LIV Golf Tour: Tiger Woods knocks back rebel offer, but cash triumphs for Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson finally confirmed he has signed on to the lucrative LIV tour despite concerns about their ‘scary’ backers - but a ‘mind-blowingly enormous’ offer couldn’t tempt Tiger Woods.
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Golf megastar Tiger Woods rejected a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer to join Greg Norman’s rebel LIV Golf Invitational Series worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Washington Post reported Monday that LIV Golf commissioner Norman said 15-time major winner Woods turned down a “mind-blowingly enormous” overture by LIV.
“We’re talking about high nine digits,” said Norman.
Woods has earned over $US120m in career prize money on the PGA tour, which means he rejected an offer to collect more than that by simply joining the rebel event.
Former world No.1 Dustin Johnson was reportedly paid $US125m to defect to the LIV tour, while Phil Mickelson has also confirmed he will join the new tour’s first event.
The six-time major winner and 2021 PGA Championship winner has been confirmed in the field for the controversial new tour’s inaugural event in London this week.
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According to the New York Post, Mickelson has signed a deal with LIV Golf worth a reported $AUD280 million.
“I am ready to come back to play the game I love but after 32 years this new path is a fresh start,” Mickelson wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
Mickelson has not played since the publication of comments in February in which he criticised the PGA Tour and the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, which is being spearheaded by Aussie legend Greg Norman.
In an interview with author Alan Shipnuck, the 51-year-old golf star said the Saudi-funded LIV Golf was an opportunity to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.
However, Mickelson described the new venture’s Saudi backers as “scary” with a “horrible record on human rights”.
Mickelson, a 45-time winner on the PGA Tour, later issued an apology after his remarks were made public and said he would take some “desperately needed time away” from the sport.
He subsequently skipped both the Masters and the US PGA Championship during his self-imposed exile from the sport.
During that period, however, the rise of LIV Golf has continued to tear at the fabric of world golf, with dozens of household names joining the new tour.
Last week, former world number one Dustin Johnson was confirmed as having signed up to play the money-spinning new series, whose tournaments will offer some of the richest purses in the history of golf.
This week’s event teeing off at Centurion Club at St Albans, north of London, will have a $35 million purse — almost double that of any major, with $5.5 million going to the winner.
As well as Mickelson and Johnson, other players include European Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia.
Players opting into LIV Golf have done so despite warnings from the PGA Tour that they will face disciplinary action.
Several PGA Tour golfers had requested releases to play this week’s LIV event — which clashes with the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open — but had been refused.
In his statement on Monday, Mickelson said he believed LIV Golf could have a “transformative” effect on the sport. He also said it would allow him to change his lifestyle.
“It will provide balance, allowing me to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course,” Mickelson said.
“I am incredibly grateful for what this game and the PGA Tour has given me.”
However, Mickelson added: “I fully realise and respect some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions and I empathise with that.
“I have a renewed spirit and excitement for the game.”
Shark circling next big target for rebel tour
Having shocked the world golf scene by recruiting Dustin Johnson, Greg Norman’s rebel troupe are pitching for another coup with a massive offer to two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.
The 43-year-old Watson is lying low for the next month after knee surgery which hampered his final rounds in last month’s PGA tournament and is expected to sidelined him for up to three months. He could, however, still be available for the final four events of the circuit.
Watson has been linked to the Saudi-backed project for some time and remains a priority recruit.
Watson was regularly mentioned in the same sentences as Kevin Na, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter as players likely to join the tour and that trio are confirmed starters in the first tournament of the eight-tournament LIV golf series in England next week.
But Watson is still no certainty to join. Many golfers, including Australia’s Adam Scott, are reportedly monitoring the backlash from early tournaments before deciding whether to commit.
American world No.36 Harold Varner III, a regular Australian visitor, is thought to be in the sights of Norman’s recruiting men, though there are reports he has rejected a massive sign-on fee to join them.
Norman has been under attack for backing a project funded by Saudi Arabian rulers with an abominable human rights record but the huge money associated with the venture has drawn a respectable field for the first tournament, including 16 players in the top 100.
Offering money twice as big as any of golf’s four major, Norman believes the tour will grow in strength once the initial controversy recedes.
Scott has been a close ally of Norman’s for several decades and has spoken about the appeal of playing a shorter season.
One underestimated drawback of the new tour is that it carries no world ranking points.
The huge prizemoney may be a major lure but, with the top 50 in world rankings gaining entry into majors, some players have privately claimed the lack of ranking points is a bigger setback to the new project that most commentators have acknowledged.
Jones reveals rebel tour aspirations
-Brent Read
Aussie Matt Jones says he had no contact with Greg Norman before joining his Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tour and hasn’t ruled out taking court action to protect his place on the PGA Tour.
Jones, one of four Australians named in the field for the inaugural event on the controversial tour, also revealed he had committed to multiple events and had received a signing bonus for his participation.
The opening event of LIV Golf Invitational Series will have a purse of $35 million and the field will feature former Masters champions Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel, former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, former U.S. Open champions Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer and popular English duo Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
The PGA Tour has warned that players who join the LIV Tour will be putting their status at risk and released a statement on Thursday morning saying that any player participating in events on the LIV Golf Invitational Series without authorisation would be subject to sanctions.
There was also a backlash from sponsors - The Royal Bank of Canada ended its lucrative deal with Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell after their decision to play in the first event of the series in England.
Jones said his decision to join the tour was driven by a desire to spend more time with his family.
“The schedule is great for me with three kids — three young girls,” Jones told reporters at Memorial Tournament.
“I want to be around as a dad. I mean, I’ve been out here for 15 years. I’ve missed a lot of what goes on in my kids’ lives.
“I was raised with a mum and dad that were always there for me. They were at every sporting event, every schooling event, and that’s something I’d like to try to do for my kids.”
Jones said he was yet to receive any communication from the PGA Tour and distanced himself from commentary around the Saudi human rights issues, which have become a major talking point since Norman announced he would head up the rebel Tour.
“I’m a golfer,” Jones said.
“I’m not a political person. I play golf for a living. I stay in my lane. And that is my response to that. That’s exactly what it is.”
Asked whether there had been backlash from his fellow players, Jones said: “No. Definitely no backlash from players or caddies. It’s been very positive.”
As for his future on the PGA Tour, Jones said he was hopeful he would be able to continue playing.
“We’ll find out what happens,” he said.
“I don’t think banning players from playing on the PGA Tour as independent contractors is very good for golf.
“It’s not a good look for anyone. I understand the tour wants to protect their players and the product they have out here, but I don’t think that’s a good way to go about it.
“They keep everything in house, as they do with suspensions and drug tests and everything. So I’m sure it’ll come out, maybe once the first ball is hit by the players over there.”
Asked whether he would be willing to take the PGA Tour to court, he said: “I’ll have to see what all the other players are planning on, what their hopes are.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, and we can work something out. I’m sure the PGA Tour’s lawyers are pretty confident, and I’m sure the LIV lawyers are pretty confident, too.
“But look, I’m a golfer. I’m going to stay in my lane because I have no idea on that stuff. It is an unknown. I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the organisation and I feel very good about the LIV people — the future, the plan they have in place to grow the game even more.
“I’m from Australia, so I’m a global player. I like to play everywhere I can around the world. You’re somewhat limited to that when you play on the PGA Tour. I play in Australia whenever I can, I go overseas and play whenever I can.
“I’m just happy to be able to do that.”
Norman has been the controversial figurehead of the tour as its commissioner but Jones revealed he had not spoken to his fellow Australian.
“Greg has been an idol of mine from when I was a kid,” he said.
“But I did not have any contact with him regarding this. This was totally on me and my team.
“I wanted to keep it separate and make a call based on what I thought was best for myself and my business and for my family and for hopefully the future of golf.
Four Aussies join Norman’s rebel band of golfers
-Robert Craddock
Four Australians have joined super star Dustin Johnson in the field for Greg Norman’s controversial first LIV Golf Invitational Series event next week.
Golf officials have been shocked that former world No. 1 Johnson, 37, has joined the rebel band who are in danger of becoming outcasts from the major tours.
Johnson had said recently he would stick with the PGA tour but has changed his mind.
He has reportedly received a massive sign-on fee.
Norman has attracted 16 of the world’s top 100 golfers for a tournament at the Centurion Club outside London.
Only 42 of the 48 names have been finalised with controversial star Phil Mickelson expected to be one of the six names added next week.
The tournament, will have a purse of $35 million, has attracted former Masters champions Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, former British Open champion and Louis Oosthuizen, former U.S. Open champions Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer and popular English duo Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
Former Australian Open winner Matt Jones, 42, who won the Honda Classic on the PGA tour last year, has joined the group.
Australian PGA winner Jed Morgan had been a confirmed starter after topping the PGA order of merit and being unable to be sanctioned by the European or American tours because he had no allegiance to him.
Morgan told News Corp he considered the prizemoney – where the last placed golfer would receive $165,000 – “insane.’’
Widely travelled Wade Ormsby, whose last major victory was the Hong Kong Open in 2020, has joined the new group along with young NSW professional Blake Windred who gained entry on finishing second to Morgan in the order of merit.
Other interesting faces include Americans Kevin Na, Hudson Swafford and recent PGA tour winner Talor Gooch. Some stars such as Bubba Watson and Adam Scott are reportedly watching proceedings closely before deciding whether to join.
The project has been hugely controversial with Norman under consistent fire for joining a project backed by the Saudi Arabian rulers with horrendous human right records.
But Norman’s commitment to the project has not wavered.
“We couldn’t be happier at the diversity of our field, featuring players from around the world including major champions and those making their debut with us, competing in their first professional event,’’ Norman said.
It is yet to be decided what, if any penalties, players who join Norman’s league will face though they have been warned they could be banned from the PGA tour of America and European tours.
Originally published as LIV Golf Tour: Tiger Woods knocks back rebel offer, but cash triumphs for Phil Mickelson
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