LIV Golf LIVE: Leaderboard and final day scores as Charl Schwartzel wins and Patrick Reed latest PGA Tour star to join

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel banked $4.75 million on Saturday by winning the richest tournament in golf history, while the event’s Saudi backers faced renewed backlash after a 9/11 victims’ group called for American players to withdraw from the rebel series.

Schwartzel held on for a one-shot victory at the inaugural LIV Golf event outside London to secure the $4 million prize for the individual victory — along with another $750,000 from his share of the $3 million purse earned by his four-man Stinger team for topping the team rankings.Schwartzel, the 2011 winner at Augusta National, collected more prize money from winning the three-day, 54-hole event than he had from the last four years combined. It came at a cost, though, having resigned his membership of the PGA Tour to play on the unsanctioned series without a waiver.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could play for that much money in golf,” said Schwartzel, who had not won a PGA or European tour event since 2016.Fellow South African Hennie Du Plessis, who was selected for Stinger by team captain Louis Oosthuizen in the draft, earned $2.875 million by finishing second at Centurion Club, located between Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans.

LIV Golf Round 3 Leaderboard

• Leaderboard: -7 Schwartzel, -6 Du Plessis, -5 Grace, -4 Uihlein, -3 Horsfield

• Reed joins DeChambeau to become latest to join rebel tour

• Poulter to appeal against PGA Tour ban of LIV Golf players

• Schwartzel wins first LIV Golf event

Tom Kershaw’s report from Centurion Club

Sunday 12 June 2022 07:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

Read Tom’s full report:

Charl Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion

LIV Golf roundup

Sunday 12 June 2022 06:35 , Lawrence Ostlere

On Thursday the PGA Tour announced it had suspended players taking part in the LIV series -- a move LIV organisers described as vindictive and which could lead to a legal battle.

The PGA suspension and the prospect of being ineligible for the Ryder Cup has not stopped more players turning their back on the PGA Tour with big-hitting major champion Bryson DeChambeau joining the party on Friday and fellow American Patrick Reed following suit on Saturday.

Both will make their debuts at the second event of the series in Portland, Oregon later this month.

“I’m super excited,” the 31-year-old Reed told the streamed coverage of the final day on YouTube which attracted 100,000 viewers at its peak.

“Being part of the evolution and change in golf is unbelievable. Portland can’t get here soon enough.”

LIV Golf roundup

Sunday 12 June 2022 04:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel held off compatriot Hennie Du Plessis to claim the biggest pay cheque in golf history at the opening event of the LIV Invitational Series on Saturday.

The 37-year-old led by three strokes going into the third and final round at the Centurion course north of London, and consolidated with a round of 72 to seal the $4 million prize.

Schwartzel, whose previous highest pay cheque was the $1.4 million he scooped for winning the 2011 Masters, ended up on seven-under with Du Plessis finishing one stroke back. Another South African, Branden Grace, finished third on five under.

All three were playing for the Stingers team who easily won the team element of the new series.

“You know, it’s a relief,” Schwartzel, who also picked up an added $750,000 for being part of the winning team, said.

“I had it in my hands but I made it a bit more difficult than it should have been. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we could play for that much money in golf.”

Kaymer pulls out of US Open

Sunday 12 June 2022 03:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

Martin Kaymer has withdrawn from the U.S. Open next week at The Country citing an injury, after closing with a 69 in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational this week outside London.Kaymer won the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and earned a 10-year exemption that takes through 2024, when the Open returns to Pinehurst.He was replaced in the field by David Lingmerth, the first alternate from the Columbus, Ohio, qualifier.Kaymer finished 16th in the 48-man field for LIV Golf and earned $245,000.Nick Hardy, the first alternate from Springfield, Ohio, also was added to the field when it was certain that no one at the Canadian Open would meet the category of two PGA Tour wins over the last year. J.J. Spaun and Cameron Champ needed to win, and both missed the cut.

LIV Golf under scrutiny over Saudi funding

Sunday 12 June 2022 01:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

Saudi Arabia’s track record of human rights violations has sparked criticism from groups, including Amnesty International, that the country is “sportswashing” its image by investing in signing up sports stars.

For many in the United States, Saudi Arabia will forever be associated with the collapse of the World Trade Towers and the deaths of nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. All but four of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens, and the Saudi kingdom was the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaida and mastermind of the attack.

Terry Strada, the national chairperson of the 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, has sent a letter to representatives of LIV Golf stars calling on them to reconsider their participation in the series. Her husband, Tom, died when a hijacked plane flew into the World Trade Center.

“Given Saudi Arabia’s role in the death of our loved ones and those injured on 9/11 — your fellow Americans — we are angered that you are so willing to help the Saudis cover up this history in their request for ‘respectability,’” Strada wrote, accusing the players of betraying U.S. interests.

Strada’s letter was sent to agents for Reed as well as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na.

“When you partner with the Saudis, you become complicit with their whitewash, and help give them the reputational cover they so desperately crave — and are willing to pay handsomely to manufacture,” Strada wrote. “The Saudis do not care about the deep-rooted sportsmanship of golf or its origins as a gentleman’s game built upon core values of mutual respect and personal integrity. They care about using professional golf to whitewash their reputation, and they are paying you to help them do it.”

Victims’ families are trying to hold Saudi Arabia accountable in New York, despite its government’s insistence that any allegation of complicity in the terrorist attacks is “categorically false.”

Reed and Perez latest stars to ditch PGA Tour

Saturday 11 June 2022 23:56 , Lawrence Ostlere

Patrick Reed is the latest former Masters champion to sign up to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series in defiance of the PGA Tour and activists who object to the players promoting the kingdom’s sporting project.

With Pat Perez also confirmed as joining the breakaway on Saturday, 20 players have now defected from the PGA Tour. The latest announcements came during the final round of the inaugural LIV event at Centurion Golf Club outside London, where Charl Schwartzel of South Africa was on course for a victory that would earn him $4.75 million.

The lucrative rewards for joining the series funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund have not been enough to entice any players ranked in the world’s top 10.

Reed, who has won almost $37 million in a decade on the PGA Tour, is ranked 36th. The 31-year-old American’s only major win was the 2018 Masters.

Having appeared at three Ryder Cups, where he has been one of the brashest characters on the American team, Reed’s decision could see him ineligible for selection in the future.

Reed said he would make his debut on the second stop of the LIV Golf series in Portland, Oregon, on June 30-July 2.

The 46-year-old Perez, who is ranked 168th in the world, said he wants to travel less after 21 years on the PGA Tour. He made no mention on the LIV live broadcast about the riches on offer.

DeChambeau will be in Portland for next LIV Golf event

Saturday 11 June 2022 22:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

Former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, a week after saying he was “loyal” and could not take the risk.

DeChambeau had previously been linked to the breakaway circuit but said in February that “as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I”.

Dustin Johnson also said he was “fully committed” to the PGA Tour on the same day, but he subsequently resigned his membership and is competing in the opening £20milion LIV Golf event at Centurion Club this week.

Schwartzel responds to critics of LIV Golf

Saturday 11 June 2022 21:32 , Lawrence Ostlere

“Where money comes from is not something I’ve ever looked at in my career.” Charl Schwartzel responds to critics of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tournament.

Charles Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event

Saturday 11 June 2022 21:21 , Lawrence Ostlere

Report by Tom Kershaw from Centurion Club:

Charles Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion

Patrick Reed joins LIV Golf

Saturday 11 June 2022 21:02 , Lawrence Ostlere

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed has become the latest golfer to join the lucrative LIV Golf Invitational Series, the Saudi-backed league said on Saturday.

Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, has 12 wins on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. LIV announced Reed as its newest member on Twitter.

The 31-year-old American joins former world number one Dustin Johnson, six-times major champion Phil Mickelson and former U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau in joining the LIV Series which had its inaugural event in London this week.

The big-hitting DeChambeau jumped ship from the PGA Tour on Friday and will make his debut in the second event of the series in Portland, Oregon, later this month.

The PGA Tour said on Thursday it would suspend players who turned out for the LIV event but some golfers had already resigned from the Tour before the sanctions were announced.

“The growing roster of LIV Golf players gets even stronger today with a player of Patrick Reed’s calibre,” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said in a statement.

“He has a proven track record as one of the most consistent competitors in pro golf and adds yet another big presence at our tournaments. He’s a major champion and he’ll bring another impressive dynamic to our team-based format at LIV Golf.”

The eight-event LIV Series, bankrolled to the tune of $250 million by the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) began this week at the Centurion Club north of London.

Events, with fields of 48, take place over 54 holes with no cuts and shotgun starts. As well as an individual event, players also compete for teams with huge prize money at stake.

9/11 victims’ families hit out at golfers' ‘betrayal’

Saturday 11 June 2022 20:04 , Lawrence Ostlere

A group representing victims’ families and survivors of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States have accused the high-profile American players in the LIV Golf Series of sportswashing and betraying their country.

In a letter sent to the agents of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Kevin Na, 911familiesunited.org expressed their outrage towards the players for competing in the Saudi-backed events.

“As you may know, Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudis,” wrote the organisation’s national chair Terry Strada, a mother of three whose husband, Tom, was on the 104th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center during the attacks.

“It was the Saudis who cultivated and spread the evil, hate-filled Islamist ideology that inspired the violent jihadists to carry out the deadly 9/11 attacks.

“And, most egregiously, it is the Kingdom that has spent 20 years in denial: lying about their activities, and cowardly dodging the responsibility they bear. Yet these are your partners, and much to our disappointment, you appear pleased to be in business with them.

“Please, do not insult our loved ones’ memories and take the pathetic position, as one of your foreign colleagues did last week, claiming you are “just golfers playing a game” or blandly treating the evils of the Saudi regime as “human rights” concerns.

“You are all Americans, keenly aware of the death and destruction of September 11. Whether it was the appeal of millions of dollars of hard cash, or just the opportunity to prosecute your professional grievances with the PGA, you have sold us out.

“This is a betrayal not only of us, but of all your countrymen.”

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed and world number 168 Pat Perez became the latest players to join LIV Golf on Saturday.

Schwartzel: ‘LIV is going to get better and better’

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:53 , Lawrence Ostlere

Charl Schwartzel, after collecting his trophy: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could play for that much money in golf. What they’ve [organisers] created is top class, and this just going to get better and better.”

Greg Norman hails first tournament

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:50 , Lawrence Ostlere

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman gives a speech telling the remaining crowd: “We’re going to supercharge the game of golf and go round the world showing golf is a force for good.”

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:48 , Tom Kershaw

Charles Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:27 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel speaks after his win:

“I had to stay calm, I made a bad mistake on 12 but I’m proud of how I hung in and it’s a great feeling.

“Hennie played fantastic golf and he’s got a bright future. I’m proud of him and my teammates, it’s a historical moment. It’s awesome!

“The guys put on an amazing show, what they’ve done (at LIV Golf) is beyond our expectations. The way they treat everybody and the amount of money they put up as prizes!”

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:25 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel goes close to par but doesn’t need to worry - he taps in for a bogey and a one-shot win at Centurion!

Charl Schwartzel is the inaugural winner of the LIV Golf Series and a $4m paycheck.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:23 , Karl Matchett

Not quite enough on it for Du Plessis and it’ll be a par perhaps for him, leaving room for safety and a bogey for Schwartzel.

Uihlein has a long putt for a share of third...and he sinks it! That’s a tremendous effort to go five under alongside Grace - and a single shot worth over $200,000 difference.

Hennie Du Plessis sinks his putt and it’s second for him unless Schwartzel fails to finish in two putts.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:20 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel with a very long-range putt on his fourth - and it’s still a bit of a distance for his fifth and par. It’s not quite all over and done with and much depends on how much pressure Du Plessis can apply here.

The Stingers teammates are not quite going to be on the same page for this next few minutes!

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:15 , Karl Matchett

Last hole for most, here’s how it stands in the top 10:

1. SCH -8

2. DUP -6

3. GRA -5

4. ULN -4

5. HOR -3

6. BEK -2

6. OTG -2

8. JSN -1

9. GCH E

9. HAR E

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 19:06 , Karl Matchett

Hole 18 then for the front two. Du Plessis needs a big turnaround here if he wants to steal top spot. Two behind Schwartzel still.

His first shot flies into the long, long rough on the side.

Schwartzel opts against the driver as he plays for safety on this par five - it’s a fine strike and right onto the fairway.

Bekker recovers from a bunker shot to get a shot at par and stay on two under...that’s a great finish from him.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:57 , Karl Matchett

Charl Schwartzel now onto hole 17, a par 3 at just 138 yards. He goes very central and very gentle on the drop - it barely bounces and that should be a routine two-putt. Very nice, and very close to a $4m payday.

Phil Mickelson signing plenty of autographs for fans as he makes his way around.

Horsfield on hole 1 can’t make a birdie so should finish four under, in fourth - he dropped a place a couple of holes ago.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:50 , Karl Matchett

Fist-clench from Schwartzel as he sinks a pressure putt. Two ahead, two to play.

Du Plessis follows the leader with his own putt for par and the gap stays at two.

McDowell goes close to a birdie as he chases a late top-10 finish, but it’ll be a par.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:41 , Karl Matchett

Dustin Johnson on hole 18, currently two under in sixth. Hasn’t quite challenged the front-runners in the end, but still a solid outing. Needs to putt from middle distance to save par...but it breaks left and just misses. That’ll be a bogey.

Schwartzel is top in both individual and team events, it’s worth noting.

Grace birdies to go into third ahead of Horsfield.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:33 , Karl Matchett

Quick reminder of the prize money breakdown for the top 10 today:

Win: $4,000,000

2: $2,125,000

3: $1,500,000

4: $1,050,000

5: $975,000

6: $800,000

7: $675,000

8: $625,000

9: $580,000

10: $560,000

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:32 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel first with his long-range putt, into the wind. He has a superb line on it - and it’s just a couple of inches from the pin. Pressure transfered back to Du Plessis for his own putt...and he’s a little further out. Needs to sink the putt to stay two back with three to play.

His largest paycheck to date is a little over $100,000. Second is good for a little over $2m today if he holds on. Quite the difference.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:27 , Karl Matchett

Du Plessis is still two behind Schwartzel but his lofted shot onto the green takes an awkward bounce and rolls away, not toward, the pin - that makes it unlikely he’ll birdie and close the gap.

Charl himself puts his third shot on hole 15 quite short as well, not quite making the raised half of the green. Tough for both of them on the fourth shot.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:23 , Karl Matchett

Three to play now.

Branden Grace will par to stay four under and tied for fourth.

Ian Poulter goes for an ambitious eagle and lands a few inches long. Easy birdie tap-in.

The top 24 get points, we’re reminded, so that crowded mid-section could yet see an all-important shuffle over the closing few holes.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:19 , Karl Matchett

Hole 15 for Schwartzel. Can he find a better drive this time around? He paid a one-stroke penalty for a poor hit off the tee last time around - this one drifts into the thick rough but should be fine.

Horsfield aggressively goes for a hole 17 birdie, but just misses out. He’s still third though.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:14 , Karl Matchett

Sergio Garcia, three over on hole 18. He goes for a long birdie putt, but it’s a yard wide. Should be a routine par in the end.

Oliver Bekker misses a birdie by all of an inch on 15. He’s still in eighth though.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:11 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel with a big putt for par breaking left...and doesn’t quite manage it. That drive proving costly and he’ll be back to just two ahead.

Du Plessis needs a fairly big putt of his own to take par and keep the pressure on - and it’s a great response. A fist pump as it drops.

Branden Grace has moved into fourth place, four under.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:09 , Karl Matchett

Schwartzel’s drive on the 14th wasn’t great and although his second is onto the green, he has work to do.

Mickelson sinks a nice putt for par, while Du Plessis looks for a big putt uphill from off the green - and bypasses the hole by a couple of metres.

Horsfield can’t take advantage though with his own putt.

Four and five rounds to play for most.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 18:06 , Karl Matchett

Mid-round we break off to hear that Pat Perez has just signed for LIV Golf as the newest player confirmed. Busy old weekend for LIV Golf paperwork.

Pat confirms he’s “very excited” about it all and that Dustin Johnson is “100% the reason” for him being involved. “DJ wanted me on his team and the opportunity to follow a world-class player like that is an honour.”

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:59 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel picks himself up with a birdie at the par-5 13th after stopping his long eagle putt to within a couple of feet. De Plessis also had a chance at eagle but rolled it well past the hole. Still, he’s able to make birdie too to stay within three of Schwartzel.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:40 , Jamie Braidwood

So there is a twist in the scores. Schwartzel gets out the bunker but at a cost of a double-bogey six. It drops him to -8.

Now, can Du Plessie make this a three-shot swing? He cannot. The birdie putt slides by.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel hacks himself out from under a tree branch and onto the fairway. Disaster averted but he still has work to do to avoid dropping a shot at the 12th.

Or maybe not! From the fairway, Schwartzel plugs his ball into the bunker at the back of the green. Du Plessie then puts his ball in birdie position.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:26 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel sends his tee shot at the par-four 12th well left, right into the trees. A nervy few minutes await for the leader as awaits to see where his ball landed.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:10 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel had to chance to move to -11 but narrowly missed his birdie putt at the 11th.

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, meanwhile, joins the broadcast. He says LIV Golf has been ‘exciting’ and ‘refreshing’ to watch. At least there is one.

Unsurprisingly, he is not asked any questions about Saudi Arabia or where the money funding the series is coming from.

LIV Golf: Patrick Reed joins rebel tour

Saturday 11 June 2022 17:05 , Jamie Braidwood

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 16:54 , Jamie Braidwood

Well that was quite the eventful ninth hole, at least in comparison to the rest of the front nine. Schwartzel landed himself in bother with his tee shot that went left. After cutting out of danger, he pinned a lovely approach pitch to within six feet and calmly steps up to knock down the par.

A faultless opening nine holes from Schwartzel and the South African is halfway to the $4.8 million prize.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 16:34 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel ends his run of pars at seven... with a birdie at the eighth. It came after the shot of the day from the South African, who is now five shots clear.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 16:28 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel has perhaps played the shot of the day from the left-hand rough at the par-four eighth, cutting it back inside to set up a birdie chance from six feet.

Johnson then rattles the pin with a bunker shot, only to see if a couple of feet away for his par.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 16:17 , Jamie Braidwood

Peter Uihlein, who is also playing in the final group, moves alongside Du Plessis with a birdie at the seventh hole, as the South African hangs around with a long, long par putt at the same green.

And there’s another par for Schwartzel - his seventh in a row.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:59 , Jamie Braidwood

Ah, so our first dropped shot of the day in the leading group. Hennie Du Plessis landed himself in trouble in the long grass on the bank above the sixth green. His chip down rolled to 15 feet or so and was follwed by bogey.

Schwartzel responds by sinking a tricky eight-footer for par. The South African is now four shots clear.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:48 , Jamie Braidwood

Well, at this tournament they say “don’t blink” but if you had nodded off for the first hour and a half of play you would not have missed much. The top of the leaderboard remains as it was at the start of the day.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Johnson, at the seventh, once again stretches back in frustration after another birdie putt stops an inch or two short of the hole. Sergio Garcia had fired himself into the top 10 at -1 but looks to be in some trouble in the long rough.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:39 , Jamie Braidwood

Mickelson has gone +3 over his first five holes and is up to +7. The American thuds a tee shot into the gorse and looks set for further trouble.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:36 , Jamie Braidwood

The likes of Craig David, Jessie J and James Bay have or are all taking part in ‘after-party’ concerts at Centurion Club after the day’s play - which has just been compared to Glastonbury by the tournament broadcasters.

Bit of a stretch.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Schwartzel stands over a 15 foot birdie putt uphill but gives it a nod after leaving it a couple of feet short. Four holes down, so four pars for the tournament leader - who isn’t being put under much pressure from those behind him. Johnson, meanwhile, scrambles to par after finding a green-side bunker.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 15:14 , Jamie Braidwood

Three holes down and Schwartzel remains on track after scrambling for his par on the previous hole. There’s been no movement at the top of the leaderboard since Johnson’s opening birdie.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:55 , Jamie Braidwood

Johnson leaves another birdie putt short, this time at the fifth, as Schwartzel slices his drive into the crowd at the par-four third.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:40 , Jamie Braidwood

The chasing pack will be looking to get off to a fast start to put the pressure on Schwartzel.

Johnson and Du Plessis both leave birdie putts short but the conditions are looking favourable early on.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:30 , Jamie Braidwood

The leaders are underway.

Du Plessis sends his opening drive down the middle of the fairway. “Stinger!” someone from the crowd shouts, as if that is a normal thing to do.

Schwartzel, his Stinger team-mate and tournament leader, goes next and also puts his ball into the fairway.

Although it was a shotgun start, the leaders still teed-off about 10 minutes behind the rest of the field.

Remember, don’t blink.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:24 , Jamie Braidwood

Johnson rolls in an opening birdie to move to -2, seven shots back.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:18 , Jamie Braidwood

And we’re off, the tournament’s shotgun start of course meaning everyone gets underway at the same time.

Dustin Johnson, back at -1 and eight shots off the pace, hits his opening tee shot to within 12 feet or so at the par-3 5th.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:13 , Jamie Braidwood

At least Charl Schwartzel isn’t hiding his motivations, as he is told he could walk away with $4.75m today.

“It’s a big possibility.,” he shrugs. “That’s the beuaty of it: if you play well you can win lots of money. But I’ve been a professional for 20 years and I am only thinking about lifting the trophy. I haven’t won since 2016 so that is what is motivating me today.

LIV Golf: Final round

Saturday 11 June 2022 14:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Right, the final round of this first LIV Golf event is here - and within seconds of the opening segment of the broadcast we have hear the phrase “in a blink of an eye”.

We are set for a “bonkers” day of action, apparently, although it very much looks like Charl Schwartzel and Team Stinger are crusing towards victories in the individual and team competitions.

What certainly is bonkers is the $25m prize fund that will be split between the field.

Poulter to appeal against PGA Tour ban of LIV Golf players

Saturday 11 June 2022 13:55 , Jamie Braidwood

Ian Poulter will appeal his suspension from the PGA Tour for playing in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.

The breakaway circuit has shaken the sport to its core, with the likes of six-times major champion Phil Mickelson and former world number one Dustin Johnson signing up.

Poulter was among 17 golfers sanctioned by the Tour shortly after play got underway at LIV Golf’s inaugural event outside London on Thursday.

“I will appeal for sure. It makes no sense,” the former world number five said after carding a five-over 75 in the opening round at Centurion Club.

“Having two Tour cards and the ability to play golf all over the world, what’s wrong with that?

“I didn’t resign my membership because I don’t feel I have done anything wrong. I have played all over the world for 25 years. This is no different ... it’s a power struggle and it’s just disappointing.”

Players back PGA Tour decision to suspend LIV Golf players

Saturday 11 June 2022 13:45 , Jamie Braidwood

McIlroy: “All he (PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan) is doing is basically going by the book. I think that the majority of the membership that are here this week and that haven’t went and played elsewhere really appreciate that.

“So I think he’s done the right thing because these guys have broken rules and done things outside of the tournament regulations, and because of that, there are going to be consequences, I guess.”

“I’m pleased,” Thomas added. “I think anybody that’s shocked clearly hasn’t been listening to the message that Jay and everybody’s been putting out. They took that risk going into it, whether they thought it was a risk or not.

“Like I’ve said the whole time, I have great belief and great confidence in the PGA Tour and where we’re going and continuing to grow to, and those guys just aren’t going to be a part of it.”

LIV Golf: Team leaderboard

Saturday 11 June 2022 13:25 , Jamie Braidwood

1. STINGER GC - Total: -15

RD. 2: Counting Scores: Schwartzel 66, du Plessis 68

2. CRUSHERS GC - Total: -8

RD. 2: Counting Scores: Uihlein 66, Smyth 69

3. MAJESTICKS GC - Total: -6

RD. 2: Counting Scores: Poulter 66, Horsfield 70

4. ACES GC - Total: -4

RD. 2: Counting Scores: Bekker 67, Johnson 70

LIV Golf: Leaderboard

Saturday 11 June 2022 13:15 , Jamie Braidwood

-7

Charl Schwartzel (65, 66)

-5

Hennie Plessis (68, 66)

-4

Peter Uihlein (70, 66)

-3

Oliver Bekker (70, 67)

Selected others: Dustin Johnson (-1), Sergio Garcia (+1), Ian Poulter (+1), Phil Mickelson (+4)

Delaney: Will football ever have its own LIV Golf? It’s already here

Saturday 11 June 2022 13:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Given the number of football people that are still obsessed with golf, many have naturally been messaging friends on the tour about the LIV controversy. The responses have been as varied as they have been predictable. Some are aghast at golf’s august institutions being ravaged, some think it’s fair enough to take the money. A core of the game’s officials fear something similar again for football, others are sensing more opportunity.

Many are describing it as “golf’s European Super League moment”, and it is why the threat of that project is still so pertinent. Its next steps will dictate the future of the game, and decide whether anything even worse – such as LIV Soccer – is yet possible in football.

Piece by The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney:

Will football ever have its own LIV Golf? It’s already here

What is the prize fund?

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:55 , Jamie Braidwood

Each regular season event will have a prize fund of $25m - every player in the field receives a cut, with a guaranteed $4m for first and $120,000 for last place. Of the $25m, $5m will be split between the top three teams.

The top three players in the overall individual championship will receive a split of $30m, with the overall champion taking $18m, the runner-up receiving $8m and third place getting $4m.

The season-ending team championship has a prize fund of $50m, with the winning team splitting $16m and the team who finishes last receiving $1m. Each player receives a 25 per cent cut.

For comparison, the winner of the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four majors, receives $3m out of a total prize fund of $15m.

How will the season work?

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:45 , Jamie Braidwood

The LIV Golf London event at Centurion Club is the first of seven ‘regular season’ events to take place in its inaugural year, with the season-ending team championship closing the year as the final event of the season.

The team championship will see all 12 teams seeded and a four-day knockout tournament will be played using match play scoring to determine the winner, with a championship match taking place on the final day.

An individual champion will also be crowned using points accumulated over the seven ‘regular season’ events.

• LIV Golf London, Centurion Club - June 9-11

• LIV Golf Portland, Pumpkin Ridge - June 30 - July 2

• LIV Golf Bedminster, Trump National - July 29-31

• LIV Golf Boston, Greater Boston - September 2-4

• LIV Golf Chicago, Rich Harvest Farms - September 16-18

• LIV Golf Bangkok, Stonehill - October 7-9

• LIV Golf Jeddah, Royal Greens - October 14-16

• LIV Golf Miami, Trump National Doral - October 27-30

When does it start and is it on TV?

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:35 , Jamie Braidwood

The third and final round kicks off with a shotgun start at 2:15pm on Saturday 11 June.

LIV Golf has yet to be picked up by a major broadcaster in the UK.

However, the action will be live streamed for free on the LIV Golf YouTube channel and Facebook page.

What are the rules?

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:25 , Jamie Braidwood

LIV Golf Series events will be played over three days and 54 holes, rather than the traditional four-day events with 72 holes. There won’t be a cut, either, so the 48 players who start the week will play all three rounds.

There will also be individual and team competitions within the same event. The individual competition will be won by the player who shoots the lowest score over 54 holes, as normal.

The team competition, however, will be made up of 12 teams of four players, with team captains selecting the teams using a ‘snake draft’ ahead of the opening event at Centurion Club. Teams will also have their own unique names and logos.

In terms of scoring, the best two individual scores will count towards the team’s overall total across the opening two rounds, with the best three scores combining on the third and final round. The team with the lowest overall score at the end of the third round will be the winner.

What is LIV Golf?

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Reports of a new breakaway league first emerged in 2019 but gathered pace last year as two-time Open champion Greg Norman became the face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series as its chief executive.

With Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund financing the series, there is a clear link to the Saudi Arabia government, whose record on human rights has been criticised by groups such as Amnesty International.

But what for a long time was considered to be a bargaining threat to the traditional PGA and DP World Tours and nothing more took shape as the LIV Golf Series, which also features new competition rules and what tournament organisers say is an “exciting” new format.

LIV Golf: Bryson DeChambeau becomes latest player to join tour

Saturday 11 June 2022 12:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Bryson DeChambeau has become the latest high-profile golfer to join the controversial LIV Golf tour.

The former US Open champion and eight-time winner on the PGA Tour joins the likes of Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson in switching to the breakaway Saudi-backed series.

The PGA Tour confirmed on Thursday that all players currently playing at the opening event in St Albans this week and any who play in future events are indefinitely suspended.

“Bryson DeChambeau is an exciting addition to LIV Golf’s supercharged style of play. He is passionate about the sport, innovative in his approach and committed to pushing the boundaries in pursuit of excellence,” said LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman upon the announcement.

Bryson DeChambeau becomes latest player to join LIV Golf tour

Report from Centurion Club, by Tom Kershaw

Saturday 11 June 2022 21:04 , Lawrence Ostlere

Golf’s renegade circus came to an underwhelming end on Saturday at Centurion as Charles Schwartzel hoisted aloft a trophy that carried no great significance. The South African had taken a three-shot lead into the final day of the inaugural LIV Golf event and the gimmicks of a team format and a shotgun start failed to spark any added twists or turns through the trees in Hemel Hempstead as he coasted to victory by one shot.

It was a day that lacked drama and offered few highlights that will live long in sporting memory, with nobody able to mount a challenge even as Schwartzel faltered on the back nine. That will not stop it from being deemed a resounding success by LIV Golf’s Saudi backers, though. The eye-watering prize money on offer was a greater subject of fascination than any sporting merit and its pull on the golfing world only grows stronger as Patrick Reed and Pat Perez were announced as the latest established PGA Tour names to jump ship.

Schwartzel collected a winner’s cheque worth an astonishing £3.2m for his first professional victory in over six years, but the wealth seeped down the leaderboard here like an oil slick. Hennie du Plessis, who at least applied a degree of pressure on his compatriot Schwartzel, earned over £2m for finishing second. Peter Uihlein’s birdie putt on the 18th that pushed him into a share of third was worth £180,000 alone. Andy Ogletree might have finished in dead last on 23 over par but the American still left with a guaranteed £100,000.

Charles Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion

LIV Golf roundup

Saturday 11 June 2022 23:06 , Lawrence Ostlere

Schwartzel’s victory ended a tumultuous launch week for the breakaway circuit which is backed to the tune of $250 million by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Organisers will point to decent-sized crowds, plenty of glitz and the presence of big names including six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia.

But the first of eight events has been as much about a developing power struggle off the course and accusations of Saudi ‘sportswashing’ and greed as the action on it.

“All I can say is that the evolution of golf has arrived,” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, who tried to set up a new world tour in the 1990s, said at the presentation ceremony.

“For 27 years there have been a lot of obstacles put in our path, a lot of dreams have tried to be squashed but they couldn’t squash us.”