(London) The American Dustin Johnson, ex-world number 1 in golf, is among the participants of the inaugural tournament of the dissident Super League financed by Saudi Arabia, scheduled to start on June 9 in London, the organization announced on Wednesday. .
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
The winner of two Majors is one of the two players in the world’s top 20, with the South African Louis Oosthuizen (former winner of the British Open), present in the list of 42 players published on the website of the organizer LIV Golf .
Dustin Johnson had however said in February that he would remain faithful to the North American Golf Tour (PGA), which refuses to grant exemptions to players to participate in the Super League launch tournament.
Besides Johnson and Oosthuizen, Masters winners Charl Schwartzel and Sergio Garcia, as well as US Open winners Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer are also in the draw.
Note the absence of Phil Mickelson, ex-world number one and winner of six Majors, who in January expressed his support for the dissident Super League project supported by the Saudis and led by former Australian champion Greg Norman.
The tournament, which will take place at the Centurion Club in St Albans, north London, provides prize money of $25 million per tournament (around 23 million euros), more than double each of the four Majors. Not a single (PGA) event offers so much money.
Forty-two players were on the list of 48 participants, which will be completed by the qualified players during an international tournament which begins on Thursday in London.
But many top players have rejected the new golf circuit, including world number two Jon Rahm and four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy.
Nicklaus: “allegiance” to the PGA
Golfing icon Jack Nicklaus, 82, has revealed he turned down an offer of over $100million to be one of the faces of the new Tour.
“My allegiance has always been for the PGA Tournament. I grew up on the PGA. I helped found the PGA as it is today. My allegiance is there, and will stay there,” he said on Tuesday.
The PGA has refused to grant waivers to players who have requested them to participate in the breakaway Super League kick-off tournament, which coincides with next week’s Canada Open.
A violation of the rules of the circuit by a player may lead to his suspension or his exclusion.
“We couldn’t be happier with the diversity of our line-up, with players from all over the world, including major champions and others making their debut with us, competing in their first professional event,” said former Australian champion Greg Norman, chief executive of the breakaway Super League, as quoted by Sports Illustrated.
Last month, Norman announced that the circuit had received an additional $2 billion in funding to expand its schedule.
But the source of that money – the Saudi sovereign wealth fund – is controversial, with Amnesty International saying the tournament is yet another example of the “sports makeup” of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.