Saudi-led Super Golf League "Rumors of 17 PGA Stars Joining"... What About 'Hulk' DeChambeau?

SGL Expands Territory Leveraging 'Oil Dollar Power', DeChambeau's '161.7 Billion KRW Acquisition Rumor' Sparks Interest, Johnson and Mickelson 'Positive', Rahm and McIlroy 'Negative'

'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau has become the center of news amid rumors of a $135 million acquisition by SGL.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Oil Dollar Power’.

The Saudi Arabia-led Super Golf League (SGL) is heating up the global golf scene day by day. Kramer Hickok, ranked 126th in the world, claimed on a podcast broadcast on the 16th (Korean time) that "many big-name players will join the SGL" and "more than 17 players have already signed contracts." He explained, "SGL will hold 14 tournaments a year without any ‘cut off,’ and among them, as many as 10 will be held in the United States," adding, "They offer huge signing bonuses."

SGL is a new professional golf tour competing against the PGA Tour. It is expected to be established as early as June. With a total prize money of $20 million (2.4 billion KRW) per tournament and a winner’s prize of $4 million (480 million KRW), it is luring world stars with a ‘money feast’ that surpasses the PGA Tour. The rumored $135 million (1.617 billion KRW) signing of ‘The Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau is intriguing. When DeChambeau skipped the Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour premium match opening on the night of the 17th, rumors of his ‘split from the PGA Tour’ circulated. DeChambeau, however, denied it as "fake news."

The PGA Tour has prepared various incentives such as the $50 million (6 billion KRW) Player Impact Program and the $20 million ‘Comcast Business Tour Top 10’ based on rankings before the playoffs (PO). The problem is that many top-ranked players, including No. 6 Dustin Johnson (both from the U.S.), are positively considering participating in the SGL. Sergio Garcia (Spain) emphasized that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour policies to expel players who join the SGL should be revised.

Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, fired a direct shot, saying, "The PGA Tour is greedy," and "With the launch of the SGL, players will be properly treated." The U.S. media responded by saying, "It doesn’t seem appropriate for someone who raised $800 million in the PGA Tour to say that," and criticized Mickelson for "coveting bribes offered by the Saudi royal family." Players themselves are divided in opinion. Jon Rahm (Spain) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), among others, stand by the position of "honor over money."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.