LIV Golf

Bryson DeChambeau is officially a member of the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

The circuit announced DeChambeau's arrival Friday.

https://twitter.com/LIVGolfInv/status/1535276590279671808

LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement that DeChambeau is "committed to pushing the boundaries in pursuit of excellence."

James Corrigan of the Telegraph reported Wednesday that DeChambeau and Patrick Reed agreed to "multimillion-dollar deals" to leave the PGA Tour for LIV.

The new golf organization has been a source of significant controversy. Saudi Arabia is financing the venture through its public investment fund, and Kendall Baker of Axios noted it has pledged $400 million for this season alone ($225 million in prize money).

The Saudi government has been accused of "sportswashing" to improve its reputation around the world amid numerous allegations of human rights violations. The United States implicated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as approving a plan to "capture or kill" exiled Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.

Per Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest, DeChambeau's deal with LIV is worth more than $100 million guaranteed.

Rapaport noted DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson are receiving between $400 million and $500 million combined.

Seventeen current and former members of the PGA Tour are playing in the LIV Golf event in London this weekend.

The PGA Tour has suspended all 17 of them, and commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo that players who take part in future events will face the same discipline.

It's unclear what a suspension entails. The United States Golf Association has said it will allow players who take part in the LIV Golf event in London to play in the U.S. Open next week.

Since DeChambeau just signed his deal with LIV, he's not competing in London. The circuit's next event will take place at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon, from June 30 to July 2.

Golf writer Alan Shipnuck was inexplicably removed from the interview area at the LIV Golf Invitational Series inaugural event at Centurion Golf Club near London.

Shipnuck, who wrote Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar, had been following Mickelson for his opening round. When Mickelson finished playing and went to speak to reporters, Shipnuck was not allowed to join, per Golfweek's David Dusek.

Afterward, Shipnuck insinuated LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman had something to do with his removal:

Well, a couple of neckless security dudes just physically removed me from Phil Mickelson's press conference, saying they were acting on orders from their boss, whom they refused to name. (Greg Norman? MBS? Al Capone?) Never a dull moment up in here.

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) June 9, 2022

Shipnuck told Golfweek he reached out to Norman directly and Norman replied that he hadn't heard about the situation. However, it was later revealed that Norman witnessed the whole thing:

Oh, mystery solved!🙄 https://t.co/6eML5RIQbq pic.twitter.com/dsr7XycPXo

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) June 9, 2022

As far as Shipnuck knows, he didn't break any rules. He told Golfweek in a text message, "I was credentialed and I was standing in the flash area at the start of Phil’s presser when they came for me."

An extract from Shipnuck's book released in February led to a raft of criticism for Mickelson and LIV Golf. While discussing potentially participating in the breakaway golf league, which is funded by the Saudi Arabian government, Mickelson was reported to have said:

"They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with. We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident 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."

Mickelson apologized for the remarks following some of the reaction. He was also asked to elaborate on the comments Wednesday:

"I don't condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does, throughout the world. I'm certainly aware of what's happened with Jamal Khashoggi, and I think it's terrible. I've also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history, and I believe that LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well. I'm excited about this opportunity, and that's why I'm here."

Mickelson refused to detail specifics of his issues with the PGA Tour, but many have speculated that money is the primary reason for players switching over to LIV Golf and resigning from the PGA Tour. According to Golf Channel's Brentley Romine, Mickelson—who has also refused to give up his membership to the PGA Tour—is being paid around $200 million to play in LIV Golf events.

Shipnuck said in an email to Golfweek that he is unsure who made the call to have him removed.

"I have no ill will toward Phil," he wrote. "I just wanted to ask him one boring golf question, which is my job. Either he is being way too sensitive or the LIV folks are being too overprotective but, either way, they are overreacting."

Shipnuck also indicated that officials used intimidation to get him to leave the area.

"The security guards were inappropriately aggressive and physical, considering I was just standing there trying to make sense of the bizarre reasons they were citing for wanting to remove me," he said.

This isn't the first incident a media member has had to deal with this week at the event. According to Dusek, Associated Press reporter Rob Harris was cut off and removed from LIV media center. LIV officials reportedly reprimanded Harris for not being "polite." Harris was eventually allowed to return to the media center.

The second round of the LIV Golf event is set to begin on Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET. For his part, Shipnuck said he will remain undeterred.

"This whole situation is messy and ridiculous," Shipnuck said to Golfweek. "If I have another boring golf question for Phil I’ll ask it because I did fly 6,000 miles to be here and I’m not inclined to be silenced by Greg Norman and his goons."

Rocket Mortgage announced it is severing ties with Bryson DeChambeau amid the golfer's decision to participate in the LIV Golf Tour:

Confirmed with a spokesperson that Rocket Mortgage has ended its sponsorship agreement with Bryson DeChambeau because of his decision to join LIV golf. pic.twitter.com/z6acnkudE0

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 9, 2022

DeChambeau and Patrick Reed became the latest golfers to join the Saudi Arabia-backed tour, joining Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and several other notables. Several players have lost sponsorship deals because of their decision but have been coaxed to LIV thanks to massive guaranteed salaries.

Mickelson lost several sponsorships earlier this year after making comments that were deemed insensitive regarding human rights violations committed by the Saudi government, most notably its involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

RBC cut ties with Johnson after he announced his intention to play in LIV events.

Both Johnson and Mickelson are in the field for this week's inaugural LIV event in London. DeChambeau is expected to make his debut when the tour comes stateside later this month in Portland, Oregon.

The PGA Tour suspended every member golfer who was in the LIV Golf field and has said it plans to continue suspending players as they defect to the new tour.

Players will still be eligible to compete in major championships, provided they qualify or receive an exemption.

Dustin Johnson shot one under par in the first round of LIV Golf's London event at Centurion Club on Thursday.

Johnson is tied for ninth and four shots back of co-leaders Charl Schwartzel and Hennie du Plessis in the individual leaderboard when he entered the clubhouse.

LIV Golf's maiden voyage wasn't the biggest story surrounding Johnson on the day.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced Johnson and 16 others are suspended from tour events indefinitely.

"Their participation in the Saudi Golf League/LIV Golf event is in violation of our Tournament Regulations,” Monahan said. “The same fate holds true for any other players who participate in future Saudi Golf League events in violation of our Regulations."

The announcement undoubtedly overshadowed the action at Centurion Club to some degree.

Johnson made the trip to London with little in the way of momentum on the course. He missed the cut at the RBC Heritage, tied for 59th in the AT&T Byron Nelson and missed the cut in the PGA Championship.

His uneven play continued Thursday.

Dustin Johnson just shanked one. That's really going to keep him up tonight while he's trying to sleep on $150,000,000 of cash.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) June 9, 2022

I just tuned into the LIV event and the first two things I saw were two of the worst tee shots I’ve ever seen from Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

— Chad Withrow (@TheChadWithrow) June 9, 2022

The two-time major champion did deliver a few highlights.

DJ doing DJ things 👏#LIVGolf | @DJohnsonPGA pic.twitter.com/5bBPVoiB9b

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

Never skip leg day 🦵

Flex your viewing muscles 👉 https://t.co/9hX4ytVZZa#LIVGolf | @DJohnsonPGA pic.twitter.com/vZiqnydIDi

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

LIV Golf is backed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund for the Saudi Arabian government. Many have accused the Saudi government of using the tour, along with other sporting ventures, as tools for sportswashing—using sports to distract from or improve a nation's reputation. The Saudi regime has been accused of numerous human rights abuses and was implicated by U.S. intelligence officials in the murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The second round will get underway at 9 a.m. ET on Friday. Unlike with PGA Tour tournaments, LIV events only extend to 54 holes. That leaves Johnson with less time to chase down Schwartzel and Du Plessis and claim victory.

After months of drama, LIV Golf officially got underway with its inaugural event Thursday in London.

Charl Schwartzel leads the 48-player field after shooting a five-under 65 in Round 1 at the Centurion Club, one stroke ahead of Hennie Du Plessis in second place.

The big names in the event also had positive moments. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson both finished one stroke under par, putting them in a tie for seventh place and four strokes off the lead.

The controversial tour, which is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, features only three rounds with no cuts. That could keep a lot of players in the race for the $4 million first-place prize.

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Round 1 Leaderboard

1. Charl Schwartzel (-5)

2. Hennie Du Plessis (-4)

T3. Phachara Khongwatmai (-3)

T3. Scott Vincent (-3)

T5. Justin Harding (-2)

T5. Branden Grace (-2)

T7. Dustin Johnson (-1)

T7. Phil Mickelson (-1)

T7. Sam Horsfield (-1)

T7. Laurie Canter (-1)

Leaderboard via LIV Golf broadcast.

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The money involved in LIV Golf has drawn plenty of headlines, and the first tournament features a massive prize pool:

LIV purse this week.

1st: $4M
2nd: $2.1M
3rd: $1.5M
4th: $1.1M
5th: $975K
6th: $800K
7th: $675K
8th: $625K
9th: $580K
10th: $560K

• $20M total
• $5M to top teams
• Top 15 all make a quarter million
• Last place is $120K

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) June 9, 2022

It has brought out proven stars even under the threat of suspension from the PGA Tour, which the tour announced Thursday.

This might not matter if they make enough from the competition.

Johnson and Mickelson put themselves in reach of first place with impressive shots throughout the day:

DJ doing DJ things 👏#LIVGolf | @DJohnsonPGA pic.twitter.com/5bBPVoiB9b

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

Birdie. On. Point. 🎯#LIVGolf | @PhilMickelson

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

It was far from a perfect day from Mickelson in his first tournament in over four months. A double bogey at No. 4 put him at two over earlier in the day, while Johnson also had one double when a tee shot went out of bounds.

Things could have been worse as the veterans remain within striking distance.

Sergio Garcia finished one stroke over par in his first round, while Kevin Na ended plus-three.

The first round also highlighted lesser-known golfers from around the world who came through with outstanding shots:

First eagle fired 🦅 @PeterUihlein chipping in for #CRUSHERSGC#LIVGolf

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

Almost albatross glory 🫣 📏#PUNCHGC captain @wadeormsby going pin hunting #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/7cN6b6JvTO

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

Du Plessis and Phachara Khongwatmai, two players outside the top 100 in the world rankings, were among the most impressive and have a chance to earn life-changing money in this event.

Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, was the best in the field to take an early lead. His eagle on No. 18 turned heads, while a birdie on his final hole of the day put the 37-year-old in solo first place.

Schwartzel and Du Plessis also keyed an impressive performance for Stinger GC in the team race. The top two scores for each team count for the competition, and the duo put Stinger GC in the lead even without the two-under score from teammate Branden Grace.

With Louis Oosthuizen also on the all-South African team, it might be a difficult group to beat this weekend.

As expected, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has formally suspended golfers taking part in LIV Golf's debut tournament Thursday in London.

A memo sent by Monahan states the players are no longer eligible for PGA Tour events and will be stripped of their "membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform":

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

— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) June 9, 2022

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia are among the 17 players named in the memo.

LIV Golf released a statement in response to the PGA Tour's announcement:

Official statement from LIV Golf pic.twitter.com/UBt4DpRdS4

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 9, 2022

The rival tour started its first-ever round at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, and Monahan sent the memo less than 30 minutes later.

Last year, Monahan informed PGA Tour membership that any golfer who teed off on a different tour would be suspended and could face a permanent ban.

Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star who serves as the CEO of LIV Golf, said last month the tour's stance is "anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive."

A court battle is likely on the horizon to determine whether the PGA Tour can permanently ban golfers, who are independent contractors, from competition.

Two more high-profile players, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, have reached agreements to join LIV for future events, per James Corrigan of the Telegraph. They will likely be suspended as soon as they play their first event for the new organization.

LIV Golf, which is financially backed by Saudi Arabia, is engaged in contract talks with other PGA Tour players, including Rickie Fowler and Jason Kokrak, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

Golf's four major tournaments are separate entities, and Mickelson told Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated on Monday he's been informed LIV golfers will be welcome to play those events, starting at next week's U.S. Open in Massachusetts.

"I've had many conversations with the organizations that run the majors. And I do want to keep those conversations private," Mickelson said. "But I am looking forward to playing the U.S. Open and I'll be there. I'm under the understanding that I'm able to play."

The USGA subsequently released a statement confirming LIV players are eligible to compete:

USGA statement on the 2022 #USOpen field: pic.twitter.com/vv84gmbr2n

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 7, 2022

Monahan wrote in the memo the exodus is because of golfers' "own financial-based reasons."

Mickelson signed a contract worth around $200 million, per Brentley Romine of Golf Channel. By comparison, Lefty has recorded $94 million in on-course earnings across 30 years on the PGA Tour, according to Forbes.

While LIV holds its inaugural event in London, the PGA Tour is hosting the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto this weekend.

Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly among the players set to leave the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf series, and it appears that the move is set to have a major impact on his bank account.

According to Golf Digest's Dan Rapaport, DeChambeau received a contract worth more than $100 million guaranteed to join the Saudi-backed league.

DeChambeau isn't the only player who received a hefty monetary incentive to join LIV Golf. Rapaport added that the league paid a combined $400-500 million just for DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

In addition to those three players, Patrick Reed reportedly also joined LIV on Wednesday on a "multimillion-dollar deal," per James Corrigan of the Telegraph.

Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace all previously announced that they were resigning their PGA Tour memberships to join LIV. DeChambeau, Johsnon and Reed did the same, but Mickelson intends to keep his PGA Tour membership card. Rapaport noted that the players who preemptively resigned are hoping to avoid possible discipline from the PGA Tour.

"It's to avoid any type of sanctioning," one agent told Rapaport. "It's a perceived leverage play. Basically, you can't fire me if I quit."

After recording a 12-over and missing the cut at the Masters Tournament, DeChambeau underwent surgery on his left wrist. He returned to action at the Memorial Tournament this past weekend, but he finished at nine-over and failed to make the cut once again.

LIV is set to hold its first event this week, starting Thursday at Centurion Club in London.

Rory McIlroy spoke out about the wave of players leaving the PGA Tour to play for the new LIV Golf Series.

Speaking to reporters before the start of the Canadian Open, McIlroy said the decisions "you make in your life purely for money doesn't usually end up going the right way."

He went on to note he's made those types of decisions before, "a couple times in my life."

There have been at least eight players thus far who have resigned their PGA Tour membership in order to play in the new circuit that is being funded by the Saudi Arabian government.

A majority of the players who have spoken about their decision to join LIV have said the money offered was a key factor.

Dustin Johnson, who is being paid around $125 million to join the series, told reporters on Tuesday he "chose what’s best for me and my family."

Phil Mickelson, who is also playing for the LIV tour but hasn't resigned his PGA Tour membership, is being paid around $200 million for his participation, per Brentley Romine of the Golf Channel.

Tuesday's press conference with Johnson and other players at Centurion Golf Club in London got heated amid questions about working events on behalf of Saudi Arabia given the country's track record of human rights abuses.

Graham McDowell was really the only LIV Golf participant willing to (somewhat) engage with broader, non-golf questions so I’m sharing his full answer here. You can decide how to view it, as well as Ari’s decision to wrap the presser here. pic.twitter.com/Dyp0omz4EX

— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) June 7, 2022

Per ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg, Associated Press reporter Rob Harris was led out of the press conference by security when he tried to ask a question and was cut off by an LIV spokesperson.

McIlroy told reporters last week he was "indifferent" when the field for the first LIV event was announced. The three-time major champion noted he has "some very close friends" playing in the London tournament, but "it's not something that I would do personally."

The LIV Series is scheduled to begin with a 54-hole event that begins on Thursday.

McIlroy is in the field for the Canadian Open that begins on Thursday. He's also scheduled to play in the U.S. Open next week at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

LIV Golf makes its debut on Thursday at the Centurion Club in London.

Everything about the startup golf tour is different than the current events on the PGA Tour.

The purses are larger, the format has a team and individual element, and there is plenty of controversy behind it because the league is backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

For months, the list of potential LIV Golf players was speculated about. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were the biggest catches for the league that has eight tournaments planned between June 9 and October 30.

Mickelson is the biggest name on the 48-name roster for the LIV Golf event in London, but Johnson is the best player in terms of who should win the event.

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LIV Golf London Info

Dates: June 9-11

Start Time: 9 a.m. ET on June 9

Live Stream: LIVGolf.com

Tee Times: The shotgun start times can be found on LIVGolf.com.

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Predictions

Dustin Johnson Wins Individual Competition

Dustin Johnson is by far the best individual golfer in the field when it comes to present form.

Most of the other notable names in the LIV Golf field are older players who are past the prime of their careers, like Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

A handful of other participants are second- and third-tier players from the PGA Tour or younger players looking for a part of the $25 million purse.

Let's be honest, though. The money is why all of these players defected from their previous tours and joined LIV Golf. It makes sense for some of the unknown golfers in the field, but Johnson and others could have stayed on the PGA Tour with large career earnings already in the bag.

The 37-year-old produced a tie for 12th at The Masters and then failed to make the cut in two tournaments and finished in a tie for 59th in another event.

The lackluster string of results on the PGA Tour may not be relevant to the first LIV Golf event because Johnson has a clear talent gap over two-thirds of the field.

If the best version of Johnson shows up at the Centurion Club, he can easily win the individual part of the event.

The 48 golfers are also broken into 12 teams. The top three teams in scoring split a $5 million purse. All of the golfers will play at once with a shotgun start beginning Thursday's round.

Johnson's team, the 4 Aces, features Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker and Kevin Yuan. It is not exactly a star-studded team that captivates viewers, but there is one group that could control that competition.

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Team Stinger Wins Team Scoring

Most of the teams put together for the LIV Golf event in London do make sense.

Team Stinger, which is one of the less strange team names compared to Niblicks, Cleeks and Punch, features a distinct connection between South African golfers.

Oosthuizen, Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Henni Du Plessis make up the team, and they could treat this weekend's event like a Presidents' Cup or a team event on any other tour.

The South African golfers have experience playing with each other in some capacity and there is some familiarity with each other's games that could help keep the team's score low over 54 holes.

Other teams could emerge as successful ones when play begins, but this foursome makes the most sense as a team winner on paper.

The other collections of players do not make a ton of sense. One or two familiar faces have been paired up, but some are patched together with players who were on different tours or amateur circuits.

The exodus of star players from the PGA Tour continued Wednesday with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed reportedly set to join the LIV Golf series.

Per James Corrigan of the Telegraph, DeChambeau and Reed have agreed to "multimillion-dollar deals" to leave the PGA Tour in favor of the Saudi Arabia-financed upstart.

At least eight players, including DeChambeau and Reed, have resigned their PGA Tour memberships to join LIV Golf.

Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace previously announced they were stepping away from the PGA Tour.

Phil Mickelson has also announced he will play for LIV, but he is keeping his PGA Tour membership card.

Corrigan noted it's "understood" that Rickie Fowler is "close to being confirmed" for the LIV tour too.

Per Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest, players are preemptively resigning from the PGA Tour to join LIV to avoid potential discipline from the PGA.

"It's to avoid any type of sanctioning," one agent told Rapaport. "It's a perceived leverage play. Basically, you can't fire me if I quit."

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement that members "have not been authorized to participate in the Saudi Golf League's London event" and would be subject to "disciplinary action" for violating tournament regulations.

There hasn't been official confirmation of how much money players are being paid to participate in LIV Golf, but Golf Channel's Brentley Romine reported Mickelson's contract with the series is worth approximately $200 million.

One issue that hasn't been clarified is whether LIV players can participate in golf majors that aren't operated by the PGA Tour.

The U.S. Golf Association says LIV golfers can compete in the U.S. Open, which begins June 16.

LIV will hold its first event at Centurion Club in London, starting Thursday.