Controversy over Saudi-backed golf league ahead of U.S. Open in Brookline
BOSTON - With the U.S. Open set to start in Brookline next week, there is an air of intrigue and controversy around some of the professional golfers who will be attending.
Top golfers like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have reportedly accepted hundreds of millions of dollars to join a new PGA-rival golf league called LIV, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Mickelson and others are now fielding questions about the Saudi's killing of an American journalist and other human rights violations.
"I don't condone human rights violations. I don't know how I can be any more clear," Mickelson said at a press conference on Tuesday, "I love this game of golf, I've seen the good that it's done and I see the opportunity for LIV golf to do a lot of good for the game throughout the world."
Mickelson, Johnson, and others who are in the LIV Golf Invitational this week can compete in the U.S. Open next week under a USGA decision.
"Regarding players who may choose to play in London this week, we simply asked ourselves this question -- should a player who had earned his way into the 2022 U.S. Open, via our published field criteria, be pulled out of the field as a result of his decision to play in another event? And we ultimately decided that they should not," the USGA said.
It remains to be seen whether the players can participate in the rest of the PGA Tour.
Local professional golfer Brad Faxon told WBZ that LIV is pilfering players.
"I'm sad, really," Faxon said, "because if you look right now at the state of our game, it's the best it's ever been. Prior to Phil imploding, really, he won the PGA Championship at 50 years old."
Faxon says the PGA is unlikely to make any decision about whether to penalize the LIV players until after the LIV Invitational in London.
"What would be the best thing to do? Is it to let it go and really see how many players defect, like they did in other sports leagues? Or is it to throw up an iron fist and say no, you can't play both," he said.
LIV is also scheduled to hold a tournament at The International Golf Club in Bolton over Labor Day weekend.