Two of the worldâs top three golfers are headed back to a controversial European Tour event in Saudi Arabia. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are committed to the 2020 Saudi International, to be held in January at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
The return of Johnson, the defending champion, and Koepka, the world No. 1, is huge news for the event, which debuted last January to a star-studded field that also included Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and others.
âI really enjoyed my trip to Saudi Arabia last year and my game certainly suited the layout at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club,â Johnson said in a release.
âI have very good memories from the week and look forward to defending my title.
âItâs great to see how Golf Saudi has strengthened its commitment to create a world-class golf event and plans to grow golf in the region are in full swing. Itâs an honor to be a part of it.â
Koepka, who finished T57 last year, also released a statement on his appearance.
âIâm excited to be returning to Saudi Arabia, after an enjoyable visit last year,â he said. âThe golf course is one of the best Iâve played in the region, with incredible scenery, including some breathtaking views of the Red Sea.
âThe event is an opportunity to showcase the work being done to grow the game of golf in the Kingdom, which was evidenced by the enthusiastic fans last year. It is great to be involved with the initiative and I look forward to seeing the progress Golf Saudi has made in the past year.â
The controversy behind the Saudi International
Host course Royal Greens was officially opened in 2018 after years of planning and became the first Saudi golf community of its kind. The event, with its $3.5 million purse, was one of six Euro Tour events to be played on the Arabian Peninsula last season. European Tour executive director Keith Pelley said a seventh could be added in the future.
Plenty of international golf tournaments take place in countries with dubious human rights records, of course. But the Saudi event came under particularly intense scrutiny last year because it fell just months after the October killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who had spoken out against Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Post columns. Khashoggi, a resident of the United States who had traveled to Turkey, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after agreeing to meet there.
Turkish officials as well as intelligence agencies from around the world (including those from the United States) concurred that the crown prince was likely responsible for ordering the killing and dismembering of Khashoggi. As a result, golfers were criticized for accepting Saudi money to appear and speak on behalf of their government.
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Paul Casey, a UNICEF ambassador, spoke out against the event last January and has taken the strongest public stance against its playing. Last fall, Tiger Woods reportedly turned down a $3.3 million appearance fee, the largest of his career, and declined his invitation to the event (although Woodsâ agent did not comment on why he had declined the invitation). Others who are in attendance are reportedly receiving appearance fees over $1 million. By contrast, Rory McIlroy recently said he was skipping this stretch of Euro Tour events for a particular reason.
âIâm getting stick [for not playing more in Europe], but Iâm turning down millions of dollars [by not going] to Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia because I want to do the right thing,â he told Golf Digestâs John Huggan. âI want to play on the courses I want to play at. I donât think I should get stick for that because I feel like Iâm doing the right thing.â
What players said last year
The most viral moment that came from last yearâs Saudi event was Sergio Garciaâs DQ after a series of temper tantrums. But the controversy around the event put the heat on several players to defend their appearances. Mostly, they dodged the questions.
âYeah, sure, politics. Iâm not a politician, Iâm a pro golfer,â world No. 1 Justin Rose said at the time. âThereâs other reasons to go play it. Itâs a good field, thereâs going to be a lot of world ranking points to play for, by all accounts itâs a good golf course and it will be an experience to experience Saudi Arabia.â
Johnson told the AP before the event that heâd weighed the countryâs political landscape in deciding to go. âObviously, that was a concern with our team,â he said. âIâm going over there to play a sport Iâm paid to play. Itâs my job to play golf. Unfortunately, itâs in a part of the world where most people donât agree with what happened, and I definitely donât support anything like that. Iâm going to play golf, not support them.
âIâm not a politician. I play golf.”
DeChambeau was effusive in his praise for the event. âWhat the European Tour is doing for the game of golf is beyond my expectationsâ¦theyâre growing the game internationally, especially in a place like Saudi Arabia itâs fantastic to see the world opening up a little bit to them,â he said. âI think itâs amazing what Saudi Arabia is doing and what the European Tour is doing.â
Koepka didnât want to comment. âIâm not going to get into it,â he said.
Perhaps the bluntest criticism came from Brandel Chamblee.
âTo turn a blind eye to the butchering of a media member in some way euphemises the egregious atrocity that not only took place with the Jamal Khashoggi murder but what goes on there all the time,â Chamblee said on the Golf Channel. âBy participating, [the players] are ventriloquists for this abhorrent, reprehensible regime.
âI cannot imagine what economic incentive it would take to get me to go to a place that is so egregiously on the wrong side of human rights. I donât think they fully understand what they are doing. I donât understand it from an economic point of view, I donât understand it from a business point of view, and I donât understand it from a moral point of view. They are legitimizing and enriching the rulers of this regime. I won’t even watch it on the TV. They should not be there.â
But Pelley made it clear he thought the criticism was unwarranted. âIt was the right decision for our tour,â he told Reuters. âWe will be back in Saudi and weâll continue to grow that event. We believe our role will help the evolution of the country.â
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