Survivors of the 9/11 disaster have slammed Phil Mickelson and others who chose to compete in the LIV golf series. The eight-series tournament worth £200million aims for a quicker, more attractive version of the game - like T20 cricket - to appeal to a younger, wider audience.
The competition is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is furthering its western sports investments after purchasing Newcastle United last year. Those involved are set to play in all eight events of the series and each event will feature a $25m (£20m) prize purse.
The breakaway circuit has received plenty of backlash and now the event's American players are the subject of a strongly-worded letter from 911familiesunited.org, a coalition of families and survivors of the 2001 terrorist attacks. The message expressed their outrage toward the golfers for participating in the new league and accused them of sportswashing and betraying the US.
