Ryder Cup fans Ian Poulter (center left) and Lee Westwood (right) are in the middle of the field along with fellow Englishmen Laurie Canter (left) and Sam Horsfield (center right).
The most lucrative and possibly controversial golf tournament in the world is taking place this week on the outskirts of London.
Here’s everything you need to know about who plays, the cash prizes on offer and why the world of golf is shaking.
Who plays?
Two-time world champion Dustin Johnson, the world number 15, is the highest-ranked player in the 48-man field. Next up is former South African Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, number 21 in the world.
Phil Mickelson has also joined. The American became the oldest major champion when he won the 2021 United States PGA Championship, his sixth major at age 50.
The last time he played for the Saudi International was in February, before going into exile for four months after making “reckless” comments about the Saudi regime, for which he has since apologized.
Ryder Cup European team fans, such as Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, Irishman Graeme McDowell and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, are also on the field.
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What is LIV Golf?
LIV Golf is a start-up organization, led by two-time grand winner and former world number one Greg Norman.
The 67-year-old Australian is the CEO of LIV Golf Investments. By the end of 2021, it was announced that more than $ 200 million (£ 145 million) was to be committed to 10 new Asian tour events to be held annually over the next decade.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which helped fund Newcastle United’s recent takeover, is the company’s majority shareholder.
In March this year, LIV Golf announced a series of $ 250 million invitations to eight events and then, in May, Norman told BBC Sport that he had secured an additional £ 1.6 billion in PIF funding to convert the series in an event of 14 events. ties in 2024.
Why is it controversial?
In short, there are two reasons: the source of funding for LIV Golf Investments and its threat to the status quo of the game.
The PIF of Saudi Arabia is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A declassified U.S. intelligence report released in February 2021 claimed that Bin Salman was complicit in the assassination of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an accusation that Bin Salman has denied.
The Gulf Kingdom is one of the states accused of investing in sports and using high-profile events to “sport-wash” its reputation in other parts of the world.
When asked about the Saudi regime and the assassination of Khashoggi, Norman said “we are all wrong” while adding that “they are changing their culture within their country.”
The PIF also provides money for many sporting events, such as Formula 1, boxing, football and golf.
As for the game, the US-based PGA Tour has refused to allow exemptions for its members to play at events and has threatened to ban players from participating, even though they have not been applied. official sanctions.
Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Na are among the players who have resigned from the PGA Tour.
The European-based DP World Tour has not yet announced sanctions, although both tours are expected to wait for players to arrive at 14:15 BST on Thursday before announcing a decision.
The DP World Tour, which has a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, hosted the Saudi international event for three years before this year becoming the flagship event of the Asian Tour as part of the LIV funding agreement. Investments.
What did the players say?
Dustin Johnson initially distanced himself from the new LIV Golf series in February, saying he was “committed to the PGA Tour.” However, he has since relinquished his PGA Tour membership and signed to LIV Golf for about $ 150 million.
The 37-year-old, speaking at the Centurion Club on Tuesday, said: “I don’t want to play the rest of my life, it gives me a chance to do what I want to do.”
In comments made by all the other golfers, Graeme McDowell, when asked about Khashoggi’s murder, replied: “We all agree that it was reprehensible.
He added: “No one will dispute this fact, but we are golfers. We are not politicians.
“If Saudi Arabia wants to use the game of golf as a way for them to get where they want to go, we are proud to help them on this journey, using the game of golf and the skills we have to help them grow. sport “.
Phil Mickelson said “I needed more balance on and off the field and that gives me a chance to have more balance.” On his lifelong membership on the PGA Tour, he added: “I don’t want to give up [my membership] but I don’t know what will happen. “
Greg Norman said: “We have a long-term vision and we’re here to stay. We’re going to grow the game, give players more opportunities and create a more entertaining product for fans.”
He also revealed that LIV Golf Investments made a “mind-bogglingly huge” bid to test the temptation of 15-time winner Tiger Woods. “We’re talking nine high digits.”
In May, Woods dismissed the LIV company, saying, “I believe in legacies. I believe in major leagues. I believe in big events, compared to historical figures from the past. There’s a lot of money here.”
When asked if he considered himself a rebel or a pioneer, Ian Poulter replied, “I consider myself a global golfer and I’ve played numerous tours and events around the world for 24 years and that’s what I have. “.
Rory McIlroy, who has not played any events in Saudi Arabia for “moral” reasons, declared the idea of LIV Golf “dead in the water” in February. Speaking in early June, he said he was “indifferent” to this first tournament, adding: “I certainly don’t think the field is anything to jump up and down. Look at the field in Canada. [the PGA Tour Canadian Open starts on Thursday]. These are good golf tournaments. “
What format and money is offered?
LIV stands for Roman numeral 54 and links to the three-day 54-hole game format of the top seven of the eight events scheduled for 2022.
The inaugural invitation event takes place at the Centurion Club, some 30 miles north of London.
The series will feature six more tournaments of this nature in 2022: four in the United States, one in Thailand and one in Saudi Arabia, each with the same $ 25 million prize pool, which means that each stage of the series is more lucrative than the richest tournament. on the PGA Tour.
Each event will feature a team and individual competition, with 12 captains selecting three players in a draft style format. Each day, players will play at the same time in different holes in what is called a “shotgun start”.
The individual winner of each event will take home $ 4 million; by comparison, the flagship event of the PGA Tour, the Players Championship, won Cameron Smith $ 3.6 million for his victory in March, while Collin Morikawa won $ 2 million for his victory in the Open Championship in 2021.
There is no cut and the player who finishes last will take home $ 120,000.
There is $ 5 million to be distributed among the top three in the team competition.
The eighth and final event, at the Trump National Doral in Miami in October, will be a $ 50 million four-day “Team Championship” elimination tournament with 12 teams. The winning team will receive $ 16 million, and each of the four players will receive a 25% cut.