What is the LIV Golf Invitational Series?

The LIV Golf Invitational Series is a new league, paid for by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, that was created to compete with the PGA Tour. Its first tournament starts Thursday at Centurion Club outside London, and seven more events will follow through October, with five of those tournaments in the United States.

How are LIV tournaments different from PGA Tour tournaments?

There are a number of ways the LIV Golf Invitational Series is differentiating itself from the PGA Tour:

Who is playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series?

The biggest names to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series are six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson , two of the more popular golfers on the planet. At No. 15, Johnson is the highest-ranked player to join in terms of the Official World Golf Ranking , but only three others in the top 50 have joined him: Louis Oosthuizen (No. 21), Kevin Na (No. 34) and Talor Gooch (No. 35). There are 14 others who rank in the top 100: Sergio Garcia (No. 57), Richard Bland (No. 67), Shaun Norris (No. 68), Matt Jones (No. 69), Pablo Larrazabal (No. 70), Mickelson (No. 72), Sam Horsfield (No. 74), Lee Westwood (No. 78), Ryosuke Kinoshita (No. 89), Scott Vincent (No. 91), Ian Poulter (No. 92), Bernd Wiesberger (No. 94), Hudson Swafford (No. 95) and Oliver Bekker (No. 96). The rest of the 48-golfer field will be filled out mainly with aging European players, amateur and younger golfers, and little-known players from the Asian tour.

How can I watch the first LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament?

The first round of the inaugural LIV Golf tournament began Thursday at 9 a.m. Eastern and is streaming at LIVGolf.com, YouTube and Facebook.

How has the PGA Tour responded to the LIV Golf Invitational Series?

Soon after the LIV golfers hit their first tee shots Thursday, the PGA Tour announced that all 17 players taking part would be suspended for violating its rules on receiving permission to play in non-tour events. “These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan wrote in a memo sent to players that was obtained by The Washington Post. “But they can’t demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as you. That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners.” Monahan previously had said any player who joins LIV Golf could be permanently banned , and the tour did not give its golfers permission to play in this week’s event. Greg Norman, a two-time British Open champion and former world No. 1 who heads LIV Golf Investments, has countered that Monahan cannot legally ban players who wish to play on different tours, and the LIV Tour responded to Thursday’s announcement by calling the PGA Tour punishment “vindictive.” “It’s troubling that the Tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing,” LIV Golf said in a statement. “This certainly is not the last word on the this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond.” Golf’s four majors are not operated by the PGA Tour and can extend invitations as they see fit. The U.S. Open will be played next week in Brookline, Mass., and the U.S. Golf Association announced Tuesday that any golfer who had qualified for this year’s tournament will be allowed to compete, meaning the following LIV players can play: Mickelson, Johnson, Gooch, Bland, Oosthuizen, Grace, Garcia, Na, Horsfield, Norris and Martin Kaymer.

Who is funding the LIV Golf Invitational Series?

The LIV tour is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which takes the country’s vast oil wealth and invests it in numerous industries , including sports. The Saudi government initially pledged $400 million for the 2022 LIV season alone, with $255 million of that going toward prize money.

Why is Saudi funding considered problematic?

Saudi Arabia’s investments in the sports world — the Public Investment Fund owns English Premier League team Newcastle United and has an agreement to purchase Italian club Inter Milan , and the country also stages a yearly Formula One race — have been criticized as examples of sportswashing, an attempt by the government to distract from the country’s human rights abuses. Among them is the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA has concluded was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia also has been accused of war crimes by carrying out airstrikes in the Yemen civil war, arresting and torturing its political enemies, and criminalizing LGBTQ individuals.

What did Phil Mickelson say about Saudi human rights violations?

In February, Mickelson biographer Alan Shipnuck published comments made by Mickelson about any concerns he might have about Saudi human rights violations. Mickelson seemed willing to overlook them to gain leverage over the PGA Tour. “They’re scary motherf-----s to get involved with,” Mickelson said. “We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights . They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” In a statement released Monday after his LIV participation was announced, Mickelson said: “I have made mistakes in my career in some of the things I have said and done. Taking time away and self-reflecting has been very humbling. I needed to start prioritizing the people that I love the most and work on becoming a better version of myself.”

Have other LIV golfers spoken up about Saudi human rights violations?

Gooch, who at 30 is one of the more promising younger players signed by LIV Golf, said Tuesday that he didn’t agree that the new league was an example of sportswashing and that he simply was there to play golf. “I don’t think that’s fair,” he said . “Also … I’m a golfer. I’m not that smart. I try to hit a golf ball into a small hole. Golf is hard enough. I try to worry about golf, and I’m excited bout this week.” Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, in part echoed Gooch’s thoughts and said the Saudis were trying to grow the sport. “We all agree up here that the Jamal Khashoggi situation was reprehensible. No one’s going to argue that fact,” he said . “But we’re golfers. … Speaking personally, I feel that golf’s a force of good in the world. I just try to be a great role model to kids.”

Why are golfers leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf?

Put simply, they will be making much more money while playing much less golf. The bigger names, such as Mickelson and Johnson, reportedly will be paid nine figures simply to join the series and can make millions more in prize money. Mickelson has made $95 million in career PGA Tour winnings but reportedly will be paid around $200 million for joining LIV Golf, while Johnson reportedly will get more than $100 million from LIV Golf after earning $75 million over his PGA Tour career. “I don’t want to play for the rest of my life,” the 37-year-old Johnson told reporters at a Tuesday news conference. “This gives me an opportunity to do what I want to do.” Winners of regular season LIV tournaments will receive $4 million, which is more than winners of all PGA Tour events receive except for the season-ending Tour Championship. PGA Tour winners generally receive between $1 million and $2 million, with the majors and the Players Championship offering bigger prizes. The LIV Golf schedule features only eight tournaments spread from June to October. By contrast, the PGA Tour schedule begins in September and, except for a brief holiday stoppage in November and December, continues every weekend through the Tour Championship in late August. The vast majority of PGA Tour golfers must play (and play well) in numerous tournaments to maintain their status, and they receive no money if they miss the cut. By contrast, LIV tournaments do not have cuts, so all of the golfers in the field get paid no matter how they play.

What does “LIV” mean, and how do you pronounce it?

The new league received its “LIV” name because that’s the Roman numeral for its 54-hole format. It rhymes with “give.”

How to watch the LIV Golf Invitational Series and what you need to know

By Matt Bonesteel

Updated June 9, 2022 at 10:28 a.m. EDT|Published June 7, 2022 at 2:03 p.m. EDT

The first LIV Golf tournament begins Thursday at Centurion Club outside London. (Paul Childs/Action Images Via Reuters)

After months of controversy, the LIV Golf Invitational Series began Thursday outside London with its first tournament. Here’s everything you need to know about the new competitor to the PGA Tour.

How to watch the LIV Golf Invitational Series and what you need to know

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