Potentially fatal blows to Saudi Arabia’s hopes of presiding over a breakaway tour have been delivered by Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, who have both committed to golf’s existing ecosystem.
Until now DeChambeau had been by far the most high-profile player linked with the Saudi scheme. But on Sunday he said: “While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing on the PGA Tour, so will I.”
The PGA and DP World Tours have been staunchly opposed to the Saudi disruption model.
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa had already pledged support to the PGA Tour. Against such resistance, it appears highly doubtful that the Saudi plan, which is fronted by Greg Norman, can proceed in meaningful fashion.
Saudi’s plans are hugely controversial, given the kingdom’s human‑rights record and reported involvement in the 2018 murder of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Players had been tempted by huge financial incentives to join a Super Golf League.
Addressing “speculation about an alternative tour” Johnson, the world No 6, said: “I am fully committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family. While there will always be areas where our Tour can improve and evolve, I am thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA Tour golf’s premier tour.”
Attention now turns towards Phil Mickelson. The US PGA champion recently lambasted the “obnoxious greed” of the PGA Tour. A subsequently released interview with Mickelson implied he had been actively working with the Saudis in a bid to earn leverage against the PGA Tour. “We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights,” he was quoted saying by a biographer. “They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.
“They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the PGA Tour.”
The Tour is yet to publicly address the Mickelson scenario.
Saudi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has denied ordering Khashoggi’s killing in Istanbul. However, a report published by the UN in June 2019 concluded that Khashoggi “has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human-rights law”.
