Ian Poulter is being courted by the Super Golf League with the Saudi Arabians looking to sign up a quorum of big names for their breakaway circuit as soon as possible.
It is understood that Poulter has been offered between $20 million and $30m up front and like his good friend Henrik Stenson now has a decision to make. A life-changing sum of money or the Ryder Cup?
It is a question that would obviously weigh heavily on the deliberations of one of Europe’s greatest and most passionate team players.
The Englishman has expressed his desire to appear one more time in the blue and gold and has been considered a shoo-in as a future captain, perhaps for New York in 2025.
Yet he has been left in no doubt that should he take the Saudi dollar then he will face a lifetime ban from both the PGA and European Tours and, barring a u-turn in official policy, would be waving goodbye to the biennial dust-up which has essentially defined his career.
A family man, Poulter could well deem that sacrifice to be worth it for financial security. However, he will have seen the quandary Stenson is in and understood the difficulty of the choice.
Stenson, 45, is one of four candidates to replace Padraig Harrington as captain for the next year’s match in Rome in 2023 – the others being fellow Swede Robert Karlsson, Luke Donald and Paul Lawrie – but has been told he must guarantee he will not join the SGL before the position is filled.
Both Poulter and Stenson are playing in this week’s Saudi International in Jeddah. The $5m event was once part of the European Tour – since rebranded as the DP World Tour – but because of the global power struggle is now on the Asian Tour.
It is anything but a normal Asian Tour field, with the Saudis dishing out up to $15m in appearance fees to attract players such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Poulter and Stenson.
As chief executive of Liv Golf Investments – the recently-formed entity backed by the PIF, the Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, and in charge of the Kingdom’s burgeoning golf empire – Greg Norman is at large at the Royal Greens Country Club and, as revealed by Telegraph Sport, announced the details of The International Series, a 10-strong collection of events that include a stop in London in June.
The £1.5m tournament at the Centurion Club in St Albans will be the first time the Asian Tour stages an event outside of its continent, with the move inevitably seen as a shot across the bows of the DP World Tour with its Wentworth HQ just half an hour away. The series will also visit countries such as Thailand, Korea, China, Hong Kong and places in the Middle East. The acrimony between the traditional tours, the Saudis and their new partner the Asian Tour – to whom Liv Golf Investments has pledged $300m over 10 years – has been escalating, with all channels of communication since blocked,
In Tuesday’s press conference, Norman risked ridicule with his insistence that “we are not looking for a fight”, despite declaring that this first unprecedented foray into England “is just the beginning”.
“We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world stage,” Norman, the former world No 1, said. “Just because The International Series is associated with the Asian Tour, we want to get the message out there that it’s not specifically for the Asian region.
“Healthy competition and respectful competition should spread golf globally. That’s why it’s so encouraging we can go to London, it’ll be so encouraging when we go to the United States. This is just the beginning, just the infancy of this journey. We’re not in this for a fight, there’s no question. We’re in this for the good of the game.”
Norman proceeded to round on the Saudi critics who believe the Kingdom is using the PIF – which recently bought Newcastle United – in an attempt to “sportswash” its reputation. “It’s personally disappointing to see some of the attacks that have been taking place unwarrantedly. If you prejudge anybody without knowing the facts then shame on you.”
He then asked the PGA and DP World Tour to come to the table, presumably to discuss the formation of the SGL, an F1 style global circuit. “Are you scared of something? What is Liv Golf Investments doing that you’re scared of?” he said. “We want to work together side by side. It’s for the betterment of the game.”
Both Tours refused to comment.