Phil Mickelson says 'everyone in top 100' approached to play in Saudi league; Patrick Cantlay turns down offer

King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia: While Dustin Johnson welcomes the challenge he will face on the course at the lucrative Saudi International, Phil Mickelson appreciates the financial competition being offered to the established tours, claiming on Wednesday that “everyone in the top 100 has been approached” to play in the new Saudi Arabian-funded Super Golf League.

For the first time, the tournament is an Asian Tour-sanctioned event and despite the hostility of the European and US tours to plans for the Asian Tour to act as a platform for a Saudi-backed Super League, the money on offer has drawn a star-studded field.

Every PGA Tour and the DP World Tour member playing at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club this week had to seek a special release to enter the $5 million event.

Yet the 120 player-field that tees off Thursday includes Johnson, Mickelson, world number eight and Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele, number nine Bryson DeChambeau and 11th-ranked Cameron Smith as well as major winners including Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed.

Mickelson, himself a six-time major winner, is rumoured to be one of the players Golf Saudi is pursuing for the proposed league.

“Everyone in the top 100 of the world has been approached,” he said Wednesday.

“I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there are parts of it that they’re probably concerned with,” Mickelson, who is 51, said.

“I’m appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour,” he said.

“We would not have the increase in the FedExCup money. We would not have the increase in The Players Championship to $20 million this year if it wasn’t for this threat.”

Return to the top

Johnson’s last victory came at the Saudi International last year. He has not won since and will tee off Thursday in fifth, a slide that was partly his own choice.

The American took a 14-week break after the CJ Cup in October.

Now he can regain some momentum at an event where he has won twice and finished second once in its first three editions.

Asked if the number one ranking was on his mind, Johnson replied: “Absolutely!”

“I took a break because I felt like I needed it, and I wasn’t really happy with the way I played last year. So, just wanted to kind of reset and prepare for this year.”

The 37-year-old Johnson has been overtaken in the rankings by a younger generation.

The reigning world number one Jon Rahm is 27 years old, number two Collin Morikawa is 24 as is third-ranked Viktor Hovland.

“I feel like the amount of talent in the game of golf right now is incredible. To get to number one and staying at number one is very difficult. You have got to play well every single week. It’s very tough to stay at the top just because of the level of talent of the guys around you,” said Johnson.

“Obviously, since the first year I came, I’ve liked the golf course. I’ve obviously done pretty well here,” he said. “It’s a tournament I enjoy playing.”

Cantlay says money tempting but new series ‘complicated’

Fourth-ranked Patrick Cantlay says he turned down a “tempting” offer to take part in a controversial event in Saudi Arabia, instead opting to play in this week’s PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

PGA players were given releases by tour commissioner Jay Monahan to play in the Saudi event, provided they play once or twice at Pebble Beach over the next two or three years.

“With the amount of money they’re talking about, it’s always very tempting. I think it’s tempting for everybody,” Cantlay said.

“But I’m really glad that I’m here this week and I love Pebble Beach and so that definitely factored into my decision.”

Cantlay says any investment in golf is good for the game, but he is among many waiting to see who jumps at the money as a long-term move.

“It’s a complicated thing and I don’t think there’s an easy answer,” Cantlay said. “There’s two sides to every coin and if people want to be more interested in golf and put more money into golf, that’s a good thing.

“It’s tricky because it’s not always in the fashion that people would have expected or wanted and I would say at this point I’m definitely a curious observer as to see what happens and who decides to play.”

Cantlay would enjoy any format that sent the world’s top players against each other more often and says the top stars could draw others out to beat the best.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if people’s tune changed quick if a majority of the best players in the world wanted to play anywhere,” Cantlay said.

“Because if they did, I think there’s a real desire of the most competitive people out here to play against the best players in the world almost no matter what.

“There aren’t actually that many times that all the best players in the world show up to the same event. Especially outside the majors or the Players, so I think it would be great if everyone was there more often.”

Pebble Beach defending champion Daniel Berger, ranked 16th in the world and 10th among Americans, says he wasn’t ever going to skip Pebble Beach.

“I haven’t had much communication with them and I love this golf tournament, so I don’t think there would have been really a place,” Berger said. “I would have been playing here.”

A win for everyone

Berger sees a win for players in the short term and the Pebble Beach event, with its celebrity amateur fields, in the long term.

“I don’t see a situation because commissioner Monahan has made it clear if you choose to play there, you can play there, but you have to come here (another year),” Berger said.

“So I think it’s going to be great for this tournament too. You’re going to see names that maybe you haven’t seen in a while coming here and I think it’s going to work out for everyone.”

American Will Zalatoris, last week’s runner-up at Torrey Pines and last year’s PGA Rookie of the Year, withdrew from Pebble Beach after testing positive for Covid-19.