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The Saudi Arabian-financed breakaway golf league is not going away.
LIV Golf Investments on Wednesday introduced an eight-event sequence that can begin in London in June and can function 4 tournaments performed in the US. The LIV Golf Invitational Sequence will embrace seven-regular season occasions and a workforce championship match-play finale at a yet-to-be-announced web site Oct. 28-30.
Whole prize cash for the eight occasions shall be $255 million, in accordance with LIV Golf Investments, and the seven regular-season tournaments could have whole purses of $25 million, which might be the richest in skilled golf, with $20 million in particular person prizes and $5 million for the highest three groups. The highest three people after the seven regular-season occasions will even share a $30 million bonus.
The season-ending workforce match-play championship will present one other $50 million in prizes.
“I need golf to develop, gamers to have extra alternatives, and followers to have extra enjoyable,” LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman stated in a launch. “My mission is to assist the sport attain its full potential and we all know the function of golf as an leisure product is vital to general participation within the sport. In some ways, we’re a start-up. We have now a long-term imaginative and prescient and goal to develop. I consider we’ve a really vibrant and thrilling future.”
The LIV Golf Invitational Sequence will encompass 54-hole occasions, no cuts and shotgun begins “to make sure a sooner and extra thrilling tempo.” There shall be a most of 48 gamers on 12 four-man groups at every occasion and rosters shall be decided by a draft the week of the match.
“Fan analysis signifies a major variety of new followers could be enticed by a sooner paced and shorter variation and non-traditional format of play,” the discharge stated. “With smaller fields, fewer rounds, shorter enjoying home windows and modified shotgun begins, these occasions have been designed with followers as the highest precedence.”
The LIV Golf Invitational Sequence’ schedule is not going to compete with current main championships, worldwide workforce occasions or heritage tournaments, so “gamers, who’re unbiased contractors, will all the time be capable of make their very own selections about the place to play,” the discharge stated.
The sequence is scheduled to begin at Centurion Golf Membership in London on June 9-11. The primary occasion within the U.S. is scheduled for July 1-Three at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Membership in Portland, Oregon. One other occasion shall be performed at Trump Nationwide Golf Membership Bedminster in New Jersey on July 29-31; The Worldwide in Boston on Sept. 2-4; and Wealthy Harvest Farms in Chicago on Sept. 16-18.
Tournaments will even happen in Bangkok and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in October.
“Our occasions are really additive to the world of golf,” Norman stated. “We have now achieved our greatest to create a schedule that permits gamers to play elsewhere, whereas nonetheless taking part in our occasions. I consider gamers will more and more make progress in reaching their proper to play the place they need. We’ll assist in any manner attainable and can present golfers with alternatives to attain their full potential.”
All however one of many new circuit’s 4 U.S. occasions conflicts with an current PGA Tour match. The John Deere Basic shall be performed the identical week because the occasion in Portland; the Rocket Mortgage Basic in Detroit is scheduled the identical week as New Jersey; and the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California, is similar week because the occasion in Chicago.
The LIV Golf Invitational match in Boston shall be performed the week after the PGA Tour’s finale, the Tour Championship at East Lake on Aug. 25-28.
Finally week’s Gamers Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan did not appear too involved about the specter of the breakaway league, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund.
“The PGA Tour is transferring on,” Monahan stated. “We have now an excessive amount of momentum and an excessive amount of to perform to be persistently distracted by rumors of different golf leagues and their makes an attempt to disrupt our gamers, our companions, and most significantly our followers from having fun with the Tour and the sport all of us love a lot.”
A lot of golf’s greatest gamers, together with Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and others, have vowed their assist to the PGA Tour.
However different gamers, together with Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Jason Kokrak and Ian Poulter, have expressed curiosity within the new league for numerous causes.
Mickelson, 51, caused an uproar final month with his comments concerning the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian financiers of the brand new league. Mickelson described the Saudis as “scary” however stated he was wanting previous their controversial historical past of human rights violations to achieve leverage with the PGA Tour.
“I’m grateful for the robust assist our prime gamers have proven not too long ago and publicly, and I am extraordinarily proud that we have turned the dialog round to deal with what we do greatest: Delivering world-class golf tournaments with one of the best gamers to one of the best followers, all whereas positively impacting the communities during which we play,” Monahan stated. “We’re and we all the time shall be targeted on legacy, not leverage.”
Monahan has told players that anybody who joins the Saudi-financed league could be suspended and doubtlessly face a lifetime ban from the PGA Tour. Two brokers who characterize Tour gamers informed ESPN on Wednesday that Monahan informed brokers on the Gamers Championship final week that the tour would not grant any releases for its gamers to compete in conflicting occasions within the U.S.
One of many brokers was skeptical that many PGA Tour gamers would defect to the rival league, regardless of its exorbitant purses.
“It appears nearly a little bit too scorching to the touch proper now,” the agent stated. “Possibly guys will shock me, however I do not see any of them eager to buck the system proper now. Guys have seen how Phil was crucified, and I am certain that put the concern of God into a few of them.”
Stated one other agent: “I suppose there’s a probability some would get releases for the occasions on overseas soil, however I do not know. They need to have realized by now that this ‘construct it and they’re going to come’ mentality will not work.”
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