Greg Norman and his LIV Golf Investments introduced an eight-tournament schedule that can provide $349 million for the full prize fund and a format that features particular person and crew play.
Lacking from the announcement was the names of who can be enjoying, which might have an effect on their PGA Tour membership.
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LIV Golf Investments, funded primarily by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund, mentioned it’s offering greater than $548 million in “seed cash” to launch the LIV Golf Invitational sequence, which blends 54-hole stroke play with a crew idea.
Seven occasions would have a $34 million purse — $27 million for medal play ($5.4 million for the winner) and $6.8 million for the highest three groups.
The PGA Tour simply concluded its richest match, with a $27 million purse at The Gamers Championship, gained by Cameron Smith. The tour pays 18 % of the prize cash to the winner.
The schedule for the Saudi-backed rival league contains 4 tournaments in the US. One is at Trump Nationwide in Bedminster, New Jersey, which initially was to host the PGA Championship this yr till the PGA of America voted to maneuver it after the riots on the nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.
The others can be Pumpkin Ridge Golf Membership in Portland, Oregon, which beforehand hosted the U.S. Ladies’s Open; Wealthy Harvest Farms outdoors Chicago, which as soon as hosted a Solheim Cup; and The Worldwide, a non-public membership about 30 miles west of Boston.
The sequence is to start out June September 11 at Centurion Golf Membership in London — one week earlier than the U.S. Open outdoors Boston — and conclude with a crew championship on the finish of October.
“Our occasions are actually additive to the world of golf,” Norman mentioned in a information launch. “We now have finished our greatest to create a schedule that enables gamers to play elsewhere, whereas nonetheless taking part in our occasions. I consider gamers will more and more make progress in attaining their proper to play the place they need. We are going to assist in any manner potential and can present golfers with alternatives to attain their full potential.”
Gamers who be part of the PGA Tour are required to play a minimal of 15 tournaments. In keeping with the rules, tour members will not be allowed to play one other match when eligible for a PGA Tour occasion held the identical week with no conflicting occasion launch from the commissioner.
Nonetheless, the rules say conflicting occasion releases won’t be permitted for tournaments held in North America. Three of the LIV Golf Invitational tournaments can be reverse PGA Tour occasions on the John Deere Basic (July 1-3), Rocket Mortgage Basic (July 29-31) and a September occasion subsequent season.
PGA Tour spokesman Joel Schuchmann mentioned the tour’s place hasn’t modified from Commissioner Jay Monahan’s remark final week that the tour was “shifting on” from discuss of a Saudi league the final 5 months.
The highest 10 gamers on the earth have mentioned they’re staying placed on the PGA Tour.
“We now have an excessive amount of momentum and an excessive amount of to perform to be constantly distracted by rumours of different golf leagues and their makes an attempt to disrupt our gamers, our companions, and most significantly our followers from having fun with the tour and the sport all of us love a lot,” Monahan mentioned.
Norman’s plan appeared to undergo a major sequence of blows final month when Phil Mickelson was quoted as saying the Saudis are “scary mother-(expletives) to get entangled with” and that he was solely as technique to get leverage in opposition to the PGA Tour.
Mickelson mentioned he’s taking time away to work on his priorities. He hasn’t performed since February 6 on the Saudi Worldwide.
Norman mentioned the primary yr of the sequence would have a most of 48 gamers on 12 four-man groups decided by a draft the week of the occasion. After seven occasions, the main three gamers will get $41 million from a prize fund, whereas the crew occasion will provide $68 million.
Together with not stating who has signed up, there was no point out of a tv element.
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