LIV Golf - Everything We Know About The Saudi-Backed Series

The golfing world has been dominated by talk of the LIV Golf Series, the Saudi-backed venture fronted by Greg Norman and LIV Golf Investments.

Details of the Series were announced and quickly followed by the $25m curtain-raiser at London's Centurion Club in June, where South African Charl Schwartzel secured the $4 million first prize. It became a South African double in Portland when Branden Grace took the spoils in the second edition. Henrik Stenson made it a debut to remember when he secured a two shot victory over Matthew Wolff at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

Dustin Johnson triumphed in Boston whilst reigning Open champion Cameron Smith only required two starts before he claimed top honours in Chicago. Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra and Brooks Kopeka were victorious in Bangkok and Jeddah respectively.

By virtue of his performances across the season, Dustin Johnson was crowned Individual Champion and scooped a $18m bonus for his efforts.

With the seven "regular" events under our belt and the story of the Team Championship in Miami soon to be written, we take a detailed look at everything we know about the LIV Golf Series and how it has impacted the golf world as we once knew it.

What Is The LIV Golf Series?

Briefly put, the LIV Golf Series comprises of eight tournaments - seven regular events and a season-closing Team Championship, which will be held at Trump National Doral in Miami.

Each of the regular events feature three rounds with no cut, and with play commencing by shotgun start. There is also a team format with no more than 48 players making up 12 teams of four, with the teams drafted each week.

The Series has enticed players with huge $25m purses at each of the first seven tournaments, and a $50m purse in the Team Championship finale. There is also a bonus pool for the best performers throughout.

The concept of a breakaway league is not new to golf or in fact, Greg Norman. The former World No.1 put forward his own plans for a World Golf Tour in 1994, a lucrative, eight-field event that would showcase the game's best players as independent contractors, unfettered from the PGA Tour.

Norman's path to 'growing the game' never did come to fruition but you sense there has always been a determination to challenge golf's status quo. And so here we are, 28 years later with the game on the precipice of civil war and now an official league to rival the established ecosystem.

The Australian is confident in the future success of his product, describing the Series as "a carrot too hard to resist." It has already taken a monumental financial investment to get the Series off the ground and in 2023, the Series will expand to a fully fledged League with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in an expanded 14-tournament schedule – and an enormous $405m total prize purse, a huge increase on the $225m on offer for this year’s eight-tournament Series.

Major champions in the likes of Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau have each taken the decision to leave the PGA Tour in favour of LIV Golf, with perhaps more to follow in future.

LIV Golf Series Schedule

The eight tournaments take place across England, USA, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, and run from June to October.

• June 9-11: London - Winner: Charles Schwartzel/Stinger GC

• July 1-3: Portland - Winner: Branden Grace/4 Aces

• July 29-31: Bedminster - Winner: Henrik Stenson/4 Aces

• September 2-4: Boston - Winner: Dustin Johnson/4 Aces

• September 16-18: Chicago - Winner: Cameron Smith/4 Aces

• October 7-9: Bangkok - Winner: Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra/Fireballs GC

• October 14-16: Jeddah - Winner: Brooks Koepka/Smash GC

• October 28-30: Miami - Trump National Doral - TBC

LIV Golf Series Prize Money

The first seven 'regular' events will each carry a total purse of $25m, comprised of $20m in individual prizes and $5m for the top three teams. Each event, the winner will receive a cheque for $4m with last place receiving $120,000.

The Series will also crown an 'Individual Champion' with a bonus pool of $30m for the top-three performers of the season - Dustin Johnson earned the title of Individual Champion in the inaugural season, pocketing an $18m performance bonus - taking his Series earnings in excess of $30m.

The season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship Finale will feature a huge $50 million purse. The winning team will split $16 million four ways, with $10 million awarded to second place and $8 million to third.

The financial riches of the LIV Golf Series is almost impossible for anyone to keep up with and by and large blows the PGA Tour's flagship, and most lucrative event, the Players Championship, out of the water.

By way of example, the first LIV Golf event at the Centurion Club, with its $25m purse, dwarfed the competing events on the PGA and DP World Tour. The RBC Canadian Open competed for $8.7m, whilst the Scandinavian Mixed carried a purse of $2m. It is a similar story throughout the LIV Golf Series schedule.

Pablo Larrazabal, who has notched seven DP World Tour titles in his impressive career thus far, finished 13th in the inaugural event at Centurion Club and secured a cheque for $360,000. In contrast, this was larger than the $333,330 and $250,000 he received for winning the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain and MyGolfLife Open earlier this year.

But what perhaps best demonstrates the financial riches was Hennie du Plessis' performance. The 25-year-old, who is without a victory on the DP World Tour, finished a single stroke behind winner Charl Schwartzel and pocked just shy of $2.2m alongside $750,000 in the team format - more than the winner of the Open Championship, PGA Championship and the Masters.

Speaking after the LIV Golf Boston event, Pat Perez said he had doubled his earnings in just three appearances when compared to 25 PGA Tour appearances. The American is a member of the 4 Aces franchise, that has won the last three team components on the circuit.

LIV Golf Series Players

For a long time, LIV Golf participants were shrouded in mystery with multiple reports that players had signed non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from talking about the venture.

Greg Norman teased that 36 of the top-150 in the Official World Golf Ranking, former World No.1 players, Major champions and Ryder Cup stars were either included, or to be included in future, which led to a barrage of speculation as to who had committed.

Trusted sources reported the names of many but the surprise inclusion ahead of the inaugural event was Dustin Johnson - who had reportedly been offered $125m after pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour just a few months prior.

Johnson was joined by the likes of Phil Mickelson, who returned from a self-inflicted hiatus for the inaugural event after anti-Saudi comments were made public, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell, with Norman adding Major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka to the ranks at a later date.

Henrik Stenson was a name that grabbed the headlines when it was announced he had joined the venture. The Swede, who was set to captain the European Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, reportedly met with DP World Tour officials and informed them of his decision to join the breakaway circuit. In return, Stenson was stripped of the captaincy. Stenson made his debut at the Bedminster event, pocketing a combined $4.375 million for winning the individual format and coming second with the Majesticks.

Whilst they each hold their own importance, the acquisition of Cameron Smith is perhaps the most significant. Not only is the Australian the Champion Golfer of the Year but he also holds the Players Championship - the PGA Tour's flagship event - which is the most financially lucrative purse of the season and often dubbed "the fifth Major" because of its strength of field. The then-World No.2 is the best-ranked player to join the breakaway circuit to date.

Joaquin Niemann, winner of the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, is similar in stature. At just 23-years-old and 19th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the Chilean is the best-ranked player under the age of 25 to join the Series.

Below is a list of players who have competed in one or more LIV Golf event in 2022:

• ABRAHAM ANCER

• OLIVER BEKKER

• RICHARD BLAND

• ITTHIPAT BURANATANYARAT

• LAURIE CANTER

• PAUL CASEY

• EUGENIO CHACARRA

• RATCHANON "TK" CHANTANANUWAT (AM)

• BRYSON DECHAMBEAU

• HENNIE DU PLESSIS

• OLIVER FISHER

• SERGIO GARCIA

• TALOR GOOCH

• BRANDEN GRACE

• JUSTIN HARDING

• SAM HORSFIELD

• CHARLES HOWELL III

• YUKI INAMORI

• DUSTIN JOHNSON

• MATT JONES

• SADOM KAEWKANJANA

• MARTIN KAYMER

• PHACHARA KHONGWATMAI

• SIHWAN KIM

• RYOSUKE KINOSHITA

• CHASE KOEPKA

• BROOKS KOEPKA

• JASON KOKRAK

• JINICHIRO KOZUMA

• SHERGO AL KURDI

• ANIRBAN LAHIRI

• PABLO LARRAZABAL

• MARC LEISHMAN

• VIRAJ MADAPPA

• GRAEME MCDOWELL

• PHIL MICKELSON

• JEDIAH MORGAN

• KEVIN NA

• JOAQUIN NIEMANN

• SHAUN NORRIS

• ANDY OGLETREE

• LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

• WADE ORMSBY

• CARLOS ORTIZ

• ADRIAN OTAEGUI

• PAT PEREZ

• TURK PETTIT

• JAMES PIOT

• IAN POULTER

• DAVID PUIG (AM)

• PATRICK REED

• JC RITCHIE

• CHARL SCHWARTZEL

• CAMERON SMITH

• TRAVIS SMYTH

• IAN SNYMAN

• HENRIK STENSON

• HUDSON SWAFFORD

• HIDETO TANIHARA

• CAMERON TRINGALE

• PETER UIHLEIN

• HAROLD VARNER III

• SCOTT VINCENT

• LEE WESTWOOD

• BERND WIESBERGER

• BLAKE WINDRED

• MATTHEW WOLFF

• KEVIN YUAN

Who Owns The LIV Golf Series And Why Is It Controversial?

From an operational perspective, the LIV Golf Series is pioneered by LIV Golf Investments with Greg Norman as its CEO. LIV Golf Investments is financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Assets included, it is said to be worth in excess of $620 billion - which includes Newcastle United Football Club after a consortium-led purchase in 2021.

The chairman of the Public Investment Fund is Mohammed bin Salman, colloquially known as MBS. He is a Saudi Arabian politician who is the crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defence of Saudi Arabia. He also serves as the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and chairman of the Council of Political and Security Affairs.

Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan is the Governor of the PIF, serving directly under MBS. Al-Rumayyan also serves as the Chairman of Newcastle United Football Club and Chairman of state-owned petroleum company Saudi Aramco. Majed Al Sorour acts as an Advisor to the PIF as well as CEO of Golf Saudi, Saudi Golf Federation and Director of Newcastle United Football Club.

Despite the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund, Norman has insisted that he "does not answer to Saudi Arabia" and that they (including MBS) are not "his bosses." The former World No.1 described LIV Golf Investments as "independent" to the Public Investment Fund.

As well as the financial backing of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, the Public Investment Fund has invested a separate $300m with LIV Golf Investments in a 10-year deal with the Asian Tour and its International Series. This will see the Saudi International, which was previously sanctioned by the DP World Tour until the threat of a breakaway tour emerged, formally recognised as an Asian Tour event.

The Public Investment Fund has extended its financial backing that will turn the Series into a fully fledged League from 2023, with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in an expanded 14-tournament schedule – and an enormous $405m total prize purse, a huge increase on the $225m on offer for this year’s eight-tournament Series.

Much of the controversy surrounding the Series has stemmed from the origin of its finances, with many advocacy groups accusing players of sportswashing human rights atrocities within the Kingdom.

Attention has also been drawn to the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. America's Central Intelligence Agency concluded that MBS ordered the killing of Khashoggi, adding tension to the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, including calls for the US to sever diplomatic ties with the Kingdom.

Greg Norman sparked outrage when he claimed that "we've all made mistakes" as he attempted to rebuff questions over Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses and the murder of Khashoggi, whilst former President of the United States, Donald Trump, endorsed the Saudi investment. This led to further public tension given Saudi Arabia's links with the September 11 attacks as 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the tragedy were Saudi nationals.

Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi democracy activist, penned an open letter to the LPGA Tour urging they re-consider their arrangement with Saudi Arabia. The letter was released during the Aramco Series, funded by the Kingdom's state-owned petroleum company, and after LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan hinted that she would engage with the controversial circuit if it could help promote the women’s game.

How Have The PGA Tour Responded To LIV Golf Series?

The threat of a breakaway league put the DP World and PGA Tour on guard, with Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner, repeatedly warning any player who sided with a rival league would face suspension and possibly a lifetime ban.

In a memo sent to players in May, the PGA Tour officially denied its members conflicting-event releases to play in the LIV Golf Series opener at the Centurion Club. The memo stated that granting release would "significantly and unreasonably harm the PGA Tour and Tour sponsors" before affirming that "your participation in the event is not authorised under the Regulations."

Norman, who accused the PGA Tour of bullying, has repeatedly insisted that PGA Tour players are independent contractors and that the Tour does not have the legal right to deny their entry to tournaments.

Those that took part in the inaugural event at Centurion Club did so without the pre-requisite permission from the PGA and/or DP World Tour and were therefore met with sanction.

The PGA Tour suspended all players that took part, and has promised it will continue to do so in future, whereas the DP World Tour suspended for three co-sanctioned events and imposed a £100,000 fine. Ian Poulter responded with legal action against the DP World Tour and his suspension was "temporarily stayed". The Englishman then played in the Scottish Open, one of the tournaments he was initially suspended from.

The PGA Tour excluded all LIV Golf players from its new FedEx Cup points list, as to ensure that "suspended members do not negatively impact other players’ tournament eligibility, positioning on the priority rankings or eligibility to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs."

In response, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among 11 LIV Golf players to file an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. That number has since dropped after Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak, among others, withdrew from proceedings. The motion says: "The Tour's conduct serves no purpose other than to cause harm to players and foreclose the entry of the first meaningful competitive threat the Tour has faced in decades."

Additionally, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford issued a temporary restraining order against the PGA Tour in a bid to allow them to compete in the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs.

The PGA Tour responded via its attorneys and claimed "LIV is not a rational economic actor, competing fairly to start a golf tour. It is prepared to lose billions of dollars to leverage Plaintiffs [the 11 LIV Golfers raising the case] and the sport of golf to 'sportswash' the Saudi government's deplorable reputation for human rights abuses.

"If Plaintiffs are allowed to breach their Tour contracts without consequence, the entire mutually beneficial structure of the Tour, an arrangement that has grown the sport and promoted the interests of golfers going back to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, would collapse.

"Despite knowing full well that they would breach Tour Regulations and be suspended for doing so, Plaintiffs have joined competing golf league LIV Golf, which has paid them tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money supplied by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to procure their breaches."

Judge Freeman found there was "no irreparable harm" as "LIV contracts are based upon players' calculation of what they were leaving behind" and therefore denied the restraining order. Gooch, Jones and Swafford were therefore denied entry to the Fed Cup playoffs.

LIV Golf joined the antitrust motion against the PGA Tour, in which it described the organisation as "an entrenched monopolist with a vice-grip on professional golf." Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set the date for the summary judgement for July 23 next year, with the trial to begin on January 8, 2024.

Separate to the antitrust motion, former Masters champion Patrick Reed has launched a $750m defamation lawsuit against the Golf Channel and analyst, Brandel Chamblee.

The civil suit was launched in the US district court for the southern district of Texas in Reed's home city of Houston. Within, the American alleges that he was the victim of "calculated, malicious, false and reckless attacks" that had a "direct effect on his livelihood", adding that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, the Golf Channel and Chamblee "conspired" together.

Reed's allegations include "misreporting information with falsity and/or reckless disregard of the truth" as well as "purposely omitting pertinent key material facts to mislead the public, and actively targeting [Reed] to destroy his reputation, create hate, and a hostile work environment for him."

The battle between LIV Golf Investments and the PGA Tour is sure to continue; especially with the future of world ranking points, Major championships, the Ryder Cup called into doubt. The Presidents Cup is the first team event to feel the effects of the tension, with LIV Golf defectors not permitted to take part.

As the divide between the LIV Golf Series and the established eco-system appears to grow, the DP World Tour and PGA Tour entered into, and strengthened, "strategic alliance" with the the key focus on "enhancing and connecting the ecosystem of men’s professional golf through a number of areas, including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships".

It was also revealed that three events will be co-sanctioned, meaning they will count towards both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai. These are: the Barbasol Championship, the Barracuda Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open.

A total of 75 DP World Tour members had access to the Barbasol and Barracuda Championships for the first time, while the Irish Open was also given a major boost, with its prize purse set to nearly double to $6million for its 2022 staging.

Does LIV Golf Get Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) Points?

As it stands, LIV Golf does not award Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for its events but not for a lack of trying.

The Greg-Norman fronted venture submitted a formal application to the OWGR Board, which includes PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.

On face value, one of the expected pushbacks was that the LIV Golf format remains at odds with certain qualifying criteria. Among others, there are no 36-hole cuts and the average field size is less than the 75 required.

The application received the support of the Asian Tour, which is of significance as all applications require a "nomination from an established full-member Tour."

Norman himself was said to be "growing impatient" at the "slow progress" since the application was submitted and subsequently entered into a strategic alliance with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Tour in the hope it would "immediately qualify" for ranking points. That however, was denied by the OWGR board on the grounds of "insufficient notice", saying that "only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments" [the LIV Golf Invitational Series]."

That decision was met with dismay by MENA Tour Commissioner David Spencer, who reasoned LIV Golf should be granted the status, saying: "None of this communication pointed towards any technical reason for the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok to be treated any differently to any MENA Tour event, every one of which has received OWGR since we were accepted into the OWGR framework in 2016."

Prior, 50 LIV Golf players signed a letter addressed to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson urging a decision in LIV Golf’s favour whilst Norman questioned the validity of the OWGR without the Saudi-backed venture being able to award its players points.

OWGR recognition is one of many subjects surrounding LIV Golf that has divided opinion. Graeme McDowell insisted Liv Golfers are "getting hurt the longer this game is played" whilst Viktor Hovland claimed "you can't just make up new rules as you go."

Which Players Won't Be Playing In The LIV Golf Series?

Despite the overwhelming amount of money on offer, many players have stated that they will remain with the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods said: “I’ve decided for myself that I’m supporting the PGA Tour. That’s where my legacy is. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won 82 events on this Tour and 15 Major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA Tour”.

Four-time Major champion, Rory McIlroy, also agreed, with the Northern Irishman stating that the league is "nothing more than a money grab". His European counterpart, Jon Rahm, said: "I don't do this for the money. They throw numbers at you and that's supposed to impress people. I'm in this game for the love of golf and the love of the game and to become a champion."

Jordan Spieth, who is among the most popular players after he become the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win the Masters, said he is "supportive of and happy on the PGA Tour."

Collin Morikawa confirmed his future is with the PGA Tour, while Patrick Cantlay added that the chance to pick up a huge appearance fee for playing in the Saudi International was "very tempting" but he ultimately "wasn't swayed".

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is another that has publicly distanced himself from the Series. The Masters champion said that playing in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series is "definitely not" something "we" want the PGA Tour members to do.

Recently crowned PGA Champion Justin Thomas has reiterated his loyalty to the PGA Tour and has told prospective players to "go". Thomas also drew on recent comments and actions from the Tour's Commissioner: "I think Jay's made it very clear from the start of what would happen or, you know, I think a lot of people are probably like, 'I can't believe you did this' or, 'Wow, you went through with it'. But I mean this is what he said was going to happen all along," the 14-time PGA Tour winner said.

Outside of a playing capacity, Jack Nicklaus revealed in an interview with the Fire Pit Collective that he turned down "in excess of $100m" from the Saudis to do a job he described as "probably similar to the one Greg Norman is doing." Nicklaus said: “I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing. I said, 'Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.’”

How Will The LIV Golf Series Work?

So, what's next? Well, if it's anything like the last few months, who knows?

What we do know is that the speculation is over and there is a Saudi-backed league in fruition - one that is holding events with extended plans into the future and plenty of financial backing.

The PGA Tour has responded with heavy sanctions and suspended those that have taken part. It has also promised suspend anyone that takes part in future; which will almost certainly be met with legal challenge.

The DP World Tour responded in a less severe manor when it suspended for the three events it co-sanctions with the PGA Tour. It also added a £100,000 financial penalty. A legal challenge temporarily resulted in the players favour but a full hearing is set to take place in February 2023.

Between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Investments, one party insists that it is lawful in denying releases as per its regulations, whilst the other insists it is not lawful as the players are independent contractors with the legal right to play where they wish. Both believe they are right and both seem to have a legal basis; but of course, there can only be one 'winner'.

The golfing world now waits for news surrounding the impact the Series, and subsequent sanctions the players have been met with, will impact the Ryder Cup, Major championships and Official World Golf Ranking recognition.

Reports suggested the Major championships will look to ban LIV Golf players, whilst the R&A, which governs the Open Championship, have confirmed that "is not in their nature."

Whilst the Ryder Cup is yet to make an official statement, United States captain Zach Johnson dealt a blow to the LIV Golf players looking to take part. "In order to play on the Ryder Cup team whether you're top 6 or a pick, you must garner Ryder Cup points through the PGA of America. In order to garner Ryder Cup points through the PGA of America you have to be a member of the PGA of America. The way that we're members of the PGA of America is through the PGA Tour. I'll let you connect the dots from there."

We are still very much at the beginning but with events now being held, and a small glimpse into the future of professional golf, we can begin to ask ourselves the question - does the LIV Golf Series compliment the current ecosystem that will ultimately satisfy the needs of both the player and spectator, or is this the beginning of an out-and-out rivalry with the intent to knock the PGA Tour off its perch? Time will tell.