Latest news with #Saudi-backed
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
LIV Golf's DeChambeau, Koepka Future in Peril amid Lack of Signing Bonus
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. LIV Golf's payment structure is shifting, and it's putting top players like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and others in a tough spot. Back in 2022, when the Saudi-backed LIV Golf emerged, speculation swirled that players were joining solely for the money. Many were open about it, while others argued that their move was to take the game to a global platform. LIV Golfers, Brooks Koepka (Left), Bryson Dechambeau (Centre), Dustin Johnson (Right) - Image Collage. (Credits: Geety Images) LIV Golfers, Brooks Koepka (Left), Bryson Dechambeau (Centre), Dustin Johnson (Right) - Image Collage. (Credits: Geety Images) Getty Images Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson and others criticized the PGA Tour's bias, but regardless of the reasoning, LIV's financial backing was something to behold. According to reports, Phil Mickelson and LIV's five highest-paid players were handed a combined $675 million to leave the PGA Tour. But that won't be the case moving forward with LIV Golf's new contract renewal decision. LIV Golfers' contract renewals will not include up-front pay As per NUCLR Golf's recent post on X, Scott O'Neil's league has announced that contract renewals will no longer include large upfront payments. The caption read: "The LIV Golf league has told its players that contract renewals will not include large up-front payments that were given upon initially signing." 🚨💰❌ #REPORT — The LIV Golf league has told its players that contract renewals will not include large up front payments that were given upon initially signing. Dustin Johnson's contract expires this year, Brooks / Bryson expire next year and Rahm is locked up longer term, per… — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 26, 2025 While this is standard practice in sports, where re-signing doesn't come with another signing bonus, it's still a major shift for LIV's top players. And it comes at a critical time. Bryson DeChambeau, one of LIV's biggest stars, reportedly received $125 million when he left the PGA Tour. His contract, along with Brooks Koepka's, is set to expire at the end of 2026, while Dustin Johnson's deal ends this year. Rumors have been flying that Koepka and DeChambeau were considering a return to the PGA Tour. While DeChambeau later confirmed he's staying with LIV, the lack of OWGR points remains a major concern for many players. LIV Golf has struggled with OWGR recognition since Greg Norman's tenure, and it's had a direct impact on rankings. Even Dustin Johnson, once a dominant force, has rolled down to 594th due to the lack of OWGR points. If that wasn't enough, LIV Golf recently secured $5 billion in funding, yet it continues to struggle with viewership, even after partnering with FOX Sports. While players like DeChambeau and Koepka have expressed optimism about LIV's future, the league's growth still lags behind the PGA Tour, especially after failed merger talks with PIF, despite President Donald Trump's involvement. More Golf: Rory McIlroy 'Put Fuel to the Fire' amid PGA Championship Controversy
Toronto Sun
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Scottie Scheffler takes shot at LIV golfers as PGA Tour merger talks crawl along
'If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys.' Scottie Scheffler plays a shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Getty Images Scottie Scheffer doesn't pull many shots while he's on the golf course and didn't pull any punches with his comments about the ongoing talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account While speaking at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Tex., site of this week's Charles Schwab Challenge, the world's No. 1-ranked golfer called out colleagues that defected to the Saudi-backed breakaway tour for holding up potential merger talks between the two groups. 'I have said it a few times this year: If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys,' Scheffler said. 'I'm still here playing the PGA Tour. 'We had a tour where we all played together and, the guys that left, it's their responsibility, I think, to bring the tours back together. 'Go see where they're playing this week and ask them.' Scheffler's last comment appeared to be a thinly veiled dig at LIV Golf's light schedule, as the tour's previous tournament in South Korea ended on May 4 and the next event tees up in two weeks, on June 6 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. It has been nearly two years since the PGA Tour announced that it would be merging with LIV Golf, with reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund would be pumping money into the combined outfit. Since the announcement, lengthy discussions have yet to bring a deal to fruition that would allow tournaments to feature all of the world's top players. Last week, Scheffler captured the PGA Championship in dominant fashion for his third career major championship. He ran away with the win as LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm crumbled down the stretch. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While LIV players are allowed to compete in the sport's four majors, they are barred from most PGA Tour events. Scheffler, who has 15 wins on Tour, was asked if his results would've been affected by the presence of LIV Golf stars. 'Who knows? I only get to compete against those guys four times a year. That was their choice, not mine,' Scheffler said on Wednesday. Read More 'At the end of the day I'm here competing and doing the best I can, and that kind of stuff, what's the point of me thinking about, you know? There's really absolutely no point to that. 'We get four chances to compete against them. Last week went well. I get another chance here in a few weeks.' The next time he will face off against the stars of LIV Golf will come at the U.S. Open, beginning on June 12 at Oakmont Country Club in Corinth, Texas. At the Charles Schwab Challenge, Scheffler carded a 2-under 68 in his first round, sitting three strokes back of leader John Pak heading into Friday's play. Scheffler had opened his round strong, scoring an eagle on the first hole. Canada Celebrity Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Canada
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Scottie Scheffler shades LIV golfers as PGA talks drag on: ‘I'm still here'
As partnership talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf drag on, Scottie Scheffler is putting the onus on those who defected to the Saudi-backed league that began three years ago. 'I have said it a few times this year. If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys,' Scheffler, fresh off his PGA Championship victory, said Wednesday ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in his backyard of Fort Worth. 'I'm still here playing the PGA Tour. We had a tour where we all played together, and the guys that left, it's their responsibility I think to bring the tours back together. Go see where they're playing this week and ask them.' Advertisement 3 Scottie Scheffler sizes up a putt during a practice round ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 21, 2025. Getty Images Scheffler's pointed comments signals he was aware that LIV Golf is not holding an event this week and won't tee up again for two more weeks, when they'll play at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. Nearly two years ago, the PGA Tour announced it would be merging with LIV Golf, with the Saudi Public Investment Fund pumping money into the combined tour. Advertisement But that hasn't materialized, and discussions about the tours working together so that tournaments can have fields featuring all of the best players in the world have lingered. 3 Scottie Scheffler speaks to reporters at the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 21, 2025. Getty Images Scheffler, 28, captured his third major championship on Sunday at Quail Hollow as LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm crumbled down the stretch. The Dallas native, who has 15 PGA Tour wins, was asked Wednesday whether he thinks his results would be different if he had been playing in fields featuring LIV Golf players. Advertisement 'Who knows? I only get to compete against those guys four times a year. That was their choice; not mine,' Scheffler said. 'At the end of the day I'm here competing and doing the best I can, and that kind of stuff, what's the point of me thinking about, you know? There's really absolutely no point to that. 3 Bryson DeChambeau on the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship on May 18, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Advertisement 'We get four chances to compete against them. Last week went well. I get another chance here in a few weeks.' The U.S. Open at Oakmont begins on June 12. DeChambeau won the event last year at Pinehurst.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Ernie Els and Retief Goosen dragged into Donald Trump's ambush of Cyril Ramaphosa
Former world number one golfer, Ernie Els, declared himself a 'proud South African' as he was dragged into the ambush of his country's leader Cyril Ramaphosa by US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Ramaphosa invited Els and another leading South African golfer, Retief Goosen, to accompany him to the White House meeting on Wednesday, where Trump claimed genocide is being committed against white people in South Africa. The South African president had strategically chosen Els and Goosen, who are white and have six major championship titles between them, to appeal to Trump, a keen golfer who also owns several golf courses around the world. They watched as Trump played a video that he said showed black South African politicians calling for the persecution of white people and Ramaphosa repeatedly tried to debunk the claims. As Trump dug in, Els, who has played golf with the US president, was invited to speak from his position behind one of the sofas where the South African delegation was sitting. Els pulled out his passport and described himself as a 'proud South African' and referred to post-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's calls for unity in South Africa. 'I know there was a lot of anger through the transition, there was a lot of stuff happening in the apartheid days,' he said. 'We grew up in the apartheid era, but I don't think two wrongs make a right. Els and Goosen are part of a crop of talented South African golfers who have left their mark on world golf in the last two decades. Els, 55, is a two-time winner of both the US Open and the British Open. His British Open win at Lytham St Annes in 2012 was his last major title. 'The Big Easy' Ernie Els won the last of his four majors at the 2012 British Open at Royal Lytham & St Anne's © GLYN KIRK / AFP/File Els is nicknamed 'the Big Easy', because of his broad-shouldered physique but also because of his laid-back playing style. A member of golf's Hall of Fame, he refused to join the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV golf which has rocked golf in recent years, saying the format 'is not proper golf'. Els was born in Johannesburg and he and his family split their time between South Africa and Florida, where many of the world's top golfers have a home. Goosen is also a two-time US Open champion. When he was 15, Goosen was struck by lightning while playing golf with a friend. He was burned but recovered and still has a scar on his wrist from the incident. Retief Goosen won the second of his US Open titles in 2004 © ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP/File Goosen, 56, whose father combined farming with working as a property developer, grew up in Pietersburg, now called Polokwane, in the Limpopo province. He has homes there, in England and in Florida. In Washington, Goosen said his brother was still running the farm but that he has suffered attempts to attack the property. 'It's a constant battle with… them trying to burn the farm down to chase you away,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
Int'l Business Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Els And Goosen: Golfers Dragged Into Trump's Ambush Of S.Africa Leader
Former world number one golfer, Ernie Els, declared himself a "proud South African" as he was dragged into the ambush of his country's leader Cyril Ramaphosa by US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Ramaphosa invited Els and another leading South African golfer, Retief Goosen, to accompany him to the White House meeting on Wednesday, where Trump claimed genocide is being committed against white people in South Africa. The South African president had strategically chosen Els and Goosen, who are white and have six major championship titles between them, to appeal to Trump, a keen golfer who also owns golf courses. They watched as Trump played a video that he said showed black South African politicians calling for the persecution of white people and Ramaphosa repeatedly tried to debunk the claims. As Trump dug in, Els, a former world Number 1 who has played golf with the US president, was invited to speak from his position behind one of the sofas where the South African delegation was sitting. Els pulled out his passport and described himself as a "proud South African" and referred to post-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's calls for unity in South Africa. "I know there was a lot of anger through the transition, there was a lot of stuff happening in the apartheid days," he said. "We grew up in the apartheid era, but I don't think two wrongs make a right. Els and Goosen are part of a crop of talented South African golfers who have left their mark on world golf in the last two decades. Els, 55, is a two-time winner of both the US Open and the British Open. His British Open win at Lytham St Annes in 2012 was his last major title. Els is nicknamed "the Big Easy", because of his broad-shouldered physique but also because of his laid-back playing style. A member of golf's Hall of Fame, he refused to join the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV golf which has rocked golf in recent years, saying the format "is not proper golf". Els was born in Johannesburg and he and his family split their time between South Africa and Florida, where many of the world's top golfers have a home. Goosen is also a two-time US Open champion. When he was 15, Goosen was struck by lightning while playing golf with a friend. He was burned but recovered and still has a scar on his wrist from the incident. Goosen, 56, whose father combined farming with working as a property developer, grew up in Pietersburg, which is now called Polokwane, in the northern Limpopo province. He has homes there, in England and in Florida. In Washington, Goosen said his brother was still running the farm but that he has suffered attempts to attack the property. "It's a constant battle with... them trying to burn the farm down to chase you away," he said. Retief Goosen won the second of his US Open titles in 2004 AFP South African golfer Ernie Els, standing, speaks during the Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa AFP
