Golf split as the new Saudi -backed league was launched

The golf world split after the launch of the “Live Golf” tournament sponsored by Saudi Arabia and former Australian world champion Greg Norman.

And that is to attract many stars who will be diving from Thursday on his inaugural tour in London.

Golf’s backstage has been in turmoil for months in the new league funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, directly linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has finally seen the light of day and is threatening to re-draw the contour of this sport.

Threats to exclude participating players from professional PGA tournaments, particularly U.S. champions Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, have not succeeded.

The former world number one and holder of two major championships, and the left -handed genius who has been the second greatest player in the last twenty years after Tiger Woods, has succumbed to the temptations of the Saudis, who have overcome a hurdle that many believe cannot be moved.

And not only them, big names from the European circuit joined, such as British Lee Westwood or Spanish Sergio García.

The new and controversial league achieved initial success. Despite fierce opposition from the American and European championships and their refusal to allow their players to participate, LIV Golf attracted 16 of the top 100 players.

In all, this league brought together 48 dissident players, who were inevitably tempted by the extra prize money of more than 200 million dollars, which spread to 8 tournaments around the world, one of them in Jeddah on October 16, and in a single for three days. continuous.

For the first round scheduled at the Centurion Club in St Albans, north London, and like the other rounds, 23 million euros will be distributed, more than double in each of the four main tournaments, as there is no single event in MLS Series that offers many prizes.

“This is the beginning of a battle bigger than all these stars,” warned Pascal Grizzo, president of the French Golf Federation.

This league is divisive, not only because of the promised mountains of money, but also because of the identity of its founders, because of the sensitive issue of human rights in Saudi Arabia.

French player Mike Lorenzo-Vera said on an Irish website in early May: “Even though I want to play for that much money… but the time will come when you have to be straight and act like a human being. “. . ”

He continued: “I know there are players who are not comfortable with that, but I have the impression that they keep quiet, in case one day they take a piece of cake (…) Don’t go!”

And Phil Mickelson used a long silence that lasted several months, before taking office in February in the Saudi League.

Lefty referred to the American League’s “disgusting greed” and said he was willing to join the Leaf League despite the “lack of respect for human rights in Saudi Arabia, especially for homosexuals.” His comments angered many players.

As proof of the Saudis ’desire to break old golf traditions, 82-year-old American sports legend Jack Nicklaus recently announced his rejection of more than 100 million dollars to become one of the symbols of the new league. .

Now the question remains about the fate of the defective players, as the BGA had previously warned that players wishing to participate in the Liv League would receive penalties equal to exclusion.

Some of them expected this result and submitted their resignations to the BGA, such as Dustin Johnson and South Korean-American Kevin Na.

“There is no doubt, there will be trials for many years. I don’t blame the professionals, they go where there are more benefits ”, predicted FFF president Grizzo.

He continued: “I find it inappropriate, this tender will damage the image of golf globally. It seems like a big mess, because when we only associate golf with money, that’s not what the image of the sport needs. ”

Organizers of the U.S. Open, which begins June 16 in Massachusetts, announced Tuesday that athletes participating in the Leaf League will be able to compete in this tournament within the Grand Slam, considering that the exception is “Unfair and inappropriate.”

Source: “AFP”