South Africa: Players Will Be the Big Winners in the PGA Versus LIV Battle

19 June 2022
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Craig Ray

The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf is luring big names in the sport away from the US's PGA Tour, which has been the home of golf's best players for more than 50 years.

In any other year, as the season's third major, the US Open would be not only the golf story of the week, but also of the month of June. It has been overshadowed by the raid on players by the Saudi Arabia-backed upstart LIV Golf, which is driving the sport towards all-out civil war.

LIV Golf, underwritten by the $500-billion Saudi Public Investment Fund, and headed by former world number one Greg Norman, has established a rival tour of sorts.

At this stage it has committed to eight tournaments in 2022 -- the first of which took place from 9 to 11 June at St Albans near London and was won by South Africa's Charl Schwartzel. But there is no telling how big, or how far, the Saudi-backed LIV Series is willing to go.

The funds it has at its disposal are almost limitless and there are clearly enough professional players willing to accept LIV's money, however much blood it's soaked in. Saudi Arabia is one of the...

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