Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau join several high-profile players, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka in opting against joining the proposed Saudi Golf League; Listen to the full debate on the new Sky Sports Golf podcast
Tuesday 22 February 2022 23:00, UK
The golfing world has been dominated by speculation around a possible Saudi-backed breakaway league, but can the plans survive when many of the world's top players have ruled themselves out?
Rory McIlroy said that the contentious proposal, spearheaded by LIV Golf Investments and former world No 1 Greg Norman, was "dead in the water" after a wave of golfers committed their allegiance to the PGA Tour.
Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau both released statements on social media to confirm they wouldn't sign up to the SGL, which is yet to announce details about tournaments and formats but reported to have a $1.5billion fund to try and lure players into a move.
Tiger Woods, world No 1 Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka are among the other high-profile players to elect against appearing in the SGL, with the latest Sky Sports Golf podcast debating whether the league can still go ahead without many of the sport's star names.
"The Saudis haven't come this far just to say 'oh, okay, we'll forget about it'," Jamie Spence told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. "They've come a long way and this has been going on for a long time, for many years in the background, to try and form this league.
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"I think the concept is just flawed. What about the mini Tours, the college system in the States, the Challenge Tour, the Q-schools and all these guys wanting to come through - what does Greg Norman think? That the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are just going to become feeder Tours for this Saudi venture? It's a nonsense really."
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson took aim at the PGA Tour for their supposed poor financial treatment of players, saying earlier this month that the Tour's "obnoxious greed has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere".
Mickelson seemed to backtrack this week by saying his alliance with the Saudi Golf League has been a ruse to "leverage" the PGA Tour and this is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
And on Tuesday, he apologised for his "reckless" comments and said that they do "not reflect my true feelings or intentions". He said: "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."
"Mickelson has really dug himself a massive hole that I'm not sure he's going to get himself out of, because the public aren't stupid and neither are the journalists," Spence added. "I always thought the journalists in the States would be the driving factor in this, because once they start pointing out the facts there's so much to talk about.
"It has become Phil Mickelson driven, but I just think he has been used as a pawn by the Saudis to front up their exploits and their attempted conquest of golf. They're trying to pin their tails on Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, but it all seems to be unravelling at the moment doesn't it.
"Players are going to be swayed by the public opinion and what everyone is talking about in the press and everything else. I thought Bryson's was slightly open-ended, he was more interested in getting himself healthy and then seeing which way the wind blows.
"A lot of players are sitting on the fence with this, waiting to see which way it goes. So many players are waiting in the wings, thinking that if it gets going I'll just join it."
Former European Open champion Richard McEvoy played in back-to-back events on the DP World Tour earlier this month, the week after the Saudi International had taken place on the Asian Tour, with the Englishman admitting that he shares many of the scepticisms that have been discussed about the possible SGL.
"My view on it, and it's something I chat about with the boys quite often, is that I just don't think the format is going to work," McEvoy told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. "I don't like the format and I don't like the idea of them not playing for trophies and playing for the prestige and the history.
"I'm all for maybe starting up new tournaments and trying different formats, but 15, 16, 17 events, with 48-man fields and the same people every single week, in my mind is just not going to work.
"Just look at the guys that have turned it down; Rory, Rahm, Thomas and Morikawa said no. Tiger said no. Brooks has said no. There's some on the fence a little bit, but Johnson and quite possibly DeChambeau have said they've got no interest as well. They're some of the best players in the world at this moment in time and if you're starting a new tour are the players you're going to want.
"I think if people just came out and said they were doing for the money, that they were doing it for the pay cheque towards the end of their career, that they were going to stop playing soon, want to spend more time with their family and want to carry on the lifestyle they've already got, then they would get a lot more respect.
"People would get a lot more respect for just saying that rather than saying that they're going to grow the game, because this is not growing the game. "
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