The Saudi-backed golf league is no longer just an idea.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series officially launched Wednesday with an eight-event schedule — including four in the United States — and $255 million in prize purses. Greg Norman, the face of the Saudi-funded league that has drawn the ire of many in the golf community, said he’s excited about the series’ “bright and exciting future.”
“I want golf to grow, players to have additional opportunities, and fans to have more fun,” Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf Investments, said in a statement. “My mission is to help the game reach its full potential and we know the role of golf as an entertainment product is critical to overall participation in the sport. In many ways, we are a start-up. We have a long-term vision and aim to grow.”
The series, which is scheduled to launch June 9-11 at Centurion Golf Club in London, will consist of 54-hole events with a prize purse of $25 million for each of the first seven events.The final event is the team championship.
Most of the sport’s best players — Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy — have put their support behind the PGA Tour and are against Norman’s league. The PGA Tour has threatened to ban any golfers who play in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
But other players have expressed some interest, with none creating more controversy with his comments than Phil Mickelson.
Lefty received backlash earlier this year after he told a book author that he was willing to look past human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia’s if the existence of the golf league pushed the PGA Tour in a better direction.
Here is the league’s 2022 schedule:
June 9-11: Centurion Golf Club, London
July 1-3: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Portland, Oregon
July 29-31: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Bedminster, New Jersey
Sept. 2-4: The International, Boston
Sept. 16-18: Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago
Oct. 7-9: Stonehill Golf Club, Bangkok
Oct. 14-16: Royal Greens Golf Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Oct. 28-30: Team Championship, TBD
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