LIV Golf players continue to face scrutiny from fans of the sport, and rival tour series - and new reports have detailed just what they have signed up for in joining the series.
The Wall Street Journal shared a report on Wednesday that revealed the details of the contracts LIV Golf players sign to join the series. Some of the requirements are mental, with limits on the media rights of players, and a requirement to recruit more players.
Report reveals details of LIV Golf contracts
Some of the biggest players in world golf have signed up to the contentious LIV invitational series. The series is bankrolled by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and it has garnered criticism for the obscene money involved, the perceived weaknesses of its format, and the obvious attempts at sportswashing by the Saudi government.
The likes of Brooks Koepka, Bryson deChambeau, and Dustin Johnson have joined the series, while Open champion Cameron Smith has been among those linked with the series in recent weeks.
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is among those to have joined LIV Golf. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
If Smith does join LIV Golf, he will have some interesting conditions in his contract.
The Wall Street Journal gained accessed to a draft contract, and they report that one of the requirements of signing up to LIV Golf is recruiting further players to join the series - perhaps explaining how the invitational series has grown so quickly (aside from the money on offer). The draft contract reportedly reads:
Where requested, [players will] assist the League Operator in seeking to persuade players to enter into multiyear player participation agreements with the League Operator.
The contract also confirms that players are barred from skipping any LIV Golf events to play on other tours, while they are required to wear LIV Golf branding in any tournament they take part in, whether part of the series or not. Despite the animosity between LIV and the rival PGA and DP World Tours, the Journal's report suggests that players will receive a $1 million bonus if they win a major championship.
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For 2023, it is expected that the team format of the LIV series will be formally organised, with the 12 four-man teams remaining the same throughout the year. Players will be required to wear apparel relating to their team during "any golf activity".
One of the more concerning elements of the draft LIV Golf contract is that players are supposedly required to gain approval from the series promoters before granting exclusive interviews or commentary about the series.
The showdown between LIV Golf and the golfing world at large continues to brew, with Henrik Stenson stripped of the European Ryder Cup captaincy for joining the breakaway series.
Australian LIV players, however, received a boost recently when it was revealed that they would still be permitted to play in events on home soil - in contrast to the sweeping ban on LIV Golf players by the PGA and DP tours.
PGA players gathered ahead of this weekend's BMW Championship for crisis talks about the breakaway series, with Tiger Woods flown in to lead the charge. Woods became emotional at the Open Championship last month when speaking about LIV.
The report from the Wall Street Journal does not clarify whether the requirements in the LIV Golf draft contract have stood for all players - but the fact they are in as a starting point certainly gives an insight into the intentions of the series' organisers. We expect the animosity in the golf world is only to get uglier.
SEE ALSO: Patrick Reed Files $750m Lawsuit Against Golf Channel Over LIV Comments
