The first round of the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club took place Thursday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., near Los Angeles.
The tournament is bringing out the best players as the top 11 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are on hand, in addition to Tiger Woods as the tournament ambassador.
However, the golf tournament is not the only hot discussion this week as the news surrounding the Saudi Golf League has emerged over the last couple of years and has gained more steam over the last couple of weeks.
Originally, the Saudi League was funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia but was later supported by a new organization in the LIV Golf Investments, which aims to start their own professional golf tour.
As a result, the Saudi Golf League has become a rival to the PGA Tour, unlike a league with an alliance to the PGA, such as the European Tour, which was rebranded this year as the Dubai Port World Tour, or DP World Tour.
With the coalition the PGA Tour has with the DP World Tour, it has led to some golfers choosing to play in the middle east, compared to the United States, during the fall schedule and into January, leading up to this week’s Genesis Invitational.
PGA Tour’s threats may be keeping players from joining Saudi League
Current PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan even issued a statement last year, saying players who join the rival league will likely be suspended and expelled from the PGA Tour.
One of the many players continuing to pledge the PGA is Collin Morikawa, who is No. 2 in golf’s official rankings and the highest-ranked American.
Morikawa, who won the 2021 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, said playing on the PGA Tour has always been his dream and having the discussions of another league might ultimately benefit the PGA in future years.
“As it goes for the Saudi stuff, I’m all for the PGA Tour,” Morikawa told the media Tuesday. “Look, I’ve been a pro for two-and-a-half years. My entire life, I’ve thought about the PGA Tour. I’ve thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, some that might not even be breakable.
“But I’ve never had another thought on what’s out there. I’ve never thought about anything else. It’s always been the PGA Tour. Has it opened up things for us as professional golfers to open up things for the PGA Tour to look at to do better? Absolutely. We’ve seen a lot of changes some good, some bad. Right now, you look at the best players that I see and they’re all sticking with the PGA Tour and I’m very happy to be here.”
Collin Morikawa on PGA Tour dreams
Lack of information holding Saudi League back?
When it comes to an athlete who is about to sign a new contract, the player will want as much information as possible before signing.
That has added to Morikawa’s backing of the PGA with not enough details on the Saudi League.
“The only way I can start thinking about other tours, other leagues, I need concrete evidence,” Morikawa said. “I need to be able to see a sheet in front of me and know what’s out there. As of now, for what I know, I don’t know what’s out there. All I’ve heard are rumors. All I’ve heard is talk and that’s hard to do.”
Morikawa has not been the only player that has been in the loop about the Saudi Golf League as many have been linked to the new and emerging league.
Related: Best female golfers of all-time who dominated the women’s game on LPGA Tour
Rory McIlroy, who enters this weekend at No. 5 in the official rankings, has been on the PGA Tour since 2007.
He said although deciding to play in the Saudi League might make sense for older players, it will not work in the long term.
“Certainly, for the younger guys, it seems like a massive risk,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “I can maybe make sense for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their career, for sure. But I don’t think that’s what a rival golf league is really going to want. They’re not going to want something like a pre-Champions Tour.
“I understand the financial part of it for guys that are later on in their career. And you look at the people who have already said no: (John) Rahm, No. 1 in the world; Collin Morikawa; myself. The top players in the world are saying no, so that has to tell you something.”
Rory McIlroy providing futher clarity his thoughts of PGA Tour vs Saudi League
For a player like John Rahm, a Spaniard and the world’s best golfer, he has also supported the PGA Tour.
Rahm, 27, said he plays golf for the game and not in regard to the financial aspect entering this weekend’s Genesis Invitational.
“There has been a lot of talk and speculation on the Saudi League,” Rahm said Wednesday in a tweet. “It’s just not something I believe is the best for me and my future in golf, and I think the best legacy I can accomplish will be with the PGA Tour.
“I don’t do this for the money, which to me is the only appeal to go over there. They throw numbers at you and that’s supposed to impress people. I’m in this game for the love of golf and the love of the game and to become a champion, right? I grew up watching many great players play great events such as this one and there’s history and legacy to those things. That’s something that has a lot of appeal to me.”