
The PGA Tour’s biggest stars have received offers of $30 million in guaranteed money to play in a new startup golf tour funded by the Saudi Arabia and titled the Premier Golf League, according to the UK’s Telegraph.
Those names are said to include Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Brooks Koepka.
Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau are also believed to have gotten backdoor proposals via the new Saudi-backed league, which will launch its maiden season in 2022.
In addition to a guaranteed income of $30m annually, top players have also been presented equity stakes in their own F1-style teams with the planned tour set to offer “astronomical” prize funds, according to the Guardian.
The new super league’s season would be eight-months (Sep-April) in length and feature 12 teams of four players – totaling 48 of the world’s top players.
Golf Monthly is reporting that the league’s backers recently tried to buy the European Tour for $200m. But it was turned down after meetings with the PGA Tour, which then led to a new alliance.
While many of the Tour’s top names under 40 would be risking a lot to sign on, such as membership in the PGA Tour, and potentially a spot in the fields at the majors, the new league would seem to be attractive to older stars such as Mickelson and Henrik Stenson, among others.