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As first reported by Sports Illustrated, a
letter sent on Thursday to 22 players who had yet to resign from
the PGA Tour said their LIV contracts prevent them from meeting
membership requirements for the 2022-23 season that begins in
two weeks.
Among the players who chose not to resign from the PGA Tour upon
joining the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf series
are six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, 2020 U.S. Open
champion Bryson DeChambeau and world number two Cameron Smith.
Former Masters champions Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia are
among the players who did resign their PGA Tour membership after
making the move to LIV Golf, which has lured players with
staggering sums of money.
Some of the players who were sent the letter were not planning
to renew their membership or did not qualify for next season
anyway.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan recently unveiled a slew of
changes in a bid to combat the threat posed by LIV Golf but was
clear that those who joined the breakaway series should not seek
a return even if the changes appealed to them.
"No. They've joined the LIV Golf Series and they've made that
commitment. For most of them they've made multi-year
commitments," said Monahan.
"As I have been clear throughout, every player has a choice, and
I respect their choice, but they've made it. We've made ours.
We're going to continue to focus on the things we can control
and get stronger and stronger."
Critics say LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's
Public Investment Fund, amounts to "sportswashing" by a nation
trying to improve its reputation in the face of criticism over
its human rights record.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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