Questions Swirl Over Saudi-backed Breakaway Golf Tour

St Albans, United Kingdom, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2022 ) :Golf is in turmoil as it braces for the launch of a new Saudi-backed breakaway tour but figurehead Greg Norman is confident it will be a success despite a host of unresolved issues.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series plans eight events this year but no player Names have yet been announced.

There is also uncertainty over broadcast deals and whether ranking points will be on offer.

Questions over the source of the funding persist -- with Norman grilled over concerns about Saudi backing for the new tour when he faced the press in Britain last week.

The battle lines have been drawn, with the US PGA Tour refusing to release members for next month's opening event in England, which clashes with the PGA's Canadian Open.

The DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, has been more opaque, saying it is "evaluating each request on a case-by-case basis".

Former world number one Norman, chief executive of LIV Golf Investments, accused the US PGA Tour of "perpetuating its illegal monopoly on what should be a free and open market".

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and former world number one Lee Westwood have asked for permission to play in the inaugural LIV event at the Centurion Club in St Albans, outside London, and Sergio Garcia's name is also understood to be in the frame.

But others have rejected the new golf circuit, including world number two Jon Rahm and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, as players gather in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the PGA Championship.

Two-time British Open champion Norman, 67, appears unperturbed by the lack of guaranteed star names just a few weeks away from the start of the 54-hole tournament, which takes place from June 9 to 11.