Golf: PGA Tour clears 30 stars for lucrative but controversial Saudi event

The event will be held at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club near Jeddah. PHOTO: ROYALGREENS KSA/FACEBOOK

RIYADH (REUTERS) - Thirty golfers received permission on Monday (Dec 20) from the PGA Tour to compete in the high-paying but controversial Saudi International with some specific conditions.

The event, which is making its Asian Tour debut, having been on the European Tour for the past three seasons, is scheduled for Feb 3-6, the same week as the PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Last month, event organisers announced several commitments for next year, including defending champion Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and many other high-profile PGA Tour regulars.

However, those players were required to receive waivers to play at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club near Jeddah.

According to a memo sent to PGA Tour members, the waivers were approved but players who do not play at Pebble Beach next year will be required to play the event once or twice in the coming years.

It will depend on how many times those players have appeared at Pebble Beach in the past five years.

Players who do not comply with the future requirements will face disciplinary action.

In the past, PGA Tour stars have had no issues playing at the Saudi International, which is the new flagship event of the Asian Tour.

But since an announcement in October stating that the Gulf kingdom's sovereign wealth fund would invest US$200 million (S$273 million) over the coming decade from next year, concerns have been raised, especially as the PGA Tour is considered the richest and most glamorous golf circuit in the world.

The Saudis have also made enemies within the PGA Tour because of their financial backing to try to launch a future rival tour known as the Super Golf League, which Golf.com has reported will dangle upwards of US$20 million to top players just for taking part.

Critics also say the Saudi International is part of a larger trend of "sportswashing", in which a country uses prestigious sporting events to improve its image on the world stage and gloss over human rights abuses.

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