Who’s In And What We Know About The Saudi-Funded League Launching Thursday

Topline

Bryson DeChambeau is the latest big-name golfer to commit to LIV Golf – here’s what we know about the new golf league that’s set to tee off Thursday.

Phil Mickelson tees off during a practice round Wednesday ahead of LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament.

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Key Facts

DeChambeau’s agent Brett Falkoff confirmed to Forbes on Wednesday the 28-year-old’s intention to join LIV Golf, making the 28th-ranked golfer the new league’s brightest young star, and 31-year-old world No. 36 Patrick Reed also plans to join LIV Golf, the Telegraph reported.

Though DeChambeau and Reed are not included in the field for the inaugural event at the Centurion Club near London from Thursday to Saturday, several notable golfers are, including Dustin Johnson (ranked 13th in the world), Louis Oosthuizen (21st) Kevin Na (34th) and Sergio Garcia (57th) as well as six-time PGA Tour major winner Phil Mickelson.

LIV Golf’s 2022 season will consist of eight tournaments with a format that differs from PGA Tour events in key ways: events will be three rounds for a total of 54 holes (LIV is 54 in Roman numerals), each tournament will feature team play in addition to individual competition with 12 teams of four golfers, there will be no cuts and total prize money is $25 million for the first seven events – far more than the purse of PGA Tour major tournaments – while the final event will pay out $50 million.

The golf league is perhaps most famous for its questionable and seemingly limitless financing from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund: Golfers joining the series have been consistently peppered with questions about their motives to accept money from a government criticized for its human rights record, including the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Thanks to billions in Saudi funding, LIV Golf, whose CEO is former top-ranked golfer Greg Norman, has offered eye-popping contracts that proved to be too rich for many to pass up: Mickelson’s and Johnson’s deals were each reportedly for north of $100 million, while Norman told Washington Post that Tiger Woods turned down an offer in the “high nine digits.”

LIV Golf has another notable backer, former President Donald Trump, who endorsed the new league over the PGA Tour last month and whose country clubs will host two of the series’ 2022 tournaments.

What To Watch For

Whether players participating in LIV Golf can play in PGA Tour majors moving forward. Both Johnson and Mickelson have said they intend to play in the majors. Each major is run by a different governing body, but no tournaments have indicated thus far they’ll keep out any golfers. LIV Golf participants are being allowed to play at next week’s U.S. Open. Garcia, Johnson, Mickelson and Reed are qualified for the Masters for life as former winners of the tournament. The bodies of the Open Championship and the PGA Championship have yet to comment on how LIV Golf affects future qualification.

Key Background

Mickelson faced intense backlash in February after he defended his association with LIV Golf despite describing the Saudi government as “scary motherf*uckers” who “killed Khashoggi” and “execute people…for being gay.” Mickelson’s long-time sponsors Callaway, KPMG and Amstel Light dropped the golfer soon after. Johnson’s inclusion in the field of LIV Golf’s first tournament was a bombshell, considering the 2020 Masters champion’s firmly expressed allegiance to the PGA Tour in February. Garcia, Johnson, Na and Oosthuizen resigned from the PGA Tour this week. DeChambeau and Reed will compete in LIV Golf’s second tournament in Portland beginning June 30, Sports Illustrated reported Wednesday.

Surprising Fact

Sponsors have mostly stayed silent during the recent run of golfers pledging their commitment to LIV Golf. The Royal Bank of Canada is the only sponsor to react publicly, dropping its sponsorship of Johnson and Graeme McDowell after the golfers opted to skip this week’s PGA Tour event sponsored by the bank in favor of the first LIV Golf tournament.

Tangent

LIV Golf is embracing the spectacle of its first tournament, hosting concerts by famous British musicians, including James Morrison, Jessie J and Melanie C.