“The biggest fish ends up in Greg Norman’s shark net.” It is the apt title of a piece in the New York Post on the latest bomb that shakes world golf. After four months of voluntary exile Phil Mickelson returns to speak and does so to announce his participation on Thursday in London at the LIV Golf Invitational, the first round of the LIV Golf Series.
After 32 years, one of the giants of golf greets everyone and changes the circuit. It is the end of an era.
Phil Mickelson, statements
The London competition represents the debut of the alternative golf circuit to the PGA Tour, financed by the Saudi sovereign fund PIF and managed by Greg Norman, former world number one and known as “the shark”
The news arrives as usual via Twitter, with a long note signed by Lefty himself. Mickelson first apologizes again for the inappropriate words used in recent months and then thanks the PGA Tour where he has played for 32 years.
Then the announcement: “I am thrilled to start with LIV Golf and I appreciate all the people involved. I also intend to play the majors ”. Nothing more about any PGA races. Officially nothing is leaked about the check that LIVGol will write off for Lefty.
Each of the LIV Series is giving away $ 25 million to be divided into a field of 48 players with a first coin of four million. Crumbs for someone like Phil Mickelson, a piece of golf history that goes away just like Dustin Johnson did a few days ago.
You can’t control the heart and dollars: Dustin Johnson knows something about it. After swearing eternal love on the PGA Tour in February 2022, DJ accepted an offer of $ 125 million to join the Arab SuperLeague in May 2022.
And DJ is not just anyone: he was number one in the world for 135 weeks. More than him on the top step of terrestrial golf there are only Tiger Woods and Greg Norman left. “Dustin had been thinking about it for a couple of years.
In the end he decided it was the best choice for him and his family. ” With these words, manager David Winkle explained the turnaround, leaving the PGA Tour with the match in hand. Jay Monahan, commissioner of the – for now – most important circuit in the world, had promised zero tolerance for professionals in free release.
They will be ostracized: the “separatists” will be banned from the PGA Tour races and will be excluded from the Ryder Cup. The DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) has tune in to the same wavelength. Now we will see if we pass from words to deeds.
Source: Tennis World USA