Many of the top golfers in the world are saying “no” to joining a Saudi-backed rival to the U.S.-based Professional Golfers Association (PGA) tour.
So far, no players have committed to the upstart rival spearheaded league by Saudi-backed LIV Investments CEO and former world number one Greg Norman. As rumors and reports swirled about offers being made and accepted, one by one, players have said they will stick with the PGA – with nearly every top-10 player in the world has committed to the PGA.
The momentum seemed to shift last week when older Tour star and recent winner of the PGA Tournament in 2021, Phil Mickelson, said the upstart Super League was forcing the PGA Tour’s hand on concessions to the players, while questioning the forces and motivations behind the Super League.
Then, this weekend, arguably the top two names in the sport today, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, both committed to the PGA Tour, with the latter saying that he would play “where the best golfers are playing.” DeChambeau was long-rumored to be the biggest name get for the Saudi-backed Super League.
World number one John Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Joaquin Niemann, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, Tiger Woods, and others have likewise committed to the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour’s leverage comes from is its ability to prevent any player from playing in PGA Tour events if they join a rival league.
