Tony Finau Reveals Saudi-Backed Golf League Approach

Last October, the Asian Tour penned a landmark $200million deal with LIV Golf Investments, a start-up company with Greg Norman as its CEO that would look to drive and promote commercial opportunities in Asian Pacific territories. But with Public Investment Fund also being the majority shareholder of LGI, speculation continues to grow that Norman will be at the centre of a new Saudi-backed golf league. 

Rumours are rife around the golfing world right now and Tony Finau has revealed that he has been approached by the Saudis as well as "most top guys."

"I mean, yeah, I've been approached just like I think most top guys, as you would expect," Finau said. "I don't have a stance on it yet. I think we're just like everyone, don't really know what's going on with that. But I'm grateful to be on the PGA Tour, it's been an honor for me to have an opportunity to play and display my talent in front of the world on a tour like the PGA Tour, so much history there.

"Again, I watch guys like Tiger, like Phil, all these guys play PGA Tour evens and win PGA TOUR events. That's all I know since I was a kid, I didn't know any other tours and I didn't think any of the other tours had what the PGA TOUR had to offer and up to this point in my career very happy I'm on the PGA TOUR and having won a couple times I would like to win more this year.

The PGA Tour granted releases for a number of its players to tee it up at the Saudi International, where Tony Finau will make his second appearance later this month. According to reports, the DP World Tour has also granted releases to its players. Finau will tee it up in Saudi along with some of the biggest names in the game including Phil Mickeson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and many more. The agreement to allow its players tee it up at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club was that PGA Tour players had to tee it up at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in future years as part of the deal.

"The Tour has a history of granting releases to us to play, really on any Tour, so I thought it was just a pretty standard, yeah, I expected it and thought it was pretty standard for them to do that and so I'll be playing in my second Saudi International," Finau said.