With $120,000 (R1.8m) on offer for last place at the 48-man tournament, the bulk of the nine South Africans in the field have the opportunity to materially change their lives, from a financial point of view.
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel have resigned their membership from the PGA Tour to play in the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf series.
Oosthuizen confirmed that he had given up his PGA Tour membership card at Centurion Club, north of London, ahead of this week’s inaugural LIV event.
Former world number one and two-time major champion Dustin Johnson also resigned from the PGA Tour, along with 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and American Kevin Na.
Players who opted into the LIV Golf series were given warnings from the PGA Tour that they will face disciplinary action.
This week’s event tees off at Centurion Club at St Albans and will have a $25 million purse (R380m), with $4 million (R61m) going to the winner.
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Oosthuizen revealed that his reason for abandoning the PGA Tour had to do with his family.
“For me, where I am at in my career, it would’ve probably been the last year on the PGA Tour,” Oosthuizen said. “I always said, when I get to the stage around 40, I want to do something else and not just golf. I wanted to try something else. Everyone knows I love being on a farm and being outside, so I was almost done. And along came this opportunity, where I can do four years of this quickly and be able to spend more time with my family after this. The format and the way this is all set up is so exciting and it reminded me of being part of the Presidents Cup and I just said, ‘Why not give it a shot?’ I made the decision with my wife and what’s the best for where I am right now and I’m going to grab it and play. I’m a professional golfer and this is decent amount of money that we play for, so why not?”
There will be nine South Africans in this week’s inaugural event, as Oosthuizen, Grace and Schwartzel join Oliver Bekker, Justin Harding, JC Ritchie, Hennie du Plessis, Ian Snyman and Shaun Norris.
This decision casts doubt on the nine South Africans’ future involvement in major championships and the Presidents Cup, although in the short-term, they will be able to play in next week’s US Open. That’s after the United States Golf Association, which runs the major, said it would not stop those competing in the LIV event from playing at Brookline, Massachusetts.
The 2022 Presidents Cup will be staged from 22-25 September at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the International team led by 2007 Masters champion Trevor Immelman.
