LIV GOLFERS TO HAVE LARGE PRESENCE AT PIF SAUDI INTERNATIONAL
Next month’s PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers will have a very distinctive LIV Golf look.
The entry list for the 2023 Asian Tour’s season opener Feb. 2-5 includes all 48 players who participated in last year’s Miami Team Championship, the final event of LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season.
In addition, Bubba Watson is expected to return to action following knee surgery. Watson was a non-playing captain after he joined LIV Golf in the middle of last season.
Several other players who appeared in at least one LIV Golf event in 2022 also will be in the field. Nearly half of the 126-man field will have ties to LIV Golf.
The PIF Saudi International became the flagship event of the Asian Tour last year and will be played for the fifth consecutive year at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, which also hosted LIV Golf Jeddah last October. Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka won the individual portion of that event, beating teammate Peter Uihlein in a playoff.
Each of the previous winners of the PIF Saudi International are also in the field – Dustin Johnson (2019, 2021), Graeme McDowell (2020) and defending champion Harold Varner III (2022), who last year beat Watson with a dramatic 92-foot eagle putt on the final hole. All three are LIV Golf members.
Other notables playing at Royal Greens include Miami team captains Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter and Kevin Na.
LIV Golf supports the Asian Tour through the International Series, elevated events that provide additional playing opportunities for LIV members as well as a pathway for other golfers to play LIV events. By winning last year’s International Series Order of Merit winner, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent gained playing privileges for the upcoming 2023 LIV Golf season.
This year’s International Series will include 10 events, starting with International Series Oman on Feb. 9-12. Each event will include a prize purse of at least $2 million.
Two weeks later, LIV Golf Mayakoba will be held Feb. 24-26 at El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico.
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