it’s doing for the purposes of sportswashing,” said Simon Chadwick, a professor and director of the Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry at the Emlyon Business School in France.

However, Chadwick added: “There are reputational benefits by focusing our attention on golf, or football, or motor racing or whatever else it might be, and that may divert people away from talking about Khashoggi, from talking about Yemen and talking about the 81 people who were executed on one day .”

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

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PGA Tour players learn how much loyalty is worth in new equity program

Tiger Woods waves after his final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a “Player Equity Program” under the new PGA Tour Enterprises .

The bulk of that money — $750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power.

How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

The Telegraph reported Tiger Woods was to receive $100 million in equity and Rory McIlroy could get $50 million, without saying how it came up with those numbers.

Commissioner Jay Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players, a week after Strategic Sports Group became a minority investor in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

The private equity group, a consortium of professional sports owners led by the Fenway Sports Group, made an initial investment of $1.5 billion that could be worth $3 billion. The tour is still negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle behind the rival LIV Golf league — as an investor.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

Another person with knowledge of the Player Equity Program, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the dealings, said the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players and reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

It also reported how the 36 players from the top tier were judged on “career points,” such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories.

Jason Gore, the tour’s chief player officer, said in one of the videos, “It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal.”

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

LIV Golf lured away seven major champions dating to 2018 since it launched in 2022, all with guaranteed contracts and most of them believed to have topped $100 million.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy replied.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund Have Yet to Meet Together

According to a report, the new CEO of the DP World Tour wants an agreement to move quickly, and he also believes European LIV golfers should be able to play in the Ryder Cup.

• Author: Bob Harig

Nearly a year after the shocking “framework agreement’’ was announced between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, all of the parties have yet to formally meet together.

That is according to Guy Kinnings, the new CEO of the DP World Tour, who officially took over from Keith Pelley this month.

Kinnings, in a media session with a small group UK and Irish golf writers in London, discussed his hopes for an agreement and also made clear that the European Ryder Cup rules do not need to be changed for players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to be part of the team next year at Bethpage Black.

“From my perspective, all I want to do is make sure we as quickly as possible get the right people around a table to talk about what can a future look like,’’ Kinnnings said in a report from the Scotsman newspaper . “I don’t expect them to go in knowing all the answers. There’s lots of things have to get worked at. What does the product look like, probably from 2026 and beyond? What’s the pathway? What does it mean for things?

“But, until you get into the room with the right people with the right intent to try and find a solution, you are never going to work out a deal and, at the end of the day, this is what is needed right now as quickly as we can. We’ve all seen—even with a great Masters—that TV figures are down. If we listen to the fans, there’s something that needs to get fixed and I see it as a huge opportunity because, if you can unite and go global, that’s exactly what we are all about.’’

The framework agreement was supposed to bring the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF—which backs LIV Golf—together by the end of 2023. That deadline was missed, and since then the PGA Tour has received private equity from a U.S. based consortium of investors called Strategic Sports Group that can be as much as $3 billion.

A plan has been unveiled for PGA Tour players to receive equity in the new PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit company. Kinnings said that the PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, wants to be part of the group of investors.

“I was talking to the guys from the Strategic Sports Group  and I said ‘listen, we’ve got to get together, we’ve got to pull it all together, we’ve got to find the product that works—it probably won’t be until 2026 but beyond there—and is good for the game, something that fans like and works for everyone.’ But, at the end of the day, it has got to be something that is appealing to them. It’s got to work for all parties and everyone is going to have to do things they don’t necessarily want to, a compromise. But that’s what you do if you strike a deal, it won’t happen until we get everyone in a room together.”

Kinnings also said that players, such as Rahm, who remain a DP World Tour member but pay fines and deal with suspensions for missing conflicting events can still be eligible for the Ryder Cup.

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2024 Saudi Open final results: Prize money payout, leaderboard and how much each golfer won

T he 2024 Saudi Open final leaderboard is headed by winner John Catlin, who topped the Asian Tour leaderboard this week with a win at Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Catlin earned the win to take the fifth event of the year, earning his second consecutive win on the circuit with a wire-to-wire victory. The American wound up winning by seven shots on 24-under 260 after opening with 65 to take the Day 1 lead and never lose it.

Wade Ormsby was the second-place finisher this week on 17-under total.

Peter Uihlein and Kiradech Aphibarnrat finished tied for third place, two shots behind Ormsby.

Catlin won the $180,000 winner's share of the $1,000,000 purse.

Saudi Open recap notes

Catlin earned 8.4 Official World Golf Ranking points with the win. The field for the tournament was modest, mostly filled with Asian Tour regulars and several LIV Golf players.

There was a cut this week, with 66 players finishing the event in the fifth event of the 2024 season.

The 2024 Asian Tour schedule continues in two weeks with the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in South Korea.

2024 Saudi Open final leaderboard, results and prize money payouts

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The post 2024 Saudi Open final results: Prize money payout, leaderboard and how much each golfer won first appeared on Golf News Net .

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Ethical considerations drowned out as Adelaide’s LIV affair continues

More in South Australia are seemingly able to turn the other way and view the Saudi-backed rebel golf tour’s presence as a boon for the sport

A s LIV golf returns to Adelaide next week, Australia’s appetite for the breakaway tour appears stronger than anywhere in the world. The South Australian capital has been the most successful venue in the short history of the tour, and there are few signs that any ethical misgivings about the tour’s Saudi backers have diminished that popularity.

The manner of the challenger brand’s ingratiation of Australian officials, players and spectators serves as a model for LIV, particularly as the mooted merger with the PGA Tour shows little sign of delivering a united sport. The 2024 event, which gets under way on Friday 26 April, is therefore significant.

The existing deal with SA covers this year’s event, plus two more, and the state’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, has trumpeted its success. He has acknowledged the ethical misgivings about LIV, but has ploughed on anyway. The state “went out on a limb”, he told ABC last year, “and provided LIV Golf their breakthrough moment globally”.

Public discussion of the human rights record of Saudi Arabia, which has bankrolled LIV’s rapid establishment through the country’s Public Investment Fund, has largely fallen away, but amid the South Australian backslapping there are still some who are pushing back. The Liberal opposition leader, David Speirs, has been opposed to the event since its announcement, and continues to criticise Malinauskas on the decision to host the event due to the links to Saudi Arabia.

But more in Australia are seemingly able to turn the other way, and view LIV’s presence as a boon for the sport. Golf Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland, said last month this part of the world looked at LIV differently. “There’s clearly an ‘anti’ or a conservative sentiment about the Saudis in the US, and the further east you go on a world map from America, the more moderate the views are,” he told the SportNXT conference in a room featuring many of Australian sport’s senior executives.

Golf Australia’s close collaborator is the PGA of Australia, the body representing tournament and club professionals and organiser of the Australasian Tour, which is still aligned with LIV rival the DP World Tour. Despite the political complexity, Sutherland was matter-of-fact. “The Australian public just wants to embrace great talent in that golf sphere that ordinarily wouldn’t come to Australia.”

Indeed, the most vocal local criticism of LIV’s Adelaide event last year was not about the crackdown on dissent in Saudi Arabia or the country’s repression of women , but rather the impact the event had on the condition of the host course.

Sutherland’s comments highlight the region’s appetite for the sport which – due to the PGA Tour’s historical dominance – has largely focused on audiences in the US and, to a lesser extent, Europe. They suggest LIV’s formula is, at least in Australia, working, despite close connections between Australia’s golf establishment and the DP World Tour, which alongside the PGA Tour in the US has been at loggerheads with LIV.

The appeal of LIV in Adelaide is simple. Never before has such an expensive collection of golfing talent been taken to Australia’s fifth-largest city. Last year 77,000 tickets were sold, roughly double the estimated attendance of LIV’s next most popular event (figures are not formally reported).

Although LIV has demonstrated its almost unlimited financial resources in the pursuit of players, the taxpayers of SA have paid – in money and time – for the privilege of hosting. The exact amount has been kept under wraps, with the government refusing to detail the deal in parliament.

The deep pockets of the breakaway tour have been regarded as its greatest power. December’s deal for John Rahm – reported to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars – underscores LIV’s long-term financial commitment, close to two years after it initially picked off its opening lineup.

But last year’s Adelaide event – although managed by LIV’s operating partner Performance 54 (another PIF-backed entity) – was only pulled off thanks to the help of more than 700 unpaid helpers. A similar callout is under way this year.

LIV has reportedly offered millions in site fees to clubs in the US to host the tournament . But no such windfall has come the way of Australian host, the Grange Golf Club.

T he Grange sits close to the beach not far from Adelaide’s CBD, and is approaching its 100th year. Its financial results for last year show no specific revenue spikes attributed to LIV, and the largest unexplained growth in a single line item was a $350,000 increase in “sundry income”. However, the documents describe a healthy club, boosted by more than $300,000 in additional bar and catering profit, a reduction in the club’s debt and a membership fee increase that was below inflation.

The club is not looking to be handsomely compensated, according to the general manger of the course, Barry Linke. He said hosting the event delivered multiple benefits, although the precise terms of the agreement with LIV were commercial in confidence. “[There were] improved playing conditions for members due to the additional maintenance and work done on the golf course – in 2023 we spent twice as much on course maintenance as a normal year,” he said.

“There is a financial benefit, improved infrastructure, worldwide recognition to the Grange, increase in membership inquiry and demand, increase in visiting player revenue, and improved club reciprocal opportunities for our members.”

The announcement of the Grange as LIV’s Australian host came in late 2022, but not out of the blue. One of its two courses is designed by LIV commissioner Greg Norman, and the club was the site of his first professional victory in 1976. He even has a testimonial on the club’s website.

Grange reported 86% of members were satisfied with the LIV event, even though it interfered with access to the course. One member of 45 years went to the local newspaper complaining about the damage hosting LIV had caused. Not long after, his scorecard was leaked by another Grange member seemingly unhappy with the dissent. The X account that posted the hacker’s card said the complainant “should probably worry more about the state of his golf game than the state of the course”.

LIV’s divisive attack on world golf and sensitivities around the source of its wealth may linger in these debates. But they suggest SA’s long-ignored golfing community may be less concerned with the death of Jamal Khashoggi, and more with the condition of a course.

Speirs said the opposition party maintained its anti-LIV stance while the rebel event “remains under the control of the Saudi regime, which is notorious for sports-washing in order to cover up the deplorable mistreatment and basic rights violations of women”. That position means, come 26 April, the spectre of Saudi Arabia’s influence will not have been extinguished entirely amid the beats and beers along Grange’s exclusive fairways. But, like Chase Koepka on last year’s party hole, that sentiment is likely to be drowned out.

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PGA Tour players learn how much loyalty is worth in new equity program

At a glance.

Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

The PGA Tour on Wednesday, April 24, began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a “Player Equity Program” under the new PGA Tour Enterprises.

The bulk of that money — $750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power.

How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, April 25, informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

The Telegraph reported Tiger Woods was to receive $100 million in equity and Rory McIlroy could get $50 million, without saying how it came up with those numbers.

Commissioner Jay Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players, a week after Strategic Sports Group became a minority investor in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

The private equity group, a consortium of professional sports owners led by the Fenway Sports Group, made an initial investment of $1.5 billion that could be worth $3 billion. The tour is still negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle behind the rival LIV Golf league — as an investor.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

Another person with knowledge of the Player Equity Program, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the dealings, said the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players and reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

It also reported how the 36 players from the top tier were judged on “career points,” such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories.

Jason Gore, the tour’s chief player officer, said in one of the videos, “It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal.”

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

LIV Golf lured away seven major champions dating to 2018 since it launched in 2022, all with guaranteed contracts and most of them believed to have topped $100 million.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy replied.

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Mistrust Looms Over PGA Tour as Deadline for Saudi Deal Nears

Rancor within the tour’s board could shape decisions about the final agreement and influence the sport for decades to come.

By Lauren Hirsch and Alan Blinder

The PGA Tour is less than three weeks from a deadline to finalize a deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that it promised would transform professional golf into a global powerhouse and quiet years of acrimony.

But acrimony clearly remains.

The plan’s outline called for combining the moneymaking businesses of the PGA Tour, the venerable American circuit; and LIV Golf, the upstart league flush with billions of dollars in Saudi investment. The deal’s announcement on June 6 , though, was short on the basics, including a total valuation and even modest support from many players. Six months later, unrest and mistrust are still pervasive inside the PGA Tour, as players, board members and senior executives struggle to repair ties after secret talks that led to the Saudi deal surprised even many in the boardroom.

“Since June 6, trust has been broken at the top level,” Adam Scott, who turned professional in 2000 and now chairs the tour’s Player Advisory Council, said in an interview this week. “Nothing has changed to reinstate that trust.”

Mr. Scott, the winner of the 2013 Masters Tournament , will assume a seat on the PGA Tour’s board next month. When he does, he will join a group that has lately felt splintered, as players on the board have repeatedly clashed with some outside directors. The rancor may not derail any deal, since many players are open to significant outside investment. But their frustrations with tour leaders — over both the secretive nature of how the deal came together and a feeling that players do not have a strong enough say in how the sport is run — could shape decisions about the details and the future makeup of the tour’s board, influencing golf for decades to come. Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, said at the DealBook Summit last month that players “ultimately are going to be responsible for the deciding vote.”

The deal would give the wealth fund a significant stake in American golf as Saudi Arabia pours money into sports to try to shore up its reputation around the word. It faces headwinds outside the golf world, with the Justice Department prepared to scrutinize any arrangement for antitrust violations and senators digging into the tour’s ties to Saudi Arabia, and tour officials have spoken for months with potential American investors.

The tour and Saudi Arabia’s wealth funds set a Dec. 31 deadline to finalize their deal, though the sides can extend their talks.

A spokesman for the tour declined to comment.

The tentative deal with the wealth fund, which came after the tour long insisted that LIV Golf was merely an attempt by the Saudi government to distract people from its human rights record, provoked an uprising among players, many of whom had spurned LIV’s lucrative payouts. The negotiations’ clandestine nature also fueled the anger. The tour sought to curb the revolt in August, when it agreed to add Tiger Woods to the board , evening the count between the golfers and outside directors at six each. And it vowed that the merchant banker Colin Neville, who had already been brought in to advise the players, would “be fully aware of the state of the negotiations.”

Mr. Woods’s addition was a boon to the players, who figured his swagger and savvy would give their side more heft in the boardroom. It did. But Mr. Woods’s ascendance did not alter certain realities like, for instance, the voting thresholds required to make significant changes. As expected, it also did not dislodge the two directors who secretly negotiated with the Saudis: the board chairman, Edward D. Herlihy, a partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and James J. Dunne III, vice chairman of the investment bank Piper Sandler.

“I’ve learned that any great board, you need disagreement in order to get to the best solution, and we’ve had many disagreements this year — even the players have had disagreements,” said Webb Simpson, the winner of the 2012 U.S. Open and a member of the tour’s board. “But we’re trying to all get to a better place.”

Although tour membership is limited to a fraction of the world’s finest golfers, the players have only so much influence over the appointments of outside directors to the board. That has long frustrated many players, who felt they were put in a subservient position to the independent board members. Worsening the atmosphere, a director many players saw as a good-faith collaborator, the former AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson, resigned after the Saudi deal was announced. (Two players were on a committee that recommended Mr. Stephenson’s successor, Joseph W. Gorder.)

Charley Hoffman, a longtime player who sits on the board, said he thought “the independents have the best interests of the players” in mind. But the tour’s structure ultimately limited players’ sway over their tour, he and others said, a particular sore point after the Saudi deal.

“The word I hear echoing throughout the membership is ‘accountability,’” Mr. Hoffman said.

Amid this scrutiny, the tour is considering bringing in additional U.S. investors alongside the Saudi wealth fund, which would assure investment in the tour before what could be a prolonged regulatory review of the Saudi deal. The tour said Sunday that it had entered talks with Strategic Sports Group, an investment group led by Fenway Sports Group — the parent company of the Boston Red Sox, the Liverpool Football Club and, years ago, Mr. Monahan’s employer.

Fenway would inject $3.5 billion into a newly formed for-profit company that would have a valuation of up to roughly $12 billion, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private financial matters. Those terms, like most things with the deal, remain in flux.

The announcement last week that the Saudis had recruited Jon Rahm, the world’s third-ranked player, to LIV disappointed and unnerved tour loyalists. It also fueled a surge in infighting, most prominently displayed in a Sports Illustrated article that depicted the golfer Patrick Cantlay as having outsize control over the tour’s destiny. Mr. Cantlay, the article said, “seemed more concerned about catering to elite golfers like himself” and suggested he was the leader of a group “driving negotiations.”

Mr. Cantlay is the player on the board with the highest spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (fifth), but other directors downplayed the notion that he was in charge.

“He just likes to think deep and see if there’s anything under the rocks that can improve the organization for everyone,” Mr. Hoffman said.

Jordan Spieth, a past winner of the British Open , the Masters and the U.S. Open who sits on the board, confessed to bemusement over accounts of Mr. Cantlay as a distinct power center. He thought Mr. Cantlay’s inquisitive, insistent style and vision had unsettled some people inside the tour hierarchy.

“He’s challenged people who have been in a position to not be challenged for a long time, and I think that’s upset them,” Mr. Spieth said. “Because he comes from a place of trying to enforce some change where change is inevitable, but kind of do it in a way where the players have a massive role in how it looks, that challenges the status quo and makes him a target.”

Mr. Cantlay said his approach to the role had not changed since June 6 and that, “in general, my mentality is just to put my head down and try to get the work done.”

Mr. Stephenson is not the only director to have left. The superstar Rory McIlroy resigned last month . Although his replacement, Mr. Spieth, is a well-liked tour stalwart with a record of board service, the turnover has stoked unease.

“The dynamic has been shook, obviously,” Mr. Scott said, adding, “The reasons don’t even really matter — at a critical time, that is not ideal.”

Some board members believe that once a deal is done, tensions could ease almost automatically, especially if the board’s composition changes.

“When we all go back to hitting golf shots and doing what we actually know how to do,” Mr. Hoffman said wryly, “this will all slow down.”

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

Alan Blinder is a national correspondent for The Times, covering education. More about Alan Blinder

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