The Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf series announced a 14-tournament schedule for next year with 12 established team franchises and a chance for players to be promoted or relegated through their series of Asian Tour events.
Greg Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, said in a press release on Wednesday that the full schedule would be released later and would include stops around the world.
The rival league of PGA and European tours plays its third event this week at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, the course owned by former President Donald Trump. The four newcomers to the 48-strong roster are Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Jason Kokrak. The European tour stripped Stenson of his Ryder Cup captaincy for signing up with LIV Golf after pledged his full support to the tour when he was elected captain in March.
Along with the 48-player No-Cut events worth $25 million in prize money, LIV Golf Investments has pumped $300 million into the Asian Tour for International Series events. While details of promotion and relegation were not disclosed, performance at these Asian Tour events allowed players to earn their way into the LIV Golf League while those who finish at LIV Golf events would be replaced.
The press release states that LIV Golf League players are expected to compete in “numerous” International Series events, which would mean they will play more than the 14 tournaments of the 2023 LIV Golf schedule. A call for players who signed up, like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, was to play less.
LIV Golf said there will be 25 tournaments worldwide next year, indicating a total of 11 events on the Asian Tour. There are four International Series events on the Asian Tour schedule this year. The press release states that new Asian tour stops would include America and Europe. This year, the Asian Tour hosted an event in England a week before the LIV Golf Invitational debuted outside of London.
Norman said LIV Golf and the International Series would be playing for $405 million in prize money. With $25 million earmarked for LIV Golf events, this would indicate that International Series events would have $5 million each.
The 12 four-man teams would remain the same throughout the year. Captains can build their franchises to build a following and attract sponsorship interest. Howell and Casey are now on a team led by Bryson DeChambeau and they said he approached them about joining LIV Golf a few months ago.
Associated Press coverage
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