The PGA Tour has granted permission for 30 of its members, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, to play for the controversial Saudi International. Golf week has learned.
But the go-ahead comes with conditions.
The decision was revealed in a memorandum sent Monday afternoon to all Tour members, a copy of which was obtained by Golf week. Players who applied for permission to compete in Saudi Arabia received additional memoranda outlining the specific conditions attached to their pitches for the event, which will be presentado frente al AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, February 3-6, 2022. Tour members must obtain an exemption to compete in conflict events.
A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed the content of the memos, but declined to identify the 30 players who were granted releases. Last month, the Saudi International posted a list of commitments which included Mickelson, DeChambeau and Johnson, the defending champion. He also named Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson, among others.
Saudi International is the latest front in a war between the PGA Tour and the Saudis, who have been trying to launch the rival Super Golf League by offering golf’s biggest stars huge guaranteed paydays. The Super League concept has been widely criticized as an effort by the Saudi regime to “sport launder” its human rights abuses. The PGA Tour had indicated in July that he would deny the members permission to play in the tournament.
The memo sent to Tour members was signed by Tyler Dennis, the chief of operations. Reiterates the rules governing conflicting event pitches as outlined in the Official PGA Tour Player’s Handbook. Those guidelines allow Commissioner Jay Monahan to grant or deny waivers based on the best interests of the Tour and add conditions to the waivers. The memorandum specifies the conditions that will apply to members competing in Saudi Arabia.
Any player who has competed in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am event at least once in the last five years must commit to playing at least once in the next two years (2023 and 2024). Players who have not competed at Pebble Beach in the past five years will be required to do so twice in the three years to 2025. A source familiar with the names of the 30 players who requested exemptions said Golf week 19 of them will have to commit to an AT&T appearance, while the other 11 will have to play twice.
Golf week contacted Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour Tournament and Competition Director, for comment on the decision. “While we certainly have motives under Tour regulations created by and for players to deny conflicting event launches, we have decided in this case to allow a group of Tour players the opportunity to play in a single authorized tournament outside of America. del Norte on a recognized Tour, with conditions that will contribute to the success of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for years to come, “answered Pazder.
Players who fail to comply with the obligations attached to their waivers will be subject to disciplinary action.
The memo emailed to Tour members late Monday afternoon also highlighted the requirement that requests for conflicting event launches must be submitted at least 45 days prior to the first round of the tournament in question. The Saudi International begins on February 3, exactly 45 days after the date of the memorandum.
The 30 requested pitches for the 2022 Saudi International mark a sharp increase from the 23 sought in 2021, and suggest a deliberate strategy by Saudi Arabia to invite so many players that the PGA Tour would be forced to deny the waivers to protect the quality of the field at the AT&T tournament. Had permission been denied, the Saudis could claim that the PGA Tour was not acting in the best interests of the members by denying them chances to win, further fueling discontent among the best players it has been trying to recruit for the Super Golf League.
A source familiar with the situation said Golf week that low-key players invited to compete at King Abdullah Economic City have been offered appearance fees of around $ 400,000, and that mid-level players receive between $ 500,000 and $ 750,000. High-profile stars receive seven-figure offers. Private chartered jets to and from Saudi Arabia are also provided.
Not all players who requested a conflicting event pitch will necessarily compete in Saudi Arabia. The Asian Tour is likely to release an updated list of competitors, sanctioning the event, and in which the Saudi government has invested $ 200 million.
