TerryP
Staff
Greg Norman is pushing ahead with his rival golf league, announcing Wednesday the launch with an eight-tournament schedule that will begin in June and offer $25 million purses per event.
The league will be called the LIV Golf Invitational.
The concept that has been floating around for months and caused considerable disruption on the PGA Tour will see 54-hole events with no cuts, shotgun starts and purses that will pay $20 million for the individual portion, $5 million for the team portion, and a season-ending event that will have a $30 million purse.
In all, LIV Golf Investments, of which Norman is the CEO, is committing $400 million to launch the league with $250 million in prize money.
Still to be determined is who will participate.
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The PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan have pushed back, threatening to ban players who participate or prohibit them from competing in PGA Tour events if they are part of the new league.
The question that now has no answer is what happens if a player simply wants to compete in a few of the LIV Golf Invitational events?
Among those who were heavily involved in the new venture was Phil Mickelson, who was highly critical of the PGA Tour in a Golf Digest interview, referring to the organization’s “obnoxious greed’’ as a reason for exploring the alternatives. In another interview that was published in the Fire Pit Collective, Mickelson disclosed that he was using the concept for leverage with the PGA Tour, was involved in helping the new league draft its business proposal and then called out the Saudi Arabian government – whose sovereign wealth fund is behind LIV Golf Investments – for its human rights issues.
The league will be called the LIV Golf Invitational.
The concept that has been floating around for months and caused considerable disruption on the PGA Tour will see 54-hole events with no cuts, shotgun starts and purses that will pay $20 million for the individual portion, $5 million for the team portion, and a season-ending event that will have a $30 million purse.
In all, LIV Golf Investments, of which Norman is the CEO, is committing $400 million to launch the league with $250 million in prize money.
Still to be determined is who will participate.
.....
The PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan have pushed back, threatening to ban players who participate or prohibit them from competing in PGA Tour events if they are part of the new league.
The question that now has no answer is what happens if a player simply wants to compete in a few of the LIV Golf Invitational events?
Among those who were heavily involved in the new venture was Phil Mickelson, who was highly critical of the PGA Tour in a Golf Digest interview, referring to the organization’s “obnoxious greed’’ as a reason for exploring the alternatives. In another interview that was published in the Fire Pit Collective, Mickelson disclosed that he was using the concept for leverage with the PGA Tour, was involved in helping the new league draft its business proposal and then called out the Saudi Arabian government – whose sovereign wealth fund is behind LIV Golf Investments – for its human rights issues.
Saudi-Backed Golf League Announces 2022 Schedule, with Four U.S. Events
The circuit, named LIV Golf Invitational Series, is offering a $250 million total prize purse among eight 54-hole, no-cut tournaments beginning in June.
www.si.com