Whether that love comes from a despotic regime with a dreadful record on human rights is something for Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood and, err, James Piot to ponder as they chase a ball around a course for a share of 20 mill a tournament. Of course, you might say that a new sporting franchise bolstered by limitless petrodollars would be expected to be creative with its branding.īut the new kid in town is a sign that golf is in desperate need of some love. In Roman numerals it is 54 and the players in this new incarnation of golf kicking off in the exotic locale of Hemel Hempstead will play that many holes. Torque – Joaquin Niemann (captain), Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David PuigĪnalysis: LIV Invitational is morally bankrupt and won’t revitalise golf.Stinger – Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester.Smash – Brooks Koepka (captain), Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak, Chase Koepka.Ripper – Cameron Smith (captain), Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan.RangeGoats – Bubba Watson (captain), Harold Varner III, Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters.Majesticks – Ian Poulter (co-captain), Henrik Stenson (co-captain), Lee Westwood (co-captain), Sam Horsfield.Iron Heads – Kevin Na (captain), Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, Danny Lee.HyFlyers – Phil Mickelson (captain), Cameron Tringale, James Piot, Brendan Steele. Fireballs – Sergio Garcia (captain), Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra.Crushers – Bryson DeChambeau (captain), Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri.Cleeks – Martin Kaymer (captain), Graeme McDowell, Richard Bland, Bernd Wiesberger.4Aces – Dustin Johnson (captain), Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein.Four players – Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka and Lee Westwood – have held the title of world No 1. There are 13 major champions in the field, 16 nations represented, plus a combined 125 Ryder Cup appearances. Here are all the players competing in 2023, with all 48 players set to play the whole 14-event series. Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann were then among a fresh wave of players unveiled by LIV Golf.Īnd heading into 2023, the series kicks off in Mayakoba in February, with tournaments in Tucson, Orlando, Adelaide, Singapore, Tulsa, DC, Valderrama, London, Greenbrier, Bedminster, Chicago, Miami and Jeddah to follow this year. Poulter and Westwood both said they would not answer “hypothetical questions” when asked whether they would have played in a tournament held by Vladimir Putin or in South Africa during Apartheid.įour-time major winner Brooks Koepka, former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed signed up to the breakaway competition after the first event, while Paul Casey was also confirmed in early July. Graeme McDowell said “we’re not politicians, we’re professional golfers,” in regards to the country’s human rights record and Talor Gooch responded “I’m a golfer, I’m not that smart”. I have also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history and I believe LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well.” Mickelson is one of the most recognisable faces to have signed up (Photo: Getty) “I’m certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it’s terrible. “I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” he said. Mickelson previously called the Saudis “scary motherf**kers” before backtracking. In the build-up, players faced questions about “sportswashing” and whether Saudi Arabia is seeking to deflect attention from its human rights record by investing so heavily in the sport. The first 2022 tournament was held in England, with subsequent events taking place in Portland, Bedminster, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok, Jeddah and Miami. Johnson is captain of the “4 Aces”, Mickelson is leading the “Hy Flyers” and Poulter is affiliated to “Majesticks”. There are 54 rather than 72 holes for a start – “LIV” is 54 in Roman numerals – there is a “shotgun” start where players tee off at the same time, and golfers are grouped into teams of four. The format is also very different from traditional majors. Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy reveal first impressions of Ryder Cup rookie Ludvig Aberg 14 September, 2023 Opinion | Ageing LIV Golf rebels will not be missed - Europe’s Ryder Cup team is full of star power 05 September, 2023 Luke Donald names three rookies among his wildcards for Europe's Ryder Cup team 04 September, 2023
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