Greg Norman’s controversial Saudi Arabian-backed golf league has reportedly scored its first official commitment from a PGA Tour player.
According to Golfweek, 44-year-old one-time winner Robert Garrigus has requested a release from the PGA Tour to play in the LIV Golf Invitational, from June 9-11 at the Centurion Club outside London, in line with the usual waiver process which involves players notifying the PGA if they intend to play elsewhere on the same week as a Tour event.
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It’s understood Garrigus is the only player so far to have filed for a waiver and there a rumblings there could be more, with cited sources in the report stating other players are expected to do the same.
A conflicting event release must be submitted to the PGA Tour at least 45 days before the first round of a tournament.
The PGA Tour also must decide on such applications 30 days before an event begins.
Officials from the Tour gave the green light for such a release for players who competed in the Asian Tour’s Saudi International, which was held the same week as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, however players were confined to certain conditions.
The Telegraph reported last week that the Saudi Tour’s CEO and commissioner, Norman, who has $3 billion to make the venture happen, was set to make an announcement in the weeks ahead to confirm the inclusion of Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Kevin Na as players signed to the rebel tour. Na later refuted claims he had signed anything.
So far top players on the PGA Tour have been reluctant to commit to the Saudi-backed league, which has eight tournaments on its schedule, including one at Trump National.
The fields are expected to mostly be made up of fringe players from the rival tour and the DP World Tour, according to a report from Golfweek.
The league has copped backlash from the media and the golf world as an attempt by Saudi Arabia to sportswash its human rights record.
Garrigus, who last played fulltime in 2018, has scored one victory on the PGA Tour which came in 2010, at the now-defunct Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Orlando.
In 2019, he made headlines when he was suspended for three months after he tested positive for marijuana.
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