Dustin Johnson paid ‘around’ $125 million to flip to Saudi golf league

Dustin Johnson’s flip-flop got here with a heavy price ticket.

The Telegraph within the UK is reporting that LIV Golf, the upstart golf league backed by the Saudi authorities and fronted by Greg Norman that's in search of to disrupt the PGA Tour, paid Johnson “round” £100 million — or about $125 million — to hitch their collection.

Massive bucks are definitely in play. Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus lately mentioned that he was supplied “one thing in extra of $100 million” to move up the league. That position finally went to Norman.

RBC (Royal Financial institution of Canada), considered one of Johnson’s major sponsors, minimize ties with the golfer and introduced it was “very disillusioned” together with his determination to play within the circuit.

“RBC is a proud associate of the PGA Tour. Our partnership is anchored with two world-class golf tournaments—the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open,” the financial institution mentioned in an announcement. “The PGA Tour has been clear about its intentions in accordance with its event laws ought to a golfer select to play in a event exterior the tour, together with the LIV Golf Invitational Collection.

Dustin Johnson was reportedly paid “round” $125 million to compete within the Saudi Golf League.

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“We had been lately made conscious that Dustin Johnson made the choice to play the LIV Golf Invitational Collection opener. DJ has been a valued RBC workforce member since 2018. Whereas we're extraordinarily disillusioned in his determination, we want him effectively.”

The 37-year-old Johnson, who's married to Paulina Gretzky, received the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters.

Amongst different golfers within the Saudi Golf League’s June occasion exterior London are Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell and Talor Gooch.

Phil Mickelson triggered main uproar earlier this yr when he downplayed human rights issues related to competing within the league.

“They’re scary motherf–kers to become involved with,” Mickelson instructed his biographer Alan Shipnuck in February. “We all know they killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible file on human rights. They execute folks over there for being homosexual. Realizing all of this, why would I even take into account it? As a result of this can be a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”

Mickelson, who additionally ripped the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed” over the sum of money that's not distributed to golfers, confronted what amounted to a several-month shadow ban from the PGA Tour after the remarks.

Wednesday, the PGA Tour issued an announcement saying that members have “not been licensed to take part” within the Saudi Golf League’s occasion, and are topic to thus-far-unspecified “disciplinary motion.”