After months of speculation, leaks and guesses, the field for the first event for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series has been announced by the organizer.
The field for the June 9-11 event is headlined by one player — Dustin Johnson — who can be considered a blockbuster get for Greg Norman, the face of the series, and by one player — Phil Mickelson — who wasn’t on the field list.
Other than Johnson, a Masters and U.S. Open champion, the players in the 48-person field are not considered a surprise.
Among them are Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell and Talor Gooch.
The announcement is the next step in a high-stakes game of “chicken” between the players and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who has threatened any Tour players who participate in the LIV series with sanctions that could include suspension from PGA Tour events.
Johnson, 37, is one of two top-20 ranked players, in the world (along with Oosthuizen) set to participate in the 54-hole tournament, which will be played at the Centurion Golf Club outside of London. Sixteen of the top 100-ranked players in the world have been announced as playing.
Mickelson, who has been away from golf since February, was expected by many to be involved, but he was not on the list.
The 51-year-old Mickelson, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, rocked the golf world with explosive comments about the PGA Tour and also the Saudi regime that is backing the new circuit. The fallout was so harsh that Mickelson stepped away from competition.
In all, there were 42 players announced, leaving room for Mickelson and five players who will qualify via an International Series event being played this week in London.
Johnson’s involvement came as a surprise because he said in February he would not be part of the Saudi endeavor.
The tournament will have a purse of $25 million, with $20 million paid to the individual portion of the event and $4 million going to the winner.
Johnson was asked about LIV Golf two weeks ago at the PGA Championship and said: “I think golf is in a good spot, and I think what they’re doing … could potentially be good for the game of golf. I’m excited to see what happens here in a few weeks.’’
It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s expected that bigger-name players such as Johnson and Garcia will be receiving large appearance fees or even contracts to compete in a specified number of events on top of the prize money.
Johnson’s agent, David Winkle, issued a statement Tuesday night that said: “Dustin has been contemplating this opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years. Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it. Dustin has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end felt this was too compelling to pass up.”
Johnson also has an endorsement with RBC, the Canadian financial services company, and to play in the LIV event, he will miss the RBC Canadian Open — though he is still listed as being in that field.
Other players who have joined the field include American Hudson Swafford, Australian Matt Jones and South African Branden Grace. Former U.S. Amateur champions Peter Uihlein and Andy Ogletree are entered, as are three current amateurs: James Piot, the 2021 U.S. Amateur champion, David Puig and Thailand’s Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who earlier this year at age 15 became the youngest player to win an Official World Golf Ranking event at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
The field of 48 will be completed by five players who will qualify based on their finishes at this week’s International Series event in England that is sanctioned by the Asian Tour as part of an agreement with LIV Golf Investments.