Australian former golf star Gregory Norman has blamed Phil Mickelson’s ill-fated comments about the Saudi Super Golf League for many of the top stars in the sport backing out.
Mickelson’s comments surfaced in February, with the 51-year-old labelling the Saudis ’scary mother*******’ as he questioned the nation’s human rights record. The six-time major winner has since apologised for his comments, although he filed a request to play in an LIV Golf Invitational Series event which conflicts with the PGA Tour.
The request suggests Mickelson still harbours a desire to play in the new Saudi Super League. Norman, CEO of the LIV Golf International Series, believes at least 30% of the top 50 players in the world had committed to play in the controversial breakaway league - but many dropped out following Mickelson’s comments.
“There's no question [Mickelson's comments] hurt,” said Norman, a two-time winner of The Open. “It hurt a lot of aspects.
“It hurt the PGA Tour. It hurt us. It hurt the game of golf. It hurt Phil. So yeah, across all fronts. It wasn't just specifically to us. But it definitely created negative momentum against us.”
The Super Golf League, which was being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, was set to launch its 14-event schedule and complete line-up of committed players during the week of the Genesis Invitational in mid-February. However, Mickelson’s comments were released and sent shockwaves across the sport.
Other than commenting on the Saudi organisers, Mickelson said he was only willing to get involved with the new league to have leverage with the PGA Tour. He was heavily criticised for his comments, with several stars - including Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau among others - declaring their loyalty to the PGA Tour.
“Quite honestly, we were ready to launch on the Tuesday or Wednesday of Genesis,” Norman said. “We had enough players in our strength of field, or minimal viable product, ready to come on board. And when all of that happened, everybody got the jitters, and the PGA Tour threatened people with lifetime bans and stuff like that.”
Total prize money for the eight events - five of which are in the US - will be over £200million and the seven regular-season tournaments will have total purses of £20m, which would be the richest in professional golf, with £16m in individual prizes and £4m for the top three teams. The top three individuals after the seven regular-season events will also share a £24m bonus.
The season-ending team match-play championship is scheduled for October 27-30 at Trump National Doral in Miami. It will provide another £40m in prize money.
Norman said a handful of the players who had previously signed with LIV Golf remain committed to play in the series. He added: “To this day, we still have players under contract and signed.
“The ones who wanted to get out because of the pressure of the PGA Tour gave back their money and got out. Guys had money in their pockets.”
As the LIV Golf Invitational in London clashes with the RBC Canadian Open, PGA Tour players will have to be granted a release to play in the other tournament. Norman believes several players from the DP World Tour - formerly the European Tour - have also registered for the LIV Invitational.
Do you think golfers should be cleared to play in the Saudi-backed Super Golf League rather than the PGA Tour? Let us know in the comments section.
The 67-year-old insists LIV Golf has received more than 200 registration requests for its first tournament in London, which will include 48 players competing on 12 four-man teams. According to Norman, the list of registered players includes about 15 of the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Ranking and two players who were previously ranked No. 1.
“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised,” Norman said. “What has been talked about in the media and what is reality are two different things. We know what's happening with a lot of interest expressed.
“From an expectation standpoint, we've got a lot of interest from significantly named players. Our mission is to be patient, and we're going to deliver these events and it's up to the players to make their decision on what they want to do as independent contractors.”
Mickelson hasn't played in a tour event in more than three months. Last month, he skipped the Masters for the first time since 1994.
