Johnson And McDowell Dropped By RBC Over Saudi-Backed LIV Series

The dust is still settling on the names revealed in the LIV Golf Invitational Series field. However, two of its most high-profile entrants are already experiencing the fallout from their decisions to play in next week’s opening event at London’s Centurion Club.

The Royal Bank of Canada has issued a statement explaining that it is ending its relationship with headliner Dustin Johnson and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell because of their involvement. The statement reads: “As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players. We wish them well in their future endeavours.”

There had been speculation Johnson, who has had a relationship with RBC since 2018 and was an ambassador for the bank, would likely lose it as a sponsor in the coming days. Earlier, the bank said it was “extremely disappointed” that Johnson had opted to skip next week’s RBC Canadian Open in favour of the Series opener. 

RBC has not been slow to react, with the news coming less than a day after the American was revealed as the marquee name for the event after reportedly being lured by the prospect of a $125m payment.

While that colossal sum will undoubtedly cushion the financial blow of losing one of his most high-profile sponsors, it is likely to come as a bigger, although hardly unexpected, blow for McDowell. After all, the pair are not the first to have their sponsorships terminated due to associations with the Saudi-backed Series, which has been the subject of several controversies throughout 2022, including allegations of sportswashing. Last month, Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood appeared to have lost their UPS deals, while Phil Mickelson also lost sponsors due to his explosive comments about both the Series and the PGA Tour.

Even though McDowell isn’t thought to have been enticed to the Series with the offer of big money, the opening tournament's $25m purse is undoubtedly a significant incentive for a player who currently sits 151st on the PGA Tour money list with earnings of $527,904 in 2022. With only 47 players to compete against next week, McDowell stands to earn $4m if he wins the tournament. Meanwhile, even finishing last should guarantee a payout of around $120,000.