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Here are the 54 players, full team rosters for the start of liv golf’s 2024 season.

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LIV Golf’s third season – and second full campaign – begins Friday at Mayakoba Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

The season opener, the first of 14 scheduled events for the Saudi-backed league this year, comes with the debut not only of Jon Rahm’s team, Legion XIII, LIV’s 13th franchise, but three new signings. The additions this year are world No. 16 Tyrrell Hatton , No. 42 Adrian Meronk, No. 82 Lucas Herbert and No. 10 amateur Caleb Surratt, who left the University of Tennessee midway through his sophomore year.

Also new this year are the two wild-card spots per tournament, which will go to individuals not on a team. Hudson Swafford and Laurie Canter are the two wild cards for Mayakoba.

Here are the team lineups as LIV opens its season (*new addition):

4ACES Dustin Johnson (captain) Patrick Reed Harold Varner III Pat Perez

CLEEKS Martin Kaymer (captain) Richard Bland Kalle Samooja* Adrian Meronk*

CRUSHERS Bryson DeChambeau (captain) Paul Casey Charles Howell III Anirban Lahiri

FIREBALLS Sergio Garcia (captain) Abraham Ancer Eugenio Chacarra David Puig

HYFLYERS Phil Mickelson (captain) Cameron Tringale Brendan Steele Andy Ogletree*

IRON HEADS Kevin Na (captain) Danny Lee Scott Vincent Jinichiro Kozuma*

LEGION XIII Jon Rahm (captain)* Tyrrell Hatton* Kieran Vincent* Caleb Surratt*

MAJESTICKS Ian Poulter (co-captain) Henrik Stenson (co-captain) Lee Westwood (co-captain) Sam Horsfield

RANGE GOATS Bubba Watson (captain) Thomas Pieters Peter Uihlein Matt Wolff

RIPPER Cam Smith (captain) Marc Leishman Matt Jones Lucas Herbert*

SMASH Brooks Koepka (captain) Talor Gooch Graeme McDowell Jason Kokrak

STINGER Louis Oosthuizen (captain) Charl Schwartzel Brendan Grace Dean Burmester

TORQUE Joaquin Niemann (captain) Mito Pereira Carlos Ortiz Sebastian Munoz

INDIVIDUALS Hudson Swafford Laurie Canter

LIV Golf's final rosters set as four more jump from PGA Tour

The final four golfers who are making the switch from the PGA Tour to the LIV tour were announced as play is set to start for the controversial tour's second season. 

Thomas Pieters , Dean Burmester,  Brendan Steele and Danny Lee are the final members of the 12-team, 48-player field.

The LIV tour starts Friday and will be played at the El Camaleón Golf Course in Mayakoba, Mexico.

"In less than a year, LIV Golf has reinvigorated the professional game and laid the foundation for the sport’s future. In 2023, the LIV Golf League comes to life," said Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO, and Commissioner said in a statement. "The most popular sports in the world are team sports, and our league format has already begun to build connections with new audiences around the globe. Major champions, current and future Hall of Famers, and up-and-coming stars are all committed to creating this new platform for world-class competition as the sport evolves for the next generation."

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Pieters will join teammates Harold Varner III, and Talor Gooch on a team captained by Bubba Watson.

Burmester teams up Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, and Branden Grace, while Steele joins Phil Mickelson's team with Cameron Tringale and James Piot. 

Kevin Na (captain), Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, and Lee make up the final new team.

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LIV Golf players: Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and full 2023 field for Saudi-backed tour

Charles howell iii and the crushers won the individual and team titles at the first event of the season in mayakoba, article bookmarked.

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LIV Golf is back for a second season in 2023 with the Saudi-backed venture looking to gain momentum with its players poised to play in the majors.

The Masters confirmed it will honour invitations to those exempt and those inside the top 50 players in the world according to the OWGR.

That means we may see more drama as the best from LIV take on the best on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on the biggest stage, with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed’s thrilling battle at the Dubai Desert Classic showcasing the theatre in the sport currently.

Charles Howell III was the surprise winner of the first event of the season in Mayakoba and helped lead the Crushers to the team title in Mexico.

Here’s everything you need to know about LIV Golf for season two in 2023:

• Rory McIlroy’s sweetest victory showcases golf’s unmissable theatre
• LIV Golf schedule: When is next event for Saudi-backed tour?
• LIV Golf offers up more questions than answers as second season begins

What is LIV Golf?

LIV Golf is the breakaway league fronted by two-time Open champion Greg Norman as chief executive and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The PIF has invested unprecedented sums of money into the sport, both for players to sign up and also purses for each event, attracting condemnation from human rights charities such as Amnesty International.

The new competition rules and format bring a fresh look to golf, with the team aspect emerging as its unique selling point.

There will be 12 teams and 48 players in each field, with the tournament played over 54 holes and three days - rather than the traditional 72 holes and four days. There is no cut, unlike the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, while LIV Golf also added the shotgun start, which they say promotes faster play with groups starting at different holes across the course and playing it in different orders.

LIV Golf schedule 2023

24-26 February: El Camaleon Golf Course, Mayakoba, Mexico - Individual winner: Charles Howell. Team winner: Crushers GC

17-19 March: Gallery Golf Club, Tucson, United States

31 March - 2 April Orange County National, Orland, United States

21-23 April Grange Golf Club, Adelaide, Australia

28-30 April Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

12-14 May Cedar Ridge Country Club, Tulsa, United States

26-28 May Trump National Golf Club, Washington DC, United States

30 June - 2 July Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Andalucia, Spain

7-9 July Centurion Club, St Albans, UK

4-6 August Old White Golf Course, Greenbrier, United States

11-13 August Trump National Bedminster, United States

22-24 September Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago, United States

20-22 October Trump National Doral, United States

3-5 November Royal Greens Golf Course, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Who is playing?

LIV Golf League 2023 - Full Field:

Dustin Johnson

Patrick Reed

Peter Uihlein

Martin Kaymer (replaced by Laurie Canter for first event of the season due to injury)

Bernd Wiesberger

Graeme McDowell

Richard Bland

Phil Mickelson

Cameron Tringale

Brendan Steele

Henrik Stenson

Ian Poulter

Lee Westwood

Sam Horsfeld

Byrson DeChambeau

Charles Howell III

Anirban Lahiri

Scott Vincent

Brooks Koepka

Matthew Wolff

Jason Kokrak

Chase Koepka

Sergio Garcia

Abraham Ancer

Carlos Ortiz

Eugenio Chacarra

Range Goats

Bubba Watson

Talor Gooch

Harold Varner III

Thomas Pieters

Joaquin Niemann

Sebastian Munoz

Mito Pereira

Cameron Smith

Marc Leishman

Louis Oosthuizen

Charl Schwartzel

Branden Grace

Dean Burmester

Players not retained from 2022 LIV Golf season

• Oliver Bekker
• Itthipat Buranatanyarat
• Laurie Canter
• TK Chantananuwat (Amateur)
• Hennie Duplessis
• Oliver Fisher
• Justin Harding
• Yuki Inamori
• Sadom Kaewkanjana
• Phachara Khongwatmai
• Ryosuke Kinoshita
• Jinichiro Kozuma
• Shergo Al Kurdila
• Pablo Larrazabal
• Viraj Madappa
• Jediah Morgan
• Shaun Norris
• Andy Ogletree
• Wade Ormsby
• Adrian Otaegui
• Turk Pettit
• Travis Smyth
• Hudson Swafford
• Hideto Tanihara
• Blake Windred

Is it on TV?

LIV Golf has yet to be picked up by a major broadcaster in the UK, but viewers can watch the coverage for free via the newly-launched LIV Golf Plus app and LIV Golf Plus website .

LIV has signed a TV deal with The CW network - compared to UK comedy channel Dave - in the United States. The first round of action will be available on The CW App through smart TVs and mobile devices, with login or subscription required to watch. The second and third rounds will be available on The CW, as well as the app.

How much is the prize money?

The prize money for 2023 is up 63 percent to $405 million.

Each LIV Golf event will have a purse of $25 million - $20m for the individual event and $5 million for the team event. The Team Championship will have $50 million up for grabs. In addition to the 14 LIV Golf events, there are 11 international series, each boasting a $5 million purse.

The individual winner of each event will take home $4 million, while the winning team adds $3 million - $750,000 per player. Last place, 48th, in the individual standings will still take home $120,000.

The winning team from the Team Championship takes home $16 million, or $4 million per player.

Individual season finish bonuses will be given to the top three players, first takes home an extra $18 million, the runner-up banks $8 million and third takes home $4 million from the $30 million bonus pool.

The individual events will see regular strokeplay scoring to decide the champion each week.

The team event will see the best two stroke play scores from each of the first two rounds count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count, with the lowest overall team score after 54 holes being named the team winner.

Each team has a captain with four players in total.

The Team Championship in Jeddah, the 14th event of the season, will see a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out.

The winner each week will pick up 40 points and only those inside the top 24 players – half of the 48-man field – will earn points. The leading points scorer after the 13 regular LIV Golf events will be crowned individual champion.

• 1st – 40 points
• 2nd – 30 points
• 3rd – 24 points
• 4th – 18 points
• 5th – 16 points
• 6th - 14 points
• 7th – 13 points
• 8th – 12 points
• 9th – 11 points
• 10th – 10 points
• 11th – 8 points
• 12th - 7 points
• 13th – 6 points
• 14th - 5 points
• 15th - 4 points
• 16th - 3 points
• 17th - 3 points
• 18th - 2 points
• 19th - 2 points
• 20th - 2 points
• 21st - 1 point
• 22nd - 1 point
• 23rd - 1 point
• 24th - 1 point

To determine seeding for the Team Championship, teams will be awarded points for each event.

• 1st - 32 points
• 2nd - 24 points
• 3rd - 16 points
• 4th - 12 points
• 5th - 8 points
• 6th - 4 points
• 7th - 2 points
• 8th - 1 point
• 9th - 12th - no points

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Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club

News & Tours

From DJ's landmark leap on down, analyzing the 42 players in the inaugural LIV Golf field

At long last, the LIV list is live. The challenger to the PGA Tour’s hegemony over elite professional golf publicized its initial participants on Tuesday evening , releasing 42 names that are set to tee it up in the upstart circuit’s inaugural event next week outside of London. Included are: players we knew were going, players we suspected might be going, players we never really heard about but make a ton of sense, players who are complete surprises, and one generational superstar who flip-flopped seemingly at the last minute. Here’s our best crack at categorizing each of the 42 players set to tee it up at Centurion Golf Club next Thursday, exploring why they might’ve made the choice that they did and forecasting what happens next.

The no surprises

Sergio garcia, richard bland, ian poulter, martin kaymer, lee westwood, kevin na, graeme mcdowell.

Ian Poulter

Jamie Squire

Each of these guys essentially told us they were making the leap—Westwood and Bland were the most open in public about their choice, while Sergio spilled the beans in a heated exchange with a rules official last month. The average age of these seven is 43.3 years old, and each know that their best days as top-flight contenders are in the rearview mirror … and getting smaller and smaller in that mirror. Garcia, Poulter, Kaymer, McDowell and Westwood are putting any future Ryder Cup captaincy roles in danger , but they likely believe such that A) such a ban would not hold up in court or B) the Ryder Cup/major championship ecosystem will back off any hardline stance and learn to exist in a world with both the PGA/DP World Tour and LIV Golf Investments. In that sense, it’s a long-term bet for them, with a healthy financial reward even if they don’t get everything they want. McDowell has been closely linked with LIV since the beginning and is one of the only big names playing in the Asian Tour Invitational Series event in England this week. Bland is an especially interesting case : he’s shot to relevance in his (very) late 40s and, results-wise, he’s playing the best golf of his life, but he knows it likely won’t last much longer. And for a guy who oscillated between the lower levels of the European Tour and the Challenge Tour for two-plus decades, this is an opportunity to parlay a year-ish of solid play into multiple guaranteed millions of dollars. Na (who has won more than $37 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour) pushed hard to get a pick for the last year’s Ryder Cup team, didn’t get it, and might figure that he’ll never quite crack that elite tier of American professional golf. Plus, he telegraphed the move when he inked an endorsement deal with Golf Saudi earlier this year.

MORE: RBC on Dustin Johnson’s LIV Golf announcement: ‘extremely disappointed’

The in-their-prime (ish) DP Worlders

Laurie canter, justin harding, sam horsfield, pablo larrazabal, adrian otaegui, jc ritchie, bernd wiesberger.

Bernd Wiesberger

Richard Heathcote

The PGA Tour has become a much, much richer offering over the last 10 years, but the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) has lagged considerably behind. And the Old World Circuit seems to have less leverage than ever on the global golf stage; it has acted in lockstep with the PGA Tour throughout this process, aligning itself with its richer American counterpart in an effort to fend off the challengers. The PGA Tour can make a compelling case to players that they can earn absurd heaps of cash by staying, but the DP World Tour cannot , and that puts guys like these in an interesting spot. Each of these five are in the prime-ish of their career, and each have been among the better players on the DP World Tour of late … but none have turned that success into a PGA Tour card. That’s going to be especially costly beginning in August, when the DP World Tour loses its minimum-points threshold from the Official World Golf Ranking. That’s expected to weaken the DP World Tour’s standing in the rankings, and guys like Larrazabal, who have been able to hang inside the top 100 with the semi-frequent high finish in Europe, could well see their ranking drop considerably. So they’re now faced with a choice: stay on the DP World Tour, playing for $2 million purses in full-field events, or make the jump and play for $25 million to be split 48 ways. The DP World Tour declined to comment on the LIV list on Tuesday night, as did the PGA Tour. It’ll be fascinating to see how CEO Keith Pelley and his tour reacts given their seeming lack of leverage.

MORE: The tricky situation the DP World Tour faces with LIV Golf

The better players from the weaker tours

Oliver bekker, hennie du plessis, sadom kaewkanjana, sihwan kim, phachara khongwatmai, ryosuka kinoshita, jinichiro kozuma, jediah morgan, shaun norris, hideto tanihara, scott vincent, blake windred.

Shaun Norris

Warren Little

You might think of professional golf as a three-or-four tour ecosystem, but it’s a large world out there, and the vast majority of it isn’t private jets and courtesy cars. This bunch has been grinding away on various regional tours for the majority of their professional lives, clawing for modest sums of cash … and along comes an entity promising to double or triple or quadruple their career earnings with just a couple of strong finishes. These guys won’t attract many American eyeballs but it’s hard to fault their reasoning for giving themselves a go. If they get banned from the Sunshine Tour, to cherry pick an example, that’s a risk they are willing to take in order for a life-changing sum.

The amateurs/youngin’s/not-yet-established

Ratchanon chatananuwat, andy ogletree, turk pettit, james piot, david puig.

Chris Keane

Chatananuwat, 15, is the No. 8 amateur in the world and the youngest winner of an event on an OWGR-sanctioned tour. Ogletree won the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst but has yet to have any success at all on the professional level. Turk Pettit won the 2021 NCAA individual crown but has also struggled to find footing as a pro, though it’s early. James Piot is the reigning U.S. Amateur champ who just turned pro last week after a senior season that fizzled. Spain’s David Puig is No. 9 in the amateur rankings and currently competing for Arizona State at the NCAA championships. Chatananuwat and Puig will likely be playing as amateurs, though they can still be compensated through NIL deals, which Pettit, Ogletree and Piot will be cashing checks. Zoom out a bit, and none of these fives have a PGA or even a European Tour card, so any potential sanctioning of members from those tours won’t impact them. This is a chance to play against stronger fields than they’d get to anywhere else with little risk of damaging their future career.

MORE: PGA Tour U changes eligibility with specter of LIV Golf looming

The fresh-start, what-else-am-i-gonna-do crowd

Oliver fisher, chase koepka, wade ormsby, peter uihlein.

Chase Koepka

Cliff Hawkins

Fisher, a 33-year-old Englishman, is ranked No. 979 in the world and at risk of losing his DP World Tour playing privileges. Chase Koepka has received a bunch of sponsor’s invites because of his last name but has not done much with them. Ormsby is outside the top 250 and creeping toward his mid-40s. Uihlein, a 32-year-old former can’t-miss Oklahoma State kid and top-ranked amateur, is in no-man’s land between the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour and not playing particularly well on either. This event throws a bone to guys like these whose careers are sputtering in neutral.

The competitive, international PGA Tour players

Branden grace, matt jones, louis oosthuizen, charl schwartzel.

Louis Oosthuizen

David Berding

The South African contingent has long been rumored to be ready to make the jump—Grace is 34 and no longer the Presidents Cup stalwart of his younger years, Oostuizen will turn 40 later this year and has long given the impression that spending time on his farm and riding his tractor with his kids, is more important than any golf event. Schwartzel, while still very much competitive, likely isn’t winning many more tournaments of consequence. These guys likely view LIV as an opportunity to play less golf, for more money, which would allow them more time to spend back home or with their families. Jones is a bit of a surprise given he’s firmly inside the top 100 of the World Ranking, but he’s also north of 40 and has the Australian connection with Greg Norman. Saying goodbye to these won’t crush the PGA Tour, but they’re notable names that are still good enough to compete on the best tour in the world.

The in-their-prime PGA Tour players

Talor gooch, hudson swafford.

Talor Gooch

Mike Ehrmann

When this list was eventually released, these were the types of names I scanned for first: not-old, not-struggling PGA Tour players in the height of their careers. Gooch, 30, is a legitimate shock; he’d just begun to establish himself as a top-50 player in the world , and that comes with a bunch of spoils—spots in all the majors, more money from sponsors, better chance at the FedEx cash, the ability to hand-pick your own schedule … and then he jumps. A curious one for sure. He either believes any ban from the PGA Tour won’t hold up in the courts or that he’s good enough to earn his card back through Q-School/Korn Ferry if it comes to that. (Or, and don’t rule out this possibility, this Oklahoma kid can’t take his eyes off all those zeros in the check he’s getting). Swafford has won twice in the last 21 months and would seem to be living a rather comfortable life on the PGA Tour, but there is always the opportunity for more.

The headliner

Dustin Johnson

David Cannon

DJ had been rumored to be involved with this from the start, but he seemed to plant his flag in the Ponte Vedra corner when he released a pro-PGA Tour statement in February. But then he turned up to the PGA Championship at Southern Hills singing a different tune, talking vaguely about how competition betters golf and how he’s looking forward to seeing how everything plays out. There’s a good chance LIV’s delay in releasing this list is because they still hadn’t secured Johnson’s signature, but now they have their guy, and the statement Johnson’s agent gave told you everything you needed to know: “Dustin’s been contemplating this for the past two years and decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it,” David Winkle said. “He’s never had any issue w/PGA Tour and is grateful for all it’s given him but in the end felt this was too compelling to pass up.” Translation: I’ve done a ton on the PGA Tour, but I want the money. DJ has long been open about how small his circle is and how he doesn’t really care about anyone outside of it. The drawbacks to this decision—how it might impact his reputation or legacy on the PGA Tour—weren't big enough to dissuade him from jumping. He tends to view things devoid of context, which is a huge asset to his golf game, and for him this was a question of more money versus less money. And he took more.

The names that aren’t there

LIV released 42 names, with five more to be filled based on the results of this week’s Asian Tour event, which leaves one spot available for … well, we don’t know for sure, but you have to think it’s Phil Mickelson. Despite all the noise after his interview with Alan Shipnuck dropped, Mickelson never wavered from his pro-LIV stance and his apology read more like a mea culpa to his Saudi backers than to the PGA Tour. It’s telling that in the midst of his hiatus, his representatives felt the need to clarify that he’d applied for a release to play in the LIV event, which suggests his plans and his allegiances have never changed. Don’t be surprised in the slightest if his playing becomes official in the coming days.

Phil Mickelson

Gregory Shamus

As far as the countless other notable names not on this list—just because they’re not playing in London doesn’t mean they’re not interested or planning to play in LIV events. There are dozens of players who have not ruled this out—for so many of these guys, loyalty to the PGA Tour and morality-based decisions take a back seat to money and self-interest, and we say that without judgment—but merely want to wait and see what happens to the guys who jump first before they make their call.

The PGA Tour will not discipline players until they actually stick a tee in the ground at the first LIV event, and the action they take—and how it holds up to an inevitable legal challenge—will go a long way in determining the future landscape of professional golf. Do not underestimate the power of unlimited money being doled out by an entity whose motivation runs far deeper than bottom-line profit.

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The Alliance of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour: Here’s What to Know

The details of the partnership are far from complete, according to a document outlining the framework of the deal.

By Kevin Draper

The PGA Tour, the world’s pre-eminent professional golf league, and LIV Golf, a Saudi-funded upstart whose emergence over the past year and a half has cleaved the sport in two, have agreed to join forces.

The pact is complicated and incomplete: A document submitted to Congress and obtained by The New York Times includes only a handful of binding commitments . But numerous golfers hate it, and for the moment they are directing their wrath at the architects of the deal. Let’s start from the beginning.

What are the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?

The PGA Tour holds tournaments nearly every weekend, mostly in the United States but also in other countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with prize pools worth millions of dollars. The tour has been the home to practically every male golfer you can name: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and so on.

It has relationships with, but is separate from, the organizations that stage men’s golf’s four majors: the Masters Tournament, the P.G.A. Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open. (The L.P.G.A., which runs the women’s tour, is separate.)

LIV Golf began in late 2021 with the former PGA Tour player Greg Norman as its commissioner and billions of dollars in backing from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is known as the Public Investment Fund. LIV lured several PGA Tour players, including the major champions Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, with massive purses and guaranteed payouts that far surpassed what they could earn on the established circuit.

LIV promised a sharp break from golf’s fusty traditionalism, starting with its name, which, when pronounced, rhymes with “give” but is actually the Roman numeral for 54, the number of holes played in each tournament. LIV had music blaring at its events, looser dress codes and team competitions — and tournaments that lasted three days instead of four. Further, and of particular appeal to potential players, while the PGA Tour tournaments cut golfers with the worst scores after two rounds, LIV did not cut anyone.

What was the relationship between the leagues before the deal?

Acrimonious, to put it lightly. Players who joined LIV were forced to resign from the PGA Tour — and its European equivalent, the DP World Tour — under the threat of suspension and fines. LIV sued the PGA Tour, and the PGA Tour countersued, litigation that is technically continuing (though the deal is supposed to resolve it).

PGA Tour supporters and other critics of LIV said the venture was simply an attempt by the Saudi government to distract attention from its human rights record, while LIV supporters said the PGA Tour was a monopoly that used inappropriate strong-arm tactics to protect its position in big-time sports.

And yet now they are combining?

It seems so. The PGA Tour and LIV announced on June 6 the creation of a new entity that would combine their assets, as well as those of the DP World Tour, and radically change golf’s governance.

The PGA Tour would remain a nonprofit organization and would retain full control over how its tournaments are played. But all of the PGA Tour’s commercial business and rights — such as the extremely lucrative rights to televise its tournaments — would be owned by a new, yet unnamed, for-profit entity that is currently called “NewCo.” NewCo will also own LIV as well as the commercial and business rights of the DP World Tour.

The board of directors for the new for-profit entity would be led by Yasir al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of the Public Investment Fund and also oversees LIV. Three other members of the board’s executive committee would be current members of the PGA Tour’s board, and the tour would appoint the majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest, effectively controlling it.

What have they agreed on?

Not much, it turns out. The PGA Tour’s tentative deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund includes only a handful of binding commitments, such as a nondisparagement agreement and a pledge to dismiss acrimonious litigation. (The sides have already moved to end their legal fights .) What it does not include is a clear path of what lies ahead for the tours: Many of the most consequential details about the future of men’s professional golf have not been resolved, and were left to be negotiated by the end of the year.

Most crucially, the tour and the wealth fund must still come to terms on the values of the assets that each will contribute to their planned partnership. Bankers and lawyers have spent recent weeks beginning the valuation process, but a five-page framework agreement obtained by The New York Times includes no substantive details of projected figures or even the size of an anticipated cash investment from the wealth fund.

And one issue the two parties had agreed on has been removed. The framework agreement included a nonsolicitation clause, which said the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would not “enter into any contract, agreement or understanding with” any “players who are members of the other’s tour or organization.” But the two sides, facing pressure from the Justice Department, decided to abandon that clause .

When does this take effect?

First, the idea also has to be approved by the PGA Tour’s policy board, what it calls its board of directors, which includes some people who were left out of the secret negotiations for this deal in the spring.

The policy board is made up of five independent directors, including Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne, who helped negotiate the deal. The board also includes five players: Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson.

Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, said on June 6 that there was only a “framework agreement” and not a “definitive agreement,” with many details still to be decided. The definitive agreement needs a vote before it can go forward.

And for the rest of 2023, all the tours will remain separate, and all their tournaments will continue as scheduled.

And after that?

Who knows? This is how Monahan answered questions about what golf might look like in the future on the day the alliance was revealed.

Will LIV continue to exist as a separate golf league? “I don’t want to make any statements or make any predictions.”

Will LIV golfers go back to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour? “We will work cooperatively to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to reapply for membership with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour,” Monahan wrote in a letter to players.

Will PGA Tour players, many of whom spurned LIV and its huge paydays, receive compensation? Will LIV players somehow be forced to give up the money they were guaranteed? “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have,” Monahan told reporters.

How do players feel about all of this?

Broadly, LIV players seem to think they have gained a major victory, and they are probably right. They got their cake (huge paydays) and can eat it (a pathway to returning to the PGA Tour), too.

Mickelson, the first major player to leave for LIV, tweeted that it was an “awesome day today.” Koepka took a jab at Brandel Chamblee, a former professional golfer and current television commentator, who has been vocally anti-LIV.

Many PGA Tour players were less jubilant. They were blindsided by the news, learning of the agreement when the public did, and they did not seem to understand why the tour waged a legal war against LIV and a war of morality against Saudi money, only to invite the wolf into the henhouse.

On the day the news broke, Monahan met with a group of players in Toronto at the Canadian Open, which was set to start in two days, and afterward told reporters it was “intense, certainly heated.”

Johnson Wagner, a PGA Tour player, said on the Golf Channel that some players at the meeting called for Monahan’s resignation.

“There were many moments where certain players were calling for new leadership of the PGA Tour, and even got a couple standing ovations,” he said. “I think the most powerful moment was when a player quoted Commissioner Monahan from the 3M Open in Minnesota last year when he said, ‘As long as I’m commissioner of the PGA Tour, no player that took LIV money will ever play the PGA Tour again.’”

Wagner estimated that 90 percent of the players in the meeting were against the merger.

McIlroy, perhaps the most influential PGA Tour player not named Tiger Woods, said he was reluctantly in favor of the agreement. McIlroy said he had “come to terms” with Saudi money in golf. “Honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what’s going to happen,” he said.

I see a photo of former President Trump up there. Is he involved in this?

Yes, though not directly. The Trump Organization owns golf courses around the world, and Donald J. Trump has for years sought to host major tournaments on its properties. Those efforts suffered a setback after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, as the golf establishment distanced itself from the former president. Most significantly, the P.G.A. of America pulled the 2022 P.G.A. Championship from the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

But Trump had cultivated unusually close ties to Saudi Arabia while president, and Saudi-backed LIV had no problem embracing him. Last year, two LIV events were held at Trump courses, and this year it will be three.

Trump’s son Eric said that the agreement between LIV and the PGA Tour was a “wonderful thing for the game of golf” and that he expected tournaments to continue to be held at Trump-owned courses. He declined to comment on whether the Trump family played any role in bringing the two parties together.

If the PGA Tour was so against LIV and Saudi money, what changed?

“Listen, circumstances change, and they’ve been changing a lot over the last couple years,” Monahan said.

Get it? No?

“What changed? I looked at where we were at that point in time, and it was the right point in time to have a conversation,” Monahan said.

Between the lines, Monahan made it sound like the agreement came down to money and competition, as it often does. To compete with LIV, the PGA Tour has enhanced purses, supported the DP World Tour financially and pursued extremely expensive litigation. “We’ve had to invest back in our business through our reserves,” Monahan said.

He also said the ability to “take the competitor off of the board” while retaining control was significant.

Can anybody else stop the deal from going through?

The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission or the European Commission could certainly try.

For about a year, the Justice Department has been investigating the tight-knit relationship between the PGA Tour and other powerful entities in golf. Among its questions is whether the organizations have exerted improper influence over the Official World Golf Rankings, which determine players’ eligibility for certain events and can be an important factor in their success and income.

As part of their deal, LIV and the PGA Tour agreed to drop their dueling lawsuits, but doing so would not necessarily change the Justice Department’s inquiry. If there were any illegal conduct by the PGA Tour, a merger would not prevent the PGA Tour from being punished for it.

“The announcement of a merger doesn’t forgive past sins,” said Bill Baer, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Obama administration.

The federal government, through the Justice Department and the F.T.C., also reviews more than 1,000 mergers for approval each year, and the European Commission reviews them for the European Union. Without a definitive agreement, it is not clear whether this might be the type of combination regulators could block or whether they would try to do so.

Saudi Arabia seems to have grand sports ambitions. Will it always remain a junior partner to the PGA Tour in golf?

As always, Saudi Arabia has the perfect vehicle to gain more control: money.

The Public Investment Fund will invest “billions,” according to its governor, al-Rumayyan, into the new for-profit entity. It will also hold “the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour,” according to the release announcing the agreement.

If the Public Investment Fund invests more money, it will surely demand more board seats and greater voting rights, further tilting control of men’s professional golf toward the kingdom.

Kevin Draper is an investigative reporter on the Sports desk, where he has written about workplace harassment and discrimination, sexual misconduct, doping, league investigations and high-profile court cases. More about Kevin Draper

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

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A Sense of Home:  For generations of immigrants in New York, Sunday soccer at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens  is more than a game.

LIV Golf tour live updates: Leaderboard, news as Charl Schwartzel wins first event, PGA Tour suspends players

The controversial LIV Golf International Series has arrived. While Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson headlined a 48-player field for the first event, Charl Schwartzel emerged as the winner by one stroke, taking home $4 million.

The PGA Tour wasted little time bringing down the hammer on golfers who choose to play LIV Golf, issuing a letter outlining suspensions that will affect some of the game's biggest stars, including Mickelson and Johnson.

What is LIV Golf, who's involved and will it be sustainable? Follow here for news, interviews, analysis and all the latest developments.

(Photo: Paul Childs / Action Images / Reuters via USA Today)

Rory Chimes in from RBC Canadian Open

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No post-round comments from Phil Mickelson

Final leaderboard from centurion club.

The top 10 finishers at the first LIV Golf event:

1. Charl Schwartzel (-7)

2. Hennie Du Plessis (-6)

T3. Branden Grace (-5)

T3. Peter Uihlein (-5)

5. Sam Horsfield (-3)

T6. Oliver Bekker (-2)

T6. Adrian Otaegui (-2)

8. Dustin Johnson (-1)

9. Talor Gooch (E)

T10. Louis Oosthuizen (+1)

T10. Justin Harding (+1)

T10. Graeme McDowell (+1)

Charl Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event

Charl Schwartzel won the first event of the controversial LIV Golf International Series and a $4 million paycheck, holding off Hennie Du Plessis by one stroke at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The 2011 Masters winner led after each round of the 54-hole tournament, shooting a 5-under 65 and 4-under 66 on Thursday and Friday before finishing with a 2-over 72 on Saturday. He had not won on the PGA or European Tour since 2016.

Read more here .

Pat Perez joins LIV Golf

LIV Golf officially added Pat Perez to its roster on Saturday. The 46-year-old, currently ranked No. 168 in the world, will join — along with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed — at the circuit's second event in Oregon at the end of June.

A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Perez last won at the CIMB Classic in October 2017. He most recently played at the Memorial Tournament from June 2-5, finishing tied for 26th. He last appeared in a major at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Patrick Reed: 'Portland can't get here fast enough'

Patrick Reed joined the LIV Golf broadcast on Saturday and confirmed he'll make his debut in the circuit's second event, which will take place at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., from June 30 to July 2.

The 2018 Masters winner and Bryson DeChambeau have been announced as LIV Golf members since the start of the first event.

LIV Golf pulls from the Masters menu

Inside LIV Golf’s first event, where all the intrigue and hubris is off the tee box

Because as well as being an attempt to make golf more attractive to the TikTok generation — like cricket’s T20 format — it is also the latest chapter in the Big Book of Sportswashing and the opening shots in a battle for control of an entire sport.

Let us tackle those heavyweight issues in that order, as that is how events have played out this week.

(Illustration: Sam Richardson / The Athletic)

Q&A: Matt Jones explains decision to join LIV Golf, desire to remain on PGA Tour

As he walked off the practice green on June 1, Jones stopped to speak with four writers from The Athletic , the Associated Press, ESPN and USA Today. In an effort to give full clarity on what goes into a player making the jump to LIV, the interview is being presented here in full .

(Photo: Reinhold Matay / USA Today)

Canadian Open, sponsor RBC move on without longtime tournament face Dustin Johnson

TORONTO – Laurence Appelbaum heard the news late on May 31, three days before the reveal of the full RBC Canadian Open field.

Dustin Johnson, a two-time major champion and RBC ambassador, was joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour. His name appeared on the list of golfers playing the tour’s first event, happening the same week as the Canadian Open, June 10-12.

When he heard the decision from the PGA Tour, Appelbaum, Golf Canada’s CEO, was surprised and shocked.

“DJ had been so effusive in his commitment to the PGA Tour about 60 days prior,” Appelbaum said. “And he was such an important part of Team RBC.”

Curtis Strange doesn't hold back on LIV

Dustin johnson done with pga tour, plans to play less golf.

Johnson said Friday he'll play the LIV Golf events and majors:

PGA Tour sets viewership milestone

Despite the LIV Golf Tournament being underway, the RBC Canadian Open averaged 385,000 viewers from 3-6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

DJ has spoken with The Masters

Will he be invited going forward?

Bryson is officially official

Sponsor rocket mortgage cuts ties with bryson dechambeau, 'it's hard to turn down'.

Justin Thomas talked about his concern that others will follow to LIV thanks to the money involved.

Rory McIlroy weighs in

The former world No. 1 said Wednesday that the controversial LIV series is "not something (he wants) to participate in" and implied that those doing so are in it "purely for money." On Thursday, he said golfers at the Canadian Open are "pleased" by the sanctions handed out.

He added that he does plan to check out the LIV Golf streams.

"I think like everyone else, I'm intrigued and I'm a fan of golf. I've got quite a few guys over there that I call friends that are playing," he said. "I'll see it and watch it and see what all the fuss is about."

McIlroy is out on the team names, though.

"Certainly not going out to buy any team merchandise any time soon," he said.

Justin Thomas talks PGA Tour sanctions

World No. 6 Justin Thomas, currently playing at the 2022 Canadian Open, on the PGA Tour’s decision to suspend LIV golfers:

“I’m pleased. Anybody that’s shocked clearly isn’t listening to the message that Jay is putting out.”

Sun 12 May 2024

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LIV Golf players list: Everyone who has quit PGA Tour and DP World Tour to play in the 2023 series

Cameron smith, dustin johnson and phil mickelson are among other players to have pledged their commitment to liv golf.

When the highly contentious LIV Invitational Series resumes in 2024, it will boast reigning Masters champion and world No 3-ranked Jon Rahm as the latest of golf’s most famous players who have signed up to play .

Rahm , a four-time winner on the 2023 PGA Tour, member of Europe’s Ryder Cup -winning team and prior critic of the LIV format , joins the league bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in a deal reportedly worth up to £450m.

Rumours had begun to swirl over the Spaniard’s future, including when he was notably absent from the line-up of golfers committed to the PGA Tour’s American Express stop in January, as well as withdrawing from the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy -backed TGL league’s inaugural season last month.

And despite admitting his decision to join LIV was a “risk” in terms of his future participation in the Ryder Cup – the 29-year-old will need to remain a member of the DP World Tour to be eligible for the biennial USA vs Europe showdown – Rahm told Fox News : “Things have changed a lot in the game of golf over the past two years and I’ve seen the growth of LIV Golf and the innovation.

“That’s why I’m here today. This decision was made for many reasons and what I thought was best for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great deal.”

The 2024 LIV Golf schedule will feature 14 stops, including new events in Las Vegas, Houston and Nashville.

2024 LIV Golf Schedule 2-4 February:  LIV Mayakoba — El Cameleon Country Club 8-10 February : LIV Las Vegas — Las Vegas Country Club 1-3 March:  LIV Saudi Arabia — TBD 8-10 March:  LIV Hong Kong — Hong Kong Golf Club 5-7 April:  LIV “USA” — Location and course TBD 26-28 April:  LIV Adelaide — The Grange Golf Club 3-5 May:  LIV Singapore — The Serapong Golf Club 7-9 June:  LIV Houston — The Golf Club of Houston 21-23 June:  LIV Nashville — The Grove Golf Club 12-14 July:  LIV Andalucia — Real Club Valderrama 25-28 July:  LIV UK: Staffordshire — JCB Golf and Country Club 16-19 August:  LIV Greenbrier — The Old White Course at the Greenbrier TBD:  LIV Golf Individual Championships TBD:  LIV Golf Team Championships.

Who played in the 2023 LIV Golf series and how did it work?

The financial package put forward by LIV Golf seduced Dustin Johnson , Lee Westwood , and Sergio Garcia from the get-go last year, with Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and plenty of others signing up soon after.

Mickelson was reportedly paid $200m (£159m) just for turning up, while Johnson, the top-ranked player to have joined so far, earning $150m (£119m). Johnson announced his resignation from the PGA Tour in order to concentrate fully on the new tournament fronted by former world No 1 Greg Norman, but the PGA has since suspended all players to have made the switch.

Besides the eye-watering signing-on-fees, the prize money on offer is staggering. There is a $25m (£19.9m) purse to be split between the 48 players per tournament in the eight-event series, with the winner pocketing $4m (£3.2m) and the loser earning $120k (£95k).

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The format is also very different from traditional majors. There are 54 rather than 72 holes for a start – “LIV” is 54 in Roman numerals – there is a “shotgun” start where players tee off at the same time, and golfers are grouped into teams of four.

Johnson is captain of the “4 Aces”, Mickelson is leading the “Hy Flyers” and Poulter is affiliated to “Majesticks”.

The first 2022 tournament was held in England, with subsequent events taking place in Portland, Bedminster, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok, Jeddah and Miami.

In the build-up, players faced questions about “sportswashing” and whether Saudi Arabia is seeking to deflect attention from its human rights record by investing so heavily in the sport. Mickelson previously called the Saudis “scary motherf**kers” before backtracking.

“I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” he said. “I’m certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it’s terrible. I have also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history and I believe LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well.”

Graeme McDowell said “we’re not politicians, we’re professional golfers,” in regards to the country’s human rights record and Talor Gooch responded “I’m a golfer, I’m not that smart”. Poulter and Westwood both said they would not answer “hypothetical questions” when asked whether they would have played in a tournament held by Vladimir Putin or in South Africa during Apartheid.

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed signed up to the breakaway competition after the first event, while Paul Casey was also confirmed in early July.

Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann were then among a fresh wave of players unveiled by LIV Golf.

The 2023 series kicked off in Mayakoba in February, followed by tournaments in Tucson, Orlando, Adelaide, Singapore, Tulsa, DC, Valderrama, London, Greenbrier, Bedminster, Chicago, Miami and Jeddah.

2023 LIV Golf players list A-Z

Here are all 48 players who competed in the 14-event series in 2023.

There were 12 teams in total, with 13 major champions in the field, 16 nations represented, and a combined 125 Ryder Cup appearances.

Four players – Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka and Lee Westwood – have held the title of world No 1. Scroll down for the teams and more analysis.

• Abraham Ancer
• Richard Bland
• Dean Burmester
• Laurie Canter
• Eugenio Chacarra
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Sergio Garcia
• Talor Gooch
• Branden Grace
• Sam Horsfield
• Charles Howell III
• Dustin Johnson
• Martin Kaymer
• Brooks Koepka
• Chase Koepka
• Jason Kokrak
• Anirban Lahiri
• Marc Leishman
• Graeme McDowell
• Phil Mickelson
• Jediah Morgan
• Sebastian Munoz
• Joaquin Niemann
• Andy Ogletree
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Carlos Ortiz
• Mito Pereira
• Thomas Pieters
• Ian Poulter
• Patrick Reed
• Charl Schwartzel
• Cameron Smith
• Brendan Steele
• Henrik Stenson
• Cameron Tringale
• Peter Uihlein
• Harold Varner III
• Scott Vincent
• Bubba Watson
• Lee Westwood
• Bernd Wiesberger
• Matthew Wolff

LIV Golf 2023 team names and roster

• 4Aces – Dustin Johnson (captain), Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein
• Cleeks – Martin Kaymer (captain), Graeme McDowell, Richard Bland, Bernd Wiesberger
• Crushers – Bryson DeChambeau (captain), Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri
• Fireballs – Sergio Garcia (captain), Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra
• HyFlyers – Phil Mickelson (captain), Cameron Tringale, James Piot, Brendan Steele
• Iron Heads – Kevin Na (captain), Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, Danny Lee
• Majesticks – Ian Poulter (co-captain), Henrik Stenson (co-captain), Lee Westwood (co-captain), Sam Horsfield
• RangeGoats – Bubba Watson (captain), Harold Varner III, Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters
• Ripper – Cameron Smith (captain), Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan
• Smash – Brooks Koepka (captain), Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak, Chase Koepka
• Stinger – Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester
• Torque – Joaquin Niemann (captain), Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig

Analysis: LIV Invitational is morally bankrupt and won’t revitalise golf

By Matt Butler

The name is quite clever: LIV. In Roman numerals it is 54 and the players in this new incarnation of golf kicking off in the exotic locale of Hemel Hempstead will play that many holes. Neat, huh?

Of course, you might say that a new sporting franchise bolstered by limitless petrodollars would be expected to be creative with its branding.

But the new kid in town is a sign that golf is in desperate need of some love. Whether that love comes from a despotic regime with a dreadful record on human rights is something for Phil Mickelson , Dustin Johnson , Lee Westwood and, err, James Piot to ponder as they chase a ball around a course for a share of 20 mill a tournament.

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And if you put aside the ickiness of the Saudi regime behind Jamal Khashoggi ’s killers providing the lipstick and mascara to the game, the concept of a quickfire bunch of tournaments with a set season and eight-figure sums of cash riding on each one sounds intriguing – even if the reason why players joined appears to be all about the money. Not that cold hard cash as a motivator is news, especially in the world of golf.

The rules are thus: everyone tees off at once. It is called a shotgun start, which sounds a little violent, given the paymasters, but I guess bonesaw start would have been too much. Twelve teams of four play in a match-play format, with individual members also competing in a strokeplay competition. There is no cut to miss. So far, so mildly diverting.

However, toe-curlingly twee “Camden Market-style” stalls, a Craig David and Jessie J gig and Sporty Spice on the decks post-match does not sound like much of an answer to the organiser’s promise to “supercharge” golf.

Read Matt’s full analysis here

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The Majors Remain Uninterested in Rewarding Talor Gooch and LIV Golfers for Play on Their Tour

John schwarb | may 5, 2024.

Before even hitting a shot last week, Talor Gooch again set the golf world ablaze. An abrupt “I’m not,” answer to whether or not he would attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open in a few weeks both agitated and amused those who follow this ongoing saga that is part of the current golf wars.

Gooch, 32, is LIV Golf’s reigning player of the year. He led the league’s points list in 2023, capturing three tournaments, finishing second in another and banking more than $34 million in prize money and bonuses.

But to those who run the major championships, it means absolutely nothing.

That is not an opinion or hot take.

It was made clear by two credible officials in this drama: Peter Dawson, the former CEO of the R&A and now the chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking board of directors; and Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National and the Masters, whose organization has one of seven OWGR board seats.

To paraphrase, both have made clear that LIV’s 54-player “closed” tour does not fit their criteria. Dawson said it when LIV’s bid for OWGR accreditation was denied last October. Ridley said when asked last month at the Masters if he could envision the Masters or any major giving direct spots to LIV golfers based on their season-ending Order of Merit or any kind of in-season points list.

“I think it will be difficult to establish any type of point system that has any connection to the rest of the world of golf because they're basically, not totally, but for the most part, a closed shop,” Ridley said of the LIV Golf League structure. “There is some relegation, but not very much. It all really depends on what new players they sign.

“Those concerns were expressed by the OWGR, but I don't think that that prevents us from giving subjective consideration based on talent, based on performance to those players.”

Ridley praised LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann, who won the Australian Open and played in events for which he was eligible around the world in an effort to earn world ranking points. He was granted a special exemption by the Masters soon after winning LIV’s season-opening event in Mexico—with no mention of that victory by Ridley.

Niemann has also received an invite to the PGA Championship next week and it’s possible that David Puig, a young LIV player who has won twice on the Asian Tour and sits just outside the top 100 in the OWGR, could also get a spot. But it’s all due to their chasing points around the world with no credence giving to LIV.

Which leaves Gooch not eligible for a single major championship this year and apparently unwilling to try and qualify for the two where—given his ability—he’d have an excellent chance of making the field.

Gooch, who finished fourth Sunday in LIV Golf’s Singapore event —three shots behind winner Brooks Koepka —is getting roasted for not trying, and he does himself no favors here. As much as he feels maligned, he and his peers on LIV could not miss the signs that this was how it was going to go play out. The OWGR announcement last fall was the first clue. Ridley’s confirmation at the Masters about LIV’s format was a strong second.

What rankles Gooch and those who support LIV Golf is the fact that he was eligible for three of the major championships last year—the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open—based on having finished among the top 30 in the final FedEx Cup standings in 2022.

Gooch did this despite leaving for LIV Golf and not playing another regular PGA Tour event the rest of the year. He was ineligible for the Tour Championship, but both the Masters and the Open stayed with the original language in their qualifications. The U.S. Open did not. Last February, the USGA tweaked its wording to require a player to have been “eligible” for the season-ending Tour Championship. The Masters and Open didn’t change their wording to take place until this year.

It was an unfortunate move by the USGA and came across as petty. Gooch was the only player impacted. As long as the current rules are in place, no LIV golfer was going to be able to qualify for the majors via the FedEx Cup/Tour Championship loophole. It smacked of going out of the way to keep Gooch out, even if that was not the intent.

Gooch, of course, could have attempted to qualify for last year’s U.S. Open. He tied for 34th at the Masters but his OWGR standing was slipping to where he needed a good week at the PGA—which gave him an exemption because he was top 100 in the OWGR—to stay within the top 60 and earn a U.S. Open spot. He missed the cut, didn’t go to qualifying, missed the cut at the Open and now is looking at having no way into the majors.

Meanwhile, 35 of LIV’s 46 non-exempt players for the U.S. Open are scheduled to compete in final qualifying. That is up from the 16 (out of 38) who tried to qualify last year. Clearly, players got the message or LIV is encouraging them to try to get in.

One of those players scheduled for a final qualifier is Andy Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion who last year won the Asian Tour’s and International Series Order of Merit. That distinction will get him in the PGA next week as well as the Open in July. He’s not officially in yet, but in a few weeks, the U.S. Open will also put him in the field via that category (top 2 not otherwise exempt; if Ogletree were to win the PGA, for example, that USGA would give the Asian Tour another spot).

But here’s where it gets uneasy for the majors: is Ogletree a better player than Gooch? Is Puig? Is Niemann?

Gooch’s season on LIV last year might mean nothing to the majors and the OWGR but what he accomplished last year has to mean  something.  In nine tournaments as part of LIV Golf, Ogletree has finished ahead of Gooch just one time. Puig, who is being hailed for playing an abundance of Asian Tour events to try and boost his OWGR ranking, has never contended in a LIV event, never once finished ahead of Gooch and has just a single top-10 finish. Puig tied for 27th in Singapore and Ogletree tied for 45th.

Even Niemann, who has won twice on LIV Golf this year, only finished ahead of Gooch three times in 13 LIV events in 2023. He tied for seventh in Singapore.

What does this suggest? For a few players who have made their way into majors, they haven’t exactly burned it up on LIV Golf, which might not be deep, but still has a healthy number of players at the top of its roster. Nobody would dispute that Jon Rahm, Koepka, Cam Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton and Dustin Johnson are world-class players and there are several more such as Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Sergio Garcia and others who are highly capable.

It can also mean that the Asian Tour is not particularly strong when guys who are dominating its money list and winning events are struggling to move into the upper echelon at LIV Golf.

Does that mean that Gooch should be in the U.S. Open?

That is clearly the subject of this debate. But again, beating all those guys, even in a format deemed unappealing by the major powers that be, means more than zero. Gooch, who was 624th in the OWGR, is ranked 41st in the Data Golf Rankings and 17th by TUGR.

Those systems include LIV events, so by their metrics, Gooch would be exempt. (It is important to note that Data Golf has said that its scoring-based system has too many downsides to be used as an official ranking tool. Data Golf offered an explanation here .)

And so here we are.

The OWGR and the majors believe the LIV format is not worthy of their consideration.

The LIV leaders decided not to purse OWGR accreditation by making changes that  could  lead to the league getting accredited. (Both sides are to blame for that mess. i.e., sit down and figure it out.)

And things are only bound to get worse when a few more LIV players see their major exemptions expire.

Bottom line: without some kind of deal that sees a change to the system, LIV golfers who want to compete in the majors better get used to playing even more around the world. Or heading to qualifying.

Jordan Spieth’s rocky road

He is not making excuses, even though Jordan Spieth admitted that the only thing that will ultimately help his wrist is rest. He says he can’t do further damage and knows how to play through the issues it is causing him. But you have to wonder how much it is impacting his play.

Spieth talked last week about having paused for a reset prior to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, then proceeded to miss his fourth cut in his last six tournaments. Included in that stretch was the Players Championship and the Masters.

Still just 30, Spieth is ranked 20th in the Official World Golf Ranking and is seemingly always lurking. He’s had three top 10s this year, including a tie for 10th at the Valero Texas Open, but hasn’t really contended in months. And he admitted that three top 10s to this point is not exactly what he had in mind.

His 13 PGA Tour victories is an impressive haul, but he’s coming up on seven years since winning the third of his three majors at the 2017 British Open and since that time he’s won just twice on the PGA Tour.

It is that kind of discussion that doesn’t make the current situation any easier on Spieth.

Asked a question in his pre-tournament news conference last week about May being mental health month, Spieth responded in this way:

“I think a lot of things I struggled with that have certainly affected me mentally are a lot of comparisons,” he said, acknowledging that he, too, can’t help but compare himself to the past.

“It’s hard not to, especially when you have so much success early in your career. Not only are you compared to the outside world to that person, but I have a hard time wondering why I can’t do that every week, too.”

Spieth was asked what it’s like to see Scottie Scheffler get on the kind of roll he’s been on of late. Scheffler, 27, lives in Dallas like Spieth, and the two play a good amount of golf together. The Masters champion has won four of his last five starts and will be a big favorite to win a third major championship next week at the PGA Championship.

“I have known Scottie since he was really, really young. Not that I wasn't, but he was really, really young,” Spieth said. “I think he's a better person than he is a player, and having known somebody and seen them come up and obviously went to University of Texas, I'm nothing but extremely excited and happy for him. It's well deserved and all that.

“And then on the flip side, like it's kind of the first time I've ever looked at somebody younger than me and I've driven inspiration. Like I am inspired by what he is doing. It makes me want to go out and get better, and that's always been someone that's older than me. Kind of the first time I felt that way about somebody that's younger.

“Because I play a decent amount of rounds with him here in town. I'm constantly seeing it and trying to beat him at home, and when he's playing better than I am, it sucks. I don't enjoy it when I'm side by side because there were however many years of our life it wasn't that way.

“It's flipped and I feel like I've got plenty of runway to be able to get it back. It's inspiring at the same time to try make that happen. I have nothing in my way of being able to make that happen but my own self. I've got enough. I believe in my ceiling, and I believe my ceiling is as high as anybody's. I have to get each part of my game up towards its ceiling.”

The wrist issue first became a problem last year. It actually kept him from playing his hometown event the week after the Wells Fargo Championship. Those tournaments have switched dates this year and Spieth is set for a good bit of golf ahead with the PGA following the Wells Fargo and then the possibility that he plays Colonial. After a week off, Spieth would then likely play the Memorial, U.S. Open and Travelers Championship in consecutive weeks.

“It’s a lot of managing it,” he said. “I'm kind of doing a couple different things to help treat the symptoms that I experience and to not have some recurring problems that have happened. And so I'm doing a lot of stuff off the course, therapy side, whether it's treating tendon to treating the nerve in general. I think that that's helping.

“I kind of maybe got a little bit away from it as I got into a heavier stretch of golf the last eight weeks so I had a couple instances that weren't good. I don't plan on that happening going forward with what I'm doing off the course even though I will be playing a lot of golf.”

Signature event No. 6 ... and other notes

Everyone who is eligible for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship is competing—except for one big one. Reigning No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is a no-show. He’s got good reason. His wife, Meredith, is expecting the couple’s first child.

It should be noted that had there been no baby watch, there’s a good chance Scheffler would have skipped Quail Hollow anyway. He didn’t play the tournament last year. And he almost assuredly would have played his hometown Byron Nelson tournament.

In any case, the sixth of eight Signature Events it follows The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and RBC Heritage. After the Wells Fargo is next week’s PGA Championship. Following Colonial and the RBC Canadian Open is the seventh Signature Event, the Memorial, the U.S. Open and then the final Signature Event, the Travelers Championship.

And a few more things

The field of the Wells Fargo is 70 players, comprising 48 who are locked via the FedEx Cup from 2023, 10 from the FedEx Cup category, five from the swing category (Zurich Classic and Byron Nelson), four sponsor exemptions, and three players who won PGA Tour events this year not otherwise including Taylor Pendrith , who got his first victory Sunday at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and will get his first signature event start. ... He will also get a spot in next week’s PGA Championship as well as next year’s Players and the Masters. ... The field size again suggests the Tour should look at this at the end of the year and consider expanding with reserves or broadening categories to get to 78 players ... Ben Kohles , who bogeyed the 18th hole to lose by a shot to Pendrith, also gets into the Wells Fargo via the Swing Five category.

Webb Simpson got one of the sponsor exemptions, and since he lives at Quail Hollow, that makes sense. But it is his fourth such free pass into a signature event and it’s just his eighth start of the year. As a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, that is causing some concern. Adam Scott , also on the board, is getting his third sponsor invite to a signature event. The others went to Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar .

The PGA Championship is expected to finalize its field this week by inviting players otherwise not exempt who are among the top 100 in the OWGR. It can go beyond 100 and also invite those from the PGA points list, which assures spots to the top 70 via PGA Tour performance from last year’s Byron Nelson through this year’s. ... The PGA Championship begins in 10 days.

JOHN SCHWARB

John Schwarb is the Senior Editor of SI Golf. He has covered golf for the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times), PGATour.com and Visit Florida; and has also written for ESPN.com, The Golfers Journal and several magazines. He lives in Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University.

2024 LIV Golf Singapore prize money payouts for each player and team

It pays to play well in the LIV Golf League, just ask Brooks Koepka .

The 34-year-old won for the fourth time on the Saudi-backed circuit on Sunday after a 3-under 68 in the final round at Sentosa Golf Club to claim the league's seventh event of the 2024 season, LIV Golf Singapore.

For his efforts, Koepka will take home the top prize of $4 million. Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith and teammate Marc Leishman, who finished T-2, two shots behind Koepka at 13 under, banked $1.875 million each.

With $20 million up for grabs, check out how much money each player and team earned at 2024 LIV Golf Singapore.

Individual prize money

Team prize money.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2024 LIV Golf Singapore prize money payouts for each player and team

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Rory McIlroy reveals new role in discussions over golf's future and insists 'no strain' with Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are players on PGA Tour Enterprises' new transaction subcommittee, who are negotiating with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund; McIlroy not replacing Webb Simpson on the PGA Tour policy board after the prospect reopened "old wounds"

Friday 10 May 2024 12:25, UK

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Rory McIlroy said he has been "some way" involved with discussions with Saudi backers of LIV Golf and insists there is "no strain" in his relationship with Tiger Woods.

The PGA Tour confirmed on Thursday that McIlroy is one of three active players on the newly-created PGA Tour Enterprises' Transaction Subcommittee, alongside Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, who are engaged in direct negotiations with Saudi's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The trio are part of the seven-person subcommittee alongside four additional members of the PGA Tour Enterprises Board, including PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, although McIlroy is the only member not on the PGA Tour Enterprises board itself.

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McIlroy confirmed his role to reporters after the opening round of the Wells Fargo Championship, a day after admitting he was not replacing Webb Simpson on the PGA Tour policy board because the prospect of his return reopened "old wounds" among other players.

"I've already had calls with that group [transaction subcommittee]," McIlroy said on Thursday. "I had a really good hour and a half Zoom with those guys on Sunday, we went through a 150-page doc about the future product model and everything.

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"Yeah, I'm not on the board, but I'm in some way involved in that transaction committee. I don't have a vote so I don't, you know, I don't have I guess a meaningful say in what happens in the future.

"But at least I can, I feel like I can be helpful on that committee, and that was sort of a compromise for I guess not getting a board seat."

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Joe Gorder, the chair and chief executive of Valero - an energy company in the United States - has been elected as the inaugural chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises, which was launched when the framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's PIF was announced last June.

John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group and manager of the Strategic Sports Group is also on the committee, along with player-turned liaison director Joe Ogilvie.

'No strain' with Tiger over 'different views'

It is understood that Patrick Cantlay was among the players who felt "uncomfortable" that McIlroy would automatically take Simpson's seat on the PGA Tour policy rather than going through a formal process, with the former FedExCup champion's view backed up by Jordan Spieth and Woods.

McIlroy sees globalisation and a move towards a 'World Tour' as an absolute necessity in order to unify game, with the former world No 1 also admitting that his friendship with Woods remains strong despite their differing views on some elements of golf's future.

"I mean, I think friends can have disagreements or not see eye to eye on things," McIlroy added. "I think that's fine.

"We had a really good talk last Friday for 45 minutes, just about a lot of different things. No, there's no strain there.

"I think we might see the future of golf a little bit differently, but I don't think that should place any strain on a relationship or on a friendship."

Watch Rory McIlroy in action at the Wells Fargo Championship and the PGA Championship this month live on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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Tiger Woods to be lone player on negotiating committee with Saudis

Tiger Woods waves after his final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Tiger Woods hits from the bunker on the 15th hole during final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after making birdie on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Tiger Woods will be the lone player on a five-member subcommittee that will be involved in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund, part of a busy day of governance as the PGA Tour tries to strike a deal with Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

Woods was appointed to the PGA Tour board in August, making him the sixth player-director and the only one whose board term has no limits.

The tour said Woods will be part of the “transaction subcommittee” on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises that will handle day-to-day negotiations as PIF seeks to become a minority investor.

Also on the subcommittee are PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group and Joe Ogilvie, a former tour player appointed as a director liaison in March.

The subcommittee reports back to the full board.

The developments capped a day that began with Rory McIlroy losing the inside track on rejoining the board as Webb Simpson’s replacement when board members resisted his return.

“I think there was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” McIlroy said at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a $20 million signature event is being played.

Simpson had offered to resign, but only if McIlroy were to replace him. When a player director resigns, the other players on the board have to unanimously agree on a successor. McIlroy resigned from the board in November , and the players selected Jordan Spieth to replace him.

The seven players — Woods, Spieth, Simpson, Ogilvie, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott and Peter Malnati — are on the board of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises, the commercial entity that agreed to a deal with Strategic Sports Group as a minority investor.

That deal included a $1.5 billion investment, which could be as much as $3 billion.

McIlroy was willing to return, believing he could help find a solution to the split in golf that has left some of the best players on two tours. McIlroy sees the reunification in some form as the ultimate goal and rubbed players the wrong way when he suggested earlier this year that LIV players return without punishment.

“Today’s news is in no way a commentary on Rory’s important perspective and influence,” Monahan said in a statement. “It’s simple a matter of adherence to our governance process by which a tour player becomes a board member.

“Webb remaining in his position as a member of the policy board and PGA Tour Enterprises board through the end of his term provides the continuity needed at this vital time,” he said. “We are making progress in our negotiations with the PIF.”

McIlroy is certain to stay involved in an unofficial capacity based on his experience of two years on the board and his voice in the game. He was the only European tour member on the PGA Tour board, and McIlroy has cultivated relationships across continents during his career.

He had said on a British soccer podcast at the start of this year that he met with the PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in late 2022 and that he returned home and encouraged the tour board to meet with him.

The framework agreement among the PGA Tour, European tour and PIF was announced June 6, with a deadline to finalize it by the end of 2023. Negotiations continue with little progress.

Woods was among the player directors who went to the Bahamas on March 18 — Monahan and Henry also attended — to meet with Al-Rumayyan.

Woods said at the Masters about that meeting, “I don’t know if we’re closer, but certainly we’re headed in the right direction. That was a very positive meeting, and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.”

Gorder is the chairman and CEO of Valero, the title sponsor of the Texas Open. He has been appointed the inaugural chairman of the PGA Tour Enterprises board.

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2024 Wells Fargo Championship live stream, watch online, TV schedule, channel, tee times, golf coverage, radio

One week and one big-time event separate players from the second major championship of the season.

An elevated purse, additional FedEx Cup points and one last trophy before the PGA Championship are all up for grabs this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. With 69 of the best players on the PGA Tour and many of those names who aim to factor in a week's time at Valhalla in the field, the Wells Fargo Championship is likely to produce a major championship-type leaderboard on a major championship-type test.

Quail Hollow once again hosts the Wells Fargo Championship as it has done so in the past, including last year when Wyndham Clark broke through for his first career PGA Tour victory. Clark has since transformed into a completely different golfer winning the U.S. Open later that year and has since tacked on this year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am while consistently contending in these signature events.

While Clark was the top man a year ago, Rory McIlroy has been on that perch over the last decade or so. Three times a winner at Quail Hollow and fresh off his 25th career PGA Tour victory and 35th birthday, the four-time major champion hopes to continue this upward trajectory ahead of his return to Valhalla -- the site of his last major championship triumph in 2014.

McIlroy's drought consists of major championships, but that of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young consists of PGA Tour wins. This lot has combined to get shutout over the last two years and will hope to breakthrough for a much-needed title in Charlotte.

Masters contenders Collin Morikawa and Max Homa plan to tee it up while Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland round out the action at Quail Hollow.

All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated  

Round 4 - Sunday

Round starts:  7:30 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  7:30 a.m. -  6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage:  1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  1-3 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage:  3-6 p.m. on CBS Live simulcast:  3-6 p.m. on  CBSSports.com  and the  CBS Sports App

Radio:  1-6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

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What It Will Take to Win the Cognizant Founders Cup

Amy olson retires from lpga tour to focus on motherhood.

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The LPGA’s 13 Founders would have loved Upper Montclair Country Club. The 100-year-old AW Tillinghast design tests the world’s best players in so many ways and will do so again as the Cognizant Founders Cup is contested at the venue for the third year in a row this week.

One of the few classic designs on the schedule, this historic venue has played host to three major professional tours. The first two editions of the Cognizant Founders Cup held at Upper Montclair did not disappoint. In 2022, Minjee Lee got to 19-under and won over a charging Lexi Thompson. Then, about a month later, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club.

In her title defense last year, Lee lost in a playoff to Jin Young Ko. That was Ko’s third Founders Cup win in four years, and even though each of those wins came at different venues, Ko will definitely capture some attention in Clifton, N.J. With the LPGA Tour’s next major championship taking place in nearby Lancaster, Penn., these next two weeks in the Garden State will be critical preparation leading up to one of the most lucrative tournaments on the schedule.

Can Nelly Korda win six in a row? Upper Montclair is one of the few venues she has not yet conquered. Korda did not compete here in 2022 and missed the cut a year ago. But, she’s still the favorite by a large margin and will need to navigate this design better than she has in the past if she wants to make history. Northeast golf is much like what we saw in Los Anegles two weeks ago at Wilshire Country Club. The 144-player field will have to hit the fairways if they want to contend in New Jersey.

Korda, Brooke Henderson and Linn Grant lead the LPGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee this week at Upper Montclair. A complete comparison of driving skill this statistic evaluates length and accuracy, favoring length. Seven fairways at this venue bend left to right, and the other seven tee shots move right to left, meaning this tree-lined test should favor those who can hit fairways. The par 5s are very scorable, providing another advantage for our longest hitters.

Over the next two weeks in New Jersey, and leading into Lancaster for the U.S. Women’s Open, monitor par-4 play very closely. Lee and Ko conquered the par 4s at Upper Montclair Country Club en route to winning the past two years.

The greens at this course average 7,000 square feet in size. That’s large for this region, but the reality is, they play much smaller. Proximity to the hole limits stress on putting, and this is where the best will separate themselves. Putting has been the most valuable skill for contending, evidenced by those who finished in the top 10 in the past couple of years really excelling on the greens. Angel Yin, Madelene Sagstrom and Ko have been fantastic with their putters and lead this field in those metrics, meaning they should have a decided advantage at the Cognizant Founders Cup.

Proximity to the hole helps considerably when playing this venue. Upper Montclair has three nines, and the Tour uses the South Course for the front nine and the West Course for the back nine.

If you have played Upper Montclair, then you know it will test a full complement of clubs in the bag. Ko, Albane Valenzuela and Megan Khang lead the Tour in strokes gained approach, and being able to knock it close on these unique greens is a huge advantage. Not to mention the course boasts 65 bunkers, 44 of which are deep, diabolical and sit greenside.

Scrambling and sand save capability will help a player capture the crown. The cutline average for two years is even par, telling us that players will surely make bogeys. The average winning score is 16-under in the two editions of the tournament to be held at Upper Montclair. To score, a player will need to save par when they miss greens and probably have to do so from the sand. The best at the top of the betting board who can save par with their short game are Korda, Patty Tavantanakit, Atthaya Thitikul and Celine Boutier.

Three weeks ago, we predicted Nelly to win her fifth in a row. Last week, and a little more impressive, Hannah Green was selected as the outright winner. The winner of the Cognizant Founders Cup should come from one of the names mentioned above.

Nasa Hataoka and Madalene Sagstrom seem like good choices to lean toward, but my official picks will be in my LPGA newsletter. Who will you choose? Two back-to-back weeks in New Jersey and then the U.S. Women’s Open. It’s time to get serious and what better event to stand out than the one that honors the LPGA’s Founders.

Keith Stewart is an award-winning PGA Professional. He covers the LPGA and PGA TOUR for Golf Digest, The Sporting News, LPGA, and PGA TOUR. If you are looking to raise your golf acumen and love inside information about the game, check out his weekly newsletter called  Read The Line .  

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Tune in to watch as the LPGA Tour returns to the New Jersey Turnpike this week for the Cognizant Founders Cup, hosted by Upper Montclair Country Club. The 144-player field competes for a $3 million purse and is highlighted by eight of the Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings top 10, including World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club

Charlotte, North Carolina • USA

May 9 - 12, 2024

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Handicapping Schauffele vs. the field in Charlotte