A slew of members on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour in recent weeks have announced they will bail from the top league in the world to join the new Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.
But it’s been unclear what the PGA would do in light of the exodus. Until now.
“Multiple sources have told The Post that the PGA Tour will reaffirm its hardline stance against the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series and announce disciplinary action on Thursday morning for the PGA players who will be competing in the LIV tournament in London this week,” the New York Post reported. “That action would likely include suspensions, though the severity of the punishments could vary on a case-by-case basis.”
Dustin Johnson, the No. 13 world-ranked player who has won two majors, is the highest-ranked player to join the LIV series, which includes at least 26 of the top 150 players in the world. Since his announcement last week, two more top PGA players, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, have announced they would join the upstart league, set to play eight tournaments in team play.
Many other top golfers are also set to play in the LIV Invitational, including Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, and Talor Gooch.
But Johnson “has not been granted permission to leave and may now face a ban from the [PGA] tour,” the Daily Mail reports.
“Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years. Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it,” said his manager, David Winkle, according to the Mail. “‘Dustin has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up.”
The PGA will be holding its own tournament at the same time as the LIV event at the Centurion Club in London next weekend, and therein lies the problem. The PGA Tour “has threatened players with potential suspensions or even banishment as punishments for playing in the LIV events. Johnson’s decision will put those threats to the test, given his lofty status in the sport,” the New York Post reported last week.
Former PGA No. 1 Greg Norman, CEO of the LIV Series, said, “Free agency has finally come to golf.”
“This is an opportunity to start a movement that will change the course of history by bringing new and open competition to the sport we all love. The desire shown by the players to participate in LIV Golf demonstrates their emphatic belief in our model and confidence in what we’re building for the future,” Norman said.
The new league tried hard to enlist Tiger Woods, offering him a sum in the high nine-figures. “Woods acknowledged before that he was approached by the LIV Tour before but rejected it,” the Post said.
The Saudi-backed league has also wooed other top names in golf, locking down Johnson and Phil Mickelson. “LIV Golf reportedly offered Jack Nicklaus more than $100 million to run the operation (Nicklaus passed), reportedly offered Dustin Johnson $125 million to play (DJ didn’t pass) and, according to one Golf Channel report, paid Mickelson an astounding $200 million to sign up,” the Post reported in a separate article.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
Source: Dailywire
