DP WORLD TOUR STALWARTS JOIN PHIL MICKELSON AND ROBERT GARRIGUS AS FIRST CONFIRMED PLAYERS TO REQUEST RELEASES TO PLAY AT THE CENTURION CLUB IN JUNE
RICHARD BLAND ENJOYED HIS BEST EVER SEASON IN 2021 PHOTO COPYRIGHT MATT HOOPER 2021
OOSTHUIZEN, GARCIA AND POULTER REPORTED TO BE AMONG 15 TOP 100 GOLFERS SET TO PLAY NEW, SAUDI-BACKED INVITATIONAL SERIES IN 2022
DP WORLD TOUR SAID TO BE CONSIDERING DENYING ALL REQUESTS FOR RELEASES FOR LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL EVENTS
DP WORLD TOUR SAID TO BE CONSIDERING DENYING ALL REQUESTS FOR RELEASES FOR LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL EVENTS
4 MAY, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: FORMER WORLD NUMBER ONE LEE WESTWOOD AND BRITISH MASTERS DEFENDING CHAMPION, RICHARD BLAND, HAVE BOTH CONFIRMED TO MEDIA AT THE BELFRY THIS WEEK THAT THEY HAVE FILED REQUESTS FOR RELEASES FROM THE DP WORLD TOUR/PGA TOUR TO PLAY IN THE FIRST LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL AT CENTURION CLUB NEXT MONTH. WESTWOOD HAS LONG BEEN RUMOURED TO BE ONE OF THE FLAGSHIP NAMES OF THE NEWLY LAUNCHED PLATFORM, AND HE HAS NOW PUT THE SPECULATION TO BED BY STATING "PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SCEPTICAL OF CHANGE".
MORE SURPRISINGLY RICHARD BLAND HAS ALSO CONFIRMED HE INTENDS TO PLAY IN THE FIRST EVENT, BUT DID NOT WANT TO COMMENT FURTHER THAN CONFIRMING HIS REQUEST FOR A RELEASE. BLAND WON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER LAST SEASON, AND THE 49-YEAR-OLD IS COMING TO THE END OF THE DP WORLD TOUR CAREER BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO THE PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS OR LEGENDS TOUR, OR THAT IS WHAT WE THOUGHT.
PHIL MICKELSON CONFIRMED TWO WEEKS AGO THAT HE HAD APPLIED FOR A RELEASE FROM THE PGA TOUR TO PLAY IN THE FIRST EVENT, AND THIS CAME AFTER ROBERT GARRIGUS BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER TO PUBLICLY CONFIRM THE INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE. MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM GOLF MEDIA WILL SCOFF AT THESE DEVELOPMENTS, WRONGLY STATING THAT WESTWOOD, BLAND AND MICKELSON ARE ALL OVER THE HILL AND JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY. REMEMBER PHIL MICKELSON WON THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE AGE OF 51 LAST MAY, AND THE WILD SCENES AT KIAWAH ISLAND SHOWED HOW INCREDIBLY POPULAR HE REMAINS WITH THE WIDER GOLFING PUBLIC.
FOR LIV GOLF TO HAVE RECRUITED THESE FOUR PLAYERS IS A POSITIVE START, WHEN MANY JOYOUSLY PREDICTED THE DEATH OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT AFTER A ROCKY MONTH IN FEBRUARY, AND THERE COULD BE EVEN BIGGER AND GLOBALLY RELEVANT RECRUITS TO COME. IT IS BEING REPORTED THAT LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN AND SERGIO GARCIA HAVE ALSO FILED REQUESTS FOR RELEASES TO PLAY AT CENTURION CLUB IN JUNE, ALONG WITH IAN POULTER, all of whom are among a rumoured 15 of the world's top 100 who wish to play in this new series.
IF OOSTHUIZEN JOINS, THEN WILL SCHWARTZEL AND GRACE FOLLOW? AND IF SERGIO JOINS THEN WHAT ABOUT THE LIKES OF MARTIN KAYMER? THE FIELD FOR THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL LONDON WILL BE CONFIRMED IN THE COMING DAYS AS THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR ANNOUNCE THEIR DECISIONS ON RELEASES FOR THE EVENT, AT THAT POINT THE LOOMING WAR BETWEEN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GREG NORMAN'S NEW PROJECT COULD EXPLODE.
READ MY ANALYSIS OF THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES THIS WEEKEND ON SHANKMEDIA.CO.UK/LIVGOLF.
MORE SURPRISINGLY RICHARD BLAND HAS ALSO CONFIRMED HE INTENDS TO PLAY IN THE FIRST EVENT, BUT DID NOT WANT TO COMMENT FURTHER THAN CONFIRMING HIS REQUEST FOR A RELEASE. BLAND WON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER LAST SEASON, AND THE 49-YEAR-OLD IS COMING TO THE END OF THE DP WORLD TOUR CAREER BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO THE PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS OR LEGENDS TOUR, OR THAT IS WHAT WE THOUGHT.
PHIL MICKELSON CONFIRMED TWO WEEKS AGO THAT HE HAD APPLIED FOR A RELEASE FROM THE PGA TOUR TO PLAY IN THE FIRST EVENT, AND THIS CAME AFTER ROBERT GARRIGUS BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER TO PUBLICLY CONFIRM THE INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE. MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM GOLF MEDIA WILL SCOFF AT THESE DEVELOPMENTS, WRONGLY STATING THAT WESTWOOD, BLAND AND MICKELSON ARE ALL OVER THE HILL AND JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY. REMEMBER PHIL MICKELSON WON THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE AGE OF 51 LAST MAY, AND THE WILD SCENES AT KIAWAH ISLAND SHOWED HOW INCREDIBLY POPULAR HE REMAINS WITH THE WIDER GOLFING PUBLIC.
FOR LIV GOLF TO HAVE RECRUITED THESE FOUR PLAYERS IS A POSITIVE START, WHEN MANY JOYOUSLY PREDICTED THE DEATH OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT AFTER A ROCKY MONTH IN FEBRUARY, AND THERE COULD BE EVEN BIGGER AND GLOBALLY RELEVANT RECRUITS TO COME. IT IS BEING REPORTED THAT LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN AND SERGIO GARCIA HAVE ALSO FILED REQUESTS FOR RELEASES TO PLAY AT CENTURION CLUB IN JUNE, ALONG WITH IAN POULTER, all of whom are among a rumoured 15 of the world's top 100 who wish to play in this new series.
IF OOSTHUIZEN JOINS, THEN WILL SCHWARTZEL AND GRACE FOLLOW? AND IF SERGIO JOINS THEN WHAT ABOUT THE LIKES OF MARTIN KAYMER? THE FIELD FOR THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL LONDON WILL BE CONFIRMED IN THE COMING DAYS AS THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR ANNOUNCE THEIR DECISIONS ON RELEASES FOR THE EVENT, AT THAT POINT THE LOOMING WAR BETWEEN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GREG NORMAN'S NEW PROJECT COULD EXPLODE.
READ MY ANALYSIS OF THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES THIS WEEKEND ON SHANKMEDIA.CO.UK/LIVGOLF.
