Super Golf League Reportedly Lures 17 Players from PGA Tour

An emerging rival to the PGA Tour is taking shape: 17 players have reportedly signed on to the Super Golf League.

The breakaway league, backed by a group of investors from Saudi Arabia, is offering lucrative bonuses and prizes to lure golfers from the sport’s dominant institution. 

“I think there’s already been 17 guys that have jumped over [to the Super Golf League], and I can’t say who they are, but there’s going to be some big names,” said PGA Tour player Kramer Hickok on “The Stripe Show” podcast.

The new league could start in June.

• Top players including Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka have reportedly received offers of $30 million to $50 million to join the league.
• Bryson DeChambeau denied reports of a $135 million offer from the Super Golf League. He and Phil Mickelson are rumored to be leaving the PGA Tour.
• Investors backing the project are reportedly willing to spend up to $2 billion to draw in top players.

The Netflix Factor

The PGA Tour is turning to the example of  another international series of contests: Formula 1. Netflix and F1 docuseries producer Box to Box are collaborating on a new series on the PGA Tour.

While viewership of the Tour was up 30% year-over-year from the start of 2021 through March 11, 24% of 18-34 year-olds said in April 2021 that they had never heard of it.