The gloves are off and legal action looks imminent after the PGA Tour made a surprise move last night and denied its members conflicting-event releases to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London next month.

In a move that will also be seen as beneficial to their partners, the DP World Tour, PGA Tour executive vice president Tyler Dennis wrote to members to tell them their requests were denied because, "as a membership organisation, we believe this decision is in the best interest of the PGA Tour and its players," Golf Channel reported.

PGA Tour regulations allow players as many as three releases to play events that clash with its own tournaments.
But the PGA Tour also reserves the right to deny releases if "such a release would cause [the Tour] to be in violation of a contractual commitment to a tournament sponsor, or would otherwise significantly and unreasonably harm [the Tour] and such sponsors."

The PGA Tour granted as many as 24 releases earlier this year for the Saudi International, which is now part of the Asian Tour schedule.

But the decision not to grant releases for the LIV Golf Invitational Series event looks like an early declaration of war against a Series which announced a $2 billion investment by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday.

Should players go ahead anyway and play in the event at the Centurion Club from June 9-11, they would no longer be in good standing with PGA Tour, putting the ball in the court of the USGA about what to do with such players at the following week's US Open at the Country Club at Brookline.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan was expected to keep his powder dry and grant releases this time before then denying players releases for the four invitational tournaments scheduled for Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois this summer as well as and the Series finale in Miami as PGA Tour rules do not allow conflicting event releases for events in the US.

Greg Norman told Sky Sports on Tuesday that "36 of the top 150... 19 of the top 100, and six of the top 50" intended to play the first 48-man, no-cut, 54-hole event in London for a $20 million purse and a $4m first prize with last place worth $120,000.

The Australian issued a statement last night saying: "Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it's exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament. This is particularly disappointing in light of the Tour's non-profit status, where its mission is purportedly 'to promote the common interests of professional tournament golfers.'

"Instead, the Tour is intent on perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market.

"The Tour's action is anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive. But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped.

"We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally."

As for claims of sportswashing by Saudi Arabia, the Australian said he had no ties to the Saudi government but understood people's concerns.

"100 per cent [I understand]," Norman said. "And it's reprehensible what happened with [Jamal] Khashoggi. Own up to it, talk about it.

"But if you go back into Saudi Arabia, they're making a cultural change from within to change that. They don't want to have that stigma sitting over there.

"The generation of kids that I see today on the driving range, they don't want that stigma going on into generations and their kids. They want to change that culture and they are changing it.

"And you know how they're doing it? Golf."

He added: "I'm not going to get into politics, I don't know what the Saudi government does. I don't want to get into that. Every country has a cross to bear.

"They're not my bosses. We're independent. I do not answer to Saudi Arabia. I do not answer to their government or MBS [Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud].

"I answer to my board of directors, and MBS is not on that. Simple as that. So that narrative is untrue."
He was adamant the new tour was not a breakaway but "an additive."

"There hasn't been competition against the PGA Tour for 53 years, so a monopolist is going to sit back and go: I've got to protect what I've got.

"What are they scared of? We're not demanding anything out of the players. They can play one, two, four events, they can play whatever they want to play. It's their choice.

"Their commitment to the league when it gets to 2024 is because they will own part of a franchise. They'll be able to go: Okay, I want to be traded for 'X'. They will be creating value within that team.

The value today that doesn't exist for any player, anywhere in the world. "
LIV Golf announced its 2023-2025 schedule yesterday with 10 events planned for next year and 14 events slated for 2024 and 2025 in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and North America, though no dates or venues were announced.

According to the release, "schedules will never compete with the Majors, international team events or heritage events so players will always be able to make their own choices about where to play."

Norman is expected to give a press conference in London today.