Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson kicked off the Saudi Arabian-funded golf league on Thursday, and the PGA Tour soon said players who took part were no longer welcome, even if they had already resigned.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan keeps a firm line on his promise that players can choose one tour or the other, but not both.
Those who have given up on the PGA Tour – Graham McDowell said he did so 30 minutes before retiring – are no longer eligible for any PGA Tour circuit. Those who remained members, such as Mickelson, were removed.
“These players have made their choice or made their own financial reasons,” Monahan said in a note to his membership. “But they may not require the same benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform for PGA Tour membership as you.”
Ian Poulter said he would appeal the decision. McDowell said he wanted to “maintain high morals” by resigning to try to keep litigation to a minimum. He believes that stopping is a healthy way to work.
Mickelson had nothing to say except that he did not want to talk about the PGA Tour in his first tournament in four months, only to confirm that he will play all eight of the LIV events, five of which will be in the United States.
When told that people were interested in his situation, Mickelson replied: “I am very flattered that many people are interested.”
It remains to be seen whether these players will ever be welcome. So far, Monahan has made it clear that the stops include the President’s Cup – the international team (countries outside Europe) is determined by the world rankings.
Monahan said the players who left will be removed from the PGA Tour rankings – the FedEx Cup and the Presidents Cup – after this week. He said the tour would ensure that those who did not resign would not be affected by ranking on various lists of players on the tour.
PGA, LIV are in “battle for the soul of our game”
The USGA has already said eligible players can still compete in the US Open next week. PGA Tour does not manage specialties.
PGA champion Justin Thomas and four-time grand champion Rory McIlroy welcomed the decision to suspend touring this week at the Canadian Open.
“I think everyone who is shocked has obviously not listened to the message that Jay and everyone are making,” Thomas said. “They took that risk by entering it, whether they thought it was a risk or not. I have a lot of faith and a lot of confidence in the PGA Tour and where we go and keep growing, and these guys just aren’t going to be a part of it. ”
Ten players have dropped out of the PGA Tour, a list that includes Johnson and Sergio Garcia. Mickelson, who has a lifetime membership of 45 PGA Tour titles, is among those who do not.
LIV Golf, run by Greg Norman and funded by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Saudi Arabia, responded to the tour’s decision, calling it vindictive and divisive.
“It is worrying that the tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity that is blocking golfers from playing,” said LIV Golf. “This is certainly not the last word on this topic. The era of free agencies is beginning, as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London and beyond. ”
The point is that players compete without releasing a controversial event from the PGA Tour.
Players usually receive three such editions a year for tournaments abroad. Monahan has denied LIV Golf Invitational publications, as it is a series of eight tournaments that he plans to compete directly with the PGA Tour in the United States.
The tour does not allow editions for events in North America.
“We followed the rules of the tournament from start to finish to respond to those players who decided to turn their backs on the PGA Tour by intentionally breaking the rules,” he wrote.
LIV Golf has paid huge subscription fees, with The Daily Telegraph reporting $ 150 million for Johnson and Mickelson, who declined to dispute reports that they paid him $ 200 million. Both are more than the winnings of Tiger Woods’ career in the PGA Tour.
Norman said LIV will support the players, even if they are on the courts. McDowell said some players have already spoken to lawyers.
“We have not been issued any statements. We have the feeling that we should have been issued messages. We’ve been doing it for the last 20 years, we’ve been operating all over the world, “McDowell said. “Listen, we all know the situation is for something bigger. This is competition and you don’t like it. They have to play the game the way they think they have to play it, which is to play hard. “
DP’s world tour has not said whether it will stop its players. It has a commercial alliance with the PGA Tour, including the first jointly sanctioned events this year on both sides of the Atlantic.
The first test for PGA Tour players will be the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, a week after the US Open. Johnson was among those listed in the field.
LIV Golf Invitational was broadcast on YouTube and Facebook. Before the first round, Norman said he was excited to see that the 30-year effort was being realized.
He tried to start the World Golf Tour in the 1990s only for elite players and had a television contract until the PGA Tour canceled the moment with the support of Arnold Palmer. This chain has never come out of the ground.
He did it with the support of riches that golf has never seen.
Each tournament offers a $ 25 million prize pool, with $ 4 million for the individual winner. The richest event on the PGA Tour is The Players Championship with $ 20 million. The Canadian Open this week, which has five of the world’s top 10 players, has a purse of $ 8.7 million.
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