LIV Golf

Rory McIlroy, who has been an outspoken critic of the new LIV Golf International Series, offered his perspective on players who are joining the upstart circuit.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McIlroy said he could understand why the aging stars made the move but younger players who joined LIV are "taking the easy way out" for the immediate payday.

"In Phil's case, early 50s. Yeah, I think everyone in this room would say to themselves that their best days are behind them. That's why I don't understand for the guys that are a similar age to me going because I would like to believe that my best days are still ahead of me, and I think theirs are, too."

The PGA Tour suspended 17 players who competed in the inaugural LIV Golf event in London this past weekend.

"It's my job to protect, defend and celebrate our loyal PGA Tour members, our partners and our fans," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said on CBS Sports during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach). "And that's exactly what I did. And I don't think it was a surprise to anybody, given how clear I had been about how we were going to handle this situation."

Monahan noted players who participate in future LIV events will face the same discipline as the 17 players who have already been suspended.

McIlroy and Justin Thomas told reporters last week they don't intend to jump ship from the PGA Tour to LIV.

"I think my stance on it has been pretty clear from the start," said McIlroy. "It's not something that I want to participate in. I certainly understand the guys that have went. I understand what their goals and their ambitions are in their life. And I'm certainly not knocking anyone for going. It's their life, it's their decision. They can live it the way they want to."

Thomas said "people are entitled to choose as they wish," but he knows "the PGA Tour is the best place to play in the world."

LIV Golf has generated controversy because it's funded by the Saudi Arabian government. The Saudi government has been accused of various human rights violations, including United States intelligence finding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Per Somayeh Malekian and Guy Davies of ABC News, the Saudi government ordered the execution of 81 people in March, "with some of the men executed for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests."

Per Karim Zidan of NBC News, Saudi Arabia has been making a "strategic investment in sports and entertainment events" dating back to at least 2016 in an attempt to sportswash the country's history of human rights violations away and help reduce its dependence on oil.

Last month, LIV Golf announced it received another $2 billion investment from the Saudi Arabian government to host two additional tournaments in 2023 and become a full-fledged breakaway tour in 2024.

Charl Schwartzel won the inaugural LIV event in London. The 37-year-old made a total of $4.75 million for his individual win and an equal split of the $3 million prize for winning the team competition.

The suspended players will be eligible to compete in the U.S. Open this week since the tournament is operated by the United States Golf Association, a separate governing body than the PGA Tour.

McIlroy has been paired with Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open.

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka lamented the amount of discussion devoted to the LIV Golf-PGA Tour drama ahead of this week's 2022 U.S. Open.

"I don't understand," Koepka told reporters Tuesday. "I'm trying to focus on the U.S. Open, man. I legitimately don't get it. I'm tired of the conversations. I'm tired of all this stuff. Like I said, y'all are throwing a black cloud on the U.S. Open. I think that sucks."

While the PGA Tour has suspended members who took part in LIV's debut tournament last week, the USGA announced all eligible players are free to compete in the season's third major event regardless of their tour affiliation.

Koepka sent Golf Twitter into a brief frenzy last week. He posted the eyeball emoji on the eve of LIV's inaugural event only the return a few hours later to post a link about the New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley:

oops, my bad I forgot the link https://t.co/4ziWCEd1TI

— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) June 9, 2022

Trolling aside, the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open champion clearly believes it's time to get back to business ahead of the major.

Rory McIlroy, a fellow four-time major champ, has been outspoken against LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, a country with a history of human-rights violations, and has offered prospective golfers massive guaranteed contracts to switch.

"I think everything that's happening with this [LIV Golf] tour, it legitimatizes their place in the world, and I'm sure not every Saudi Arabian is a bad person. We're talking about this in such a generalized way," McIlroy told reporters Tuesday. "I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and the vast majority of people that I've met there are very, very nice people, but there's bad people everywhere. The bad people that came from that part of the world did some absolutely horrendous things."

The Northern Irishman added he understands older golfers taking the money, but feels players in their competitive prime are "taking the easy way out."

Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia are among the high-profile players who joined LIV last week. Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are notable names set to join in future events.

While they remain eligible for the majors, the PGA Tour's role in international events like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup leaves them temporarily banned from those competitions, though that ruling could get challenged in court.

Ultimately, despite Koepka's desire for the focus to shift to the on-course play this week, there will likely be a distinct PGA vs. LIV feel throughout the weekend.

After that, the players will once again go separate ways to continue their tour schedules until the Open Championship in mid-July.

Phil Mickelson didn't shut the door on a return to the PGA Tour during his news conference Monday ahead of the U.S. Open while continuing to sidestep criticism of his move to LIV Golf.

On the heels of LIV Golf's inaugural event, Mickelson addressed the criticism the series is continuing to receive because of its financing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

In addition to Saudi Arabia's poor record on human rights, the role of Saudi nationals in the Sept. 11 attacks has drawn renewed scrutiny. Terry Strada, the national chairperson of 9/11 Families United, wrote a letter saying those who signed with LIV Golf "become complicit with their whitewash, and help give them the reputational cover they so desperately crave."

Mickelson addressed Strada's letter directly.

"I would say to the Strada family, I would say to everyone that has lost loved ones, lost friends on 9/11 that I have deep, deep empathy for them," he said. "I can't emphasize that enough. I have the deepest of sympathy and empathy for them."

The six-time champion also talked about the indefinite suspension he and 16 others received from the tour for competing in LIV's London tournament:

My preference is to be able to choose which path I would like, one or the other or both. I feel that I gave as much back to the PGA Tour and the game of golf that I could throughout my 30 years here, and through my accomplishments on the course I've earned a lifetime membership. I intend to keep that and then choose going forward which events to play and not.

I am, again, very appreciative of the many memories, opportunities, experiences, friendships, relationships [the] PGA Tour has provided, and those are going to last a lifetime. But I'm hopeful that I'll have a chance to create more.

Even before the suspension, Mickelson had been notable for his absence on the tour. His last appearance was the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

The 51-year-old removed himself from the spotlight amid the fallout from comments he gave to Alan Shipnuck of the Fire Pit Collective.

With rumors swirling about his possible involvement with LIV, he said the Saudis were "scary motherf--kers" who "killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights." Nonetheless, he spoke positively about a Saudi-backed breakaway league "because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

Mickelson quickly apologized, but the damage was already done by that point.

"I have had strong opinions and ideas, let's say, regarding most of the governing bodies, and I've done a poor job of conveying that," he said Monday. "I've made it public, and that's been a mistake. That's one of the mistakes I've been making, and try to going forward be a lot more thoughtful with my words and actions and try to keep a lot of those things behind closed doors."

While Mickelson is unable to compete in tour events for the time being, the U.S. Open leveled no such ban. He's scheduled to tee off Thursday at 1:47 p.m. ET at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

On the heels of suspending 17 players for competing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is standing by his decision to levy such a significant punishment.

While speaking to CBS Sports during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, Monahan said he did what he believed was best for the tour:

It's been an unfortunate week that was created by some unfortunate decisions, those decisions being players choosing to violate our tournament regulations. It's my job to protect, defend and celebrate our loyal PGA Tour members, our partners and our fans. And that's exactly what I did. And I don't think it was a surprise to anybody, given how clear I had been about how we were going to handle this situation.

LIV Golf completed its inaugural event this weekend at Centurion Golf Club near London. Charl Schwartzel was the winner of the 54-hole competition and received a total prize of $4.75 million, the largest sum in the history of tournament golf.

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, two-time major winner Dustin Johnson and longtime PGA Tour members Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Na were among those who competed in the event, making them ineligible for tour events going forward.

The LIV Golf Series is backed by the Saudi Arabian government, which has a history of human-rights abuses. Monahan criticized the players who chose to overlook the moral implications for monetary gain.

"It probably is an issue for players that chose to go and take that money. ... And I think you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that there are significant implications," Monahan said. "And I would ask any player that has left or any player that would consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?"

Rory McIlroy, who was victorious at the RBC Canadian Open, has been openly critical of players who take part in the breakaway golf league. He's also had a war of words with LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman, and he decided to take a dig at him after his win.

"This is a day I'll remember for a long, long time. Twenty-one PGA Tour wins, one more than somebody else," McIlroy said, referring to Norman's 20 career wins.

Any players who compete at future LIV Golf events will face the same punishment as the first 17 golfers. Former U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and former Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed are set to compete in the second LIV competition, which will be held June 30-July 2 in Portland.

For Rory McIlroy, winning the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday was a moment to savor.

McIlroy now has 21 career PGA Tour victories. While he didn't specifically mention the target of his pointed comment, he alluded to how he passed Greg Norman on the all-time wins list following his triumph:

21st PGA Tour win for Rory – “one more than someone else,” he said.

Greg Norman.

“That gave me a little bit of extra incentive today.”

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) June 12, 2022

PGA TOUR win No. 21

🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆
🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆
🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆

A day @McIlroyRory will remember for a long time. pic.twitter.com/cbPk4w2jaN

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 12, 2022

As the CEO for LIV Golf, Norman has effectively become public enemy No. 1 for those carrying the PGA Tour banner.

LIV poses a clear threat to the PGA Tour, and it could reshape the landscape of the sport as it attempts to continue poaching the best golfers in the world from the tour. Bryson DeChambeau was the most recent star to jump ship.

When LIV officials began assembling their roster, McIlroy made it clear he wasn't going anywhere, though, and he has maintained that stance.

Rory McIlroy says he can understand why some players left to join the LIV Golf series, however he insists that he is happy playing on the PGA Tour and wouldn't consider leaving 👇 pic.twitter.com/ODNWzEvhtZ

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 9, 2022

Naturally, the 33-year-old's opinions about the LIV series have made him a target for Norman, the face of the Saudi Arabia-backed venture. Norman told the Washington Post's Kent Babb that McIlroy and others were "brainwashed" by parties working to undermine LIV Golf.

In what's unlikely to be the last salvo between the two sides, the PGA Tour suspended any LIV-affiliated golfers from tour events indefinitely, though those golfers remain eligible for the U.S. Open.

Having McIlroy win the RBC Canadian Open—and take a not-so-subtle jab at Norman—one day after Charl Schwartzel won LIV's inaugural tournament couldn't have been a better outcome for the PGA Tour.

The four-time major champion has the star power to combat the recent defections the tour experienced, and it seems pretty clear where his allegiances lie.

A score of 59 is considered the gold standard in golf, but if any player in LIV Golf can somehow better that by five strokes, they will be rewarded handsomely.

According to Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig, Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund head Yasir Al-Rumayyan said Saturday that 54 is "a perfect score in golf," and he will award $54 million to anyone in LIV Golf who shoots a round of 54.

Either way, the odds of a golfer achieving that feat are astronomical since nobody has ever had a round better than 58 on a major golf tour.

Jim Furyk is the only golfer to shoot a 58 on the PGA Tour, doing so at the 2016 Travelers Championship. Four others have done it, those rounds coming on the Japan Golf Tour, Challenge Tour and Web.com Tour, which is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour.

Several other golfers have shot a 59 on the PGA Tour, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and David Duval.

The number 54 is significant to LIV Golf, as LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman divulged in a recent interview with Harig that the LIV in LIV Golf represents the Roman numeral 54.

Norman explained that it references golfers playing 54 holes over three rounds in LIV Golf tournaments. He also said that 54 is the ideal round of golf, as a player would score a 54 if they birdied every hole on a par-72 course.

That has never happened in a major golf tournament and likely never will, but the mere possibility gives golfers in LIV Golf something else to strive for.

The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund finances LIV Golf, and it is widely assumed that the money being doled out by that fund is the biggest reason for PGA Tour stars such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed making the leap.

The first LIV Golf tournament concluded Saturday in England, with Charl Schwartzel winning by one stroke and taking home $4 million.

If Schwartzel or any other golfer on the tour manages to turn in the greatest round in the history of golf, they can earn the biggest payday in the history of golf as well.

Charl Schwartzel has won the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event, which took place at Centurion Club near London from Thursday through Saturday.

In addition, Stinger GC (Schwartzel, captain Louis Oosthuizen, Hennie Du Plessis and Branden Grace) cruised to the team win by shooting a combined 20 under, or 14 shots better than second-place finisher Crushers GC (led by captain Peter Uihlein).

Schwartzel won $4.75 million for his efforts: $4 million for the individual win and $750,000 for being a member of the victorious team. That's all part of the richest purse in golf history, with $20 million to players and $5 million to teams ($25 million total).

The 2011 Masters winner entered Saturday at nine under after shooting 65-66 on Thursday and Friday. He held a three-shot lead over Du Plessis and a five-shot advantage going into the 12th hole.

However, Schwartzel's double bogey on the par-four 12th hole gave the field some life after he plugged his third shot in the bunker. Du Plessis had a good look at birdie for a potential three-shot swing but could not convert.

Du Plessis did cut the lead to two after parring the 14th, while Schwartzel bogeyed the same hole. Both players parred the next three holes.

Schwartzel bogeyed the 18th while Du Plessis parred, but there wasn't much drama on the last as the eventual winner just needed to tap in to finish seven under for the tournament.

Du Plessis took second at six under. Grace finished tied for third with Peter Uihlein after the latter player ended with a birdie. Grace had the best round of the day at five under.

Sam Horsfield rounded out the top five at three-under.

The biggest names in the field posted varying results.

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson finished eighth in the 48-golfer field at one under. He shot even-par or better on all three days. Only nine golfers shot even-par or better overall.

Johnson's team, 4 Aces GC, finished fifth at two under.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson struggled after a strong one-under start Thursday. He shot a five-over 75 Friday before following that up with a six-over 76 Saturday to finish 10 over. Mickelson's team, Hy Flyers GC, finished 10th in the 12-team field (12 over).

Other notables included Sergio Garcia (T22, six over), Oosthuizen (T10, one over) and Graeme McDowell (T10, one over).

LIV Golf will head to Portland, Oregon's Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for another three-day event beginning June 30.

Dustin Johnson finished in eighth place in the inaugural LIV Golf tournament at Centurion Club near London on Saturday.

DJ shot an even-par 70 in Saturday's third and final round, putting him at one under for the tournament, six shots behind winner Charl Schwartzel.

Johnson entered the final round in a tie for fifth at one under after shooting an even-par 70 in the second round as well.

The odds were stacked against him entering the third round in terms of challenging for a win, but he got off to a hot start with a great approach on his first hole:

Final round for all the marbles...

Watch now 👇#LIVGolf

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 11, 2022

There weren't many more highlights to speak of for DJ the rest of the way, though, as he hovered around the even-par mark and inside the top 10 during the round but never posed a threat to the leaders.

Still, there was plenty of interest in Johnson's performance given that at No. 15, he was the top-ranked player in the world to play in the first LIV Golf event.

Johnson's inclusion on the entry list for the LIV Golf London Invitational caused a stir, and he has made it clear ever since then that he is committed to LIV Golf.

DJ announced his resignation from the PGA Tour earlier this week, and after his round on Friday, he declared his plans to only play LIV Golf and major events in the future:

🗣️ "I can do whatever I want to!"

Dustin Johnson says he plans to only play golf at major tournaments and the LIV Tour, following his decision to join the Saudi backed tour. pic.twitter.com/yaUlDppYw5

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 11, 2022

As the 2016 U.S. Open champion and 2020 Masters champion, Johnson has an exemption into the majors even if he remains off the PGA Tour.

In addition to being one of LIV Golf's top players and biggest stars, Johnson has apparently been playing the role of recruiter.

PGA Tour veteran Pat Perez announced during Saturday's broadcast that he had signed with LIV Golf, and he admitted that his friendship with Johnson played a big role, as DJ wanted Perez on his team:

Pat Perez is ready to rock 🏌️‍♂️#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/b5PLOuC0vp

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 11, 2022

It has been a big week for LIV Golf, as in addition to holding its first event and signing Perez, it announced the defection of both Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed from the PGA Tour.

That means the level of competition is set to get tougher this season, and fan interest has a chance to increase as well.

As for Johnson, he got off to a solid start but will look to be more of a factor near the top of the leaderboard in future events.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series announced that 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed will be joining the upstart Saudi Arabian-financed league.

Reed spoke with Arlo White about his decision Saturday:

Happy to have you, @PReedGolf 👋

#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/U3jfyRTN1T

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 11, 2022

The 31-year-old is a nine-time PGA Tour winner who has also finished 10th or better in six majors. He's 36th on the Official World Golf Rankings.

On Thursday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that any current or future LIV Series players would be suspended from PGA Tour events.

PGA Tour suspends current and future LIV players. pic.twitter.com/lKhxo27Ida

— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) June 9, 2022

Some players, such as Kevin Na, resigned their PGA Tour membership before the decision was rendered.

Reed is the ninth major winner to join LIV Golf, which includes Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Bryson DeChambeau and Graeme McDowell.

The LIV Series also added Pat Perez on Saturday as well.

Dustin Johnson had an inconsistent day in the second round of LIV Golf's inaugural event at Centurion Club in London.

After posting a one-under-par 69 on Thursday, Johnson finished even par in the second round. He heads into the final round tied with three other players for fifth place, trailing leader Charl Schwartzel by eight strokes (-9).

Johnson's standout moment of the day came on his 13th hole. His second shot landed 10 feet away from the hole, leaving him with an easy eagle putt that moved him into sole possession of fourth place.

🦅 mode

Here comes @DJohnsonPGA up to fourth place at -2#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/B0JdQPeu4j

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 10, 2022

Aside from that moment, Johnson wasn't particularly sharp on the course Friday. He needed four shots to get on the green on his first hole. The 2020 Masters champion was one over par for the tournament after making a double-bogey.

Johnson's second-hole tee shot landed in the tall grass. His attempt to save it failed when the ball landed on the green before rolling off. He eventually wound up three over par for the day (+2 overall) and eight shots off the lead.

The South Carolina native did eventually find a groove that got him back under par. His first birdie came on the seventh hole, and he nearly had a second one on his eighth hole, but the ball rolled just past the cup.

Johnson also missed an easy birdie putt on No. 10 after getting on the green in two shots. His best run of the round started at No. 12 when he made birdie, followed by the eagle that moved him two under par for the round.

After hitting two bogeys that dropped him back to even par for the round, Johnson had an opportunity to get back under par on the final hole. He couldn't quite convert on his birdie attempt, leaving him to settle for par and a 70.

The final round will get underway at 9 a.m. ET. Johnson has had occasional moments in which he's played up to his usual high standards. He will need to put it all together for 18 holes to make a big move up the leaderboard.