The Official Golf Thread

[Orior]

42 names for the Saudi league have been unveiled

LIV Golf announces field for first event in London next week. Among the big names: Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, Talor Gooch. Not listed: Phil Mickelson.

I thought they wanted big names. Na is a tiny name.

[Hound]

When you consider that DJ must be worth the best part of €100m, is risking millions in guaranteed sponsorship deals, would be pretty much guaranteed a strong 8 figures in prize money between now and he hits 50, and if bothered, could  tear the seniors tour for another €20m before he turns 60..... the money LiV are gauranteeing him must be truly eye watering.

DJ is 37.
His total career prizemoney is $74m.
LIV are apparently guaranteeing him a minimum of $125m for committing to the 8 tournaments this year!

Format is unusual.
48 players - shotgun start - so everyone playing at the same  time. Probably helpful for tv schedules not to have to take up the whole day.
54 hole events
$20m prize fund for each individual event, and an additional $5m for a team event (everyone is allocated to a 4 man team)

[quit yo jibbajabba]

Eye watering figures. Between the golf the soccer Formula1 and Gaa Club football managers ye wonder where its all gona end

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Phil has officially signed with LIV - $200m


Greg Norman said Tiger turned down a "high 9 figure amount to join"

[dec]

Dustin Johnson has resigned his PGA Tour membership as well

[trailer]

Crazy money on offer. Be interesting to see how this fairs out.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

DJ has a good few yrs of exemptions at the majors to soften any blow. Im sure any others facing life time bans though may have to think twice

[Mikhail Prokhorov]

Gmac on the cnut list   

sad to see but utterly predictable

won't be long before shane and rory join him 

[yellowcard]

A lot of golfers are self absorbed arseholes anyway but those taking the Saudi money and then pretending it's anything else but for money are a special type of arsehole. Morally bankrupt.

Then you look at soccer clubs like Man City, PSG and Newcastle you can see how effective these regimes consider sportswashing to be. It's a form of soft power and the sportsmen are willing pawns in their game.

[screenexile]

It's a load of bollocks really the European Tour have been playing tournaments out there for years and there's even a WGC event in China.

Yes these lads are just that extra bit greedy than everyone else but let's not pretend Golf is some bastion of moral authority. The PGA Tour and European tour could give a shit about the Arabs reputation they're missing out on the dollars and that's where they are coming from. There's very few decent tour players who haven't played an event somewhere human rights violations are rampant.

It'll be interesting to see where this whole thing goes it could change the game!

[Saffrongael]

Why doesent GMac have the balls to say, like the Americans, it's about the money ?

[trailer]

Why doesent GMac have the balls to say, like the Americans, it's about the money ?

GMAC is a bit of a dose to be honest.

I'm in no way in favour of this Saudi backed tour but the game badly needs shook up at the elite level. Same old boring stroke play format over and over. 6 hour rounds. Mr Palmer, Jack's place. Stuffy shite. The game is almost 100% US based. While jumping into bed with the murderous Saudi's isn't necessarily the answer, maybe the PGA and World tour will wake up and make a few changes.

[Saffrongael]

Sounds like Bryson, Patrick Reed & Fowler also on the move

[Hound]

USGA said they won't ban anyone who has qualified from playing in the US Open in a couple of weeks. Positive news for the LIVers

[StephenC]

It's a load of bollocks really the European Tour have been playing tournaments out there for years and there's even a WGC event in China.

Yes these lads are just that extra bit greedy than everyone else but let's not pretend Golf is some bastion of moral authority. The PGA Tour and European tour could give a shit about the Arabs reputation they're missing out on the dollars and that's where they are coming from. There's very few decent tour players who haven't played an event somewhere human rights violations are rampant.

It'll be interesting to see where this whole thing goes it could change the game!

Post reported.