Another PGA Tour star leaves for the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf. Here’s who it is.
A week after criticizing questions about the LIV Golf Invitational Series directed to him, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka is the latest golfer to reportedly defect from the PGA Tour and join the fledgling golf league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Koepka, who played at Florida State and is from West Palm Beach, told reporters on the eve of the United States Open that they were casting a “black cloud” over the major championship held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Matthew Fitzpatrick won the thrilling tournament by one shot over Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, for his first major title.
On Tuesday, the 32-year-old Koepka, a former world No. 1, has left the PGA Tour in favor of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, according to various reports.
The Telegraph in London first reported Koepka’s departure, though he’s still listed in the field for this week’s PGA Tour stop as of Tuesday morning.
“I’m here at the U.S. Open,” Koepka said last week, according to ESPN. “I’m ready to play the U.S. Open, and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that. The more legs you give [LIV Golf], the more you keep talking about it.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan previously suspended 17 players for participating in the LIV’s inaugural event, which was held in London, two weeks ago. With sanctions to players not receiving tour approval with a conflicting event release, players have opted to terminate their PGA Tour memberships to join LIV Golf.
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia are some household names who have joined the LIV’s golf series. The LIV part in the name references the Roman numerals for 54 as the tournaments are played under a 54-hole format with no cut, meaning players are guaranteed a payday for competing.
Players are divided into teams with some prize money allocated each event toward the top three performing teams. The format also has a shotgun start, rather than the traditional tee time setup. That means not all players will start off the first hole, or 10th hole in full field events that require split tee usage.
Johnson has a $150 million contract to join the LIV series, the Telegraph reported, with other players receiving undisclosed amounts. According to various reports, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods each turned down massive offers to take part in the new series, which has eight events in its debut year.
The next tournament is in Portland, Oregon. Only one event is in Saudi Arabia, despite the funding coming from the country’s Public Investment Fund.
Criticism has hit the various players choosing to join LIV Golf over potential “sportswashing,” and Mickelson was at a press conference addressing various questions on the eve of last week’s U.S. Open, where he missed the cut.
Mickelson withdrew from the first two majors this year, the Masters and PGA Championship, after comments he made criticizing the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia went public.
“They’re scary motherf-----s to get involved with,” Mickelson said, according to the Washington Post. “We know they killed (Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi) and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
At last week’s press conference, Mickelson opened with an apology.
“There are a lot of things that I regret and I am sorry for the hurt that it’s caused a lot of people,” Mickelson said, according to NJ.com. “... I don’t condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does … throughout the world. And I’m certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it’s terrible.”
In addition to Koepka’s departure, ESPN reported Abraham Ancer, who pulled out of last week’s U.S. Open with an illness, is also leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
The new tour has now locked in eight of the world’s top 50 ranked players.
