Johnson will be joining a field that also features Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeauGETTY IMAGES
Dustin Johnson is among a group of American golfers committed to the European Tour's Saudi Int'l later this month, and Johnson said that he "talked to his corporate sponsors to make sure they didn’t have a problem with him playing" amid the political tensions in Saudi Arabia, according to Doug Ferguson of the AP. Johnson: "That was a concern with our team. I’m going over there to play a sport I’m paid to play." Ferguson noted Johnson will be "joining a field that features Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau." Among those not going is Englishman Paul Casey, who last April "was listed as 'confirmed' for the tournament." But he said that that "was never the case, only that he had entertained the idea of going." There also was the "matter of Casey being an ambassador for UNICEF, with the logo on his golf bag." Casey: "There are a lot of places in the world that I have played and continue to go, which you could question ... some human rights violations that governments have committed. I thought I’d sit this one out." Koepka, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, also said that he "received no pushback from his sponsors" (AP, 1/14).
FEELING AT HOME IN THE MIDDLE EAST: In N.Y., Jeff Shain noted this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the "first of six events set for the Middle East" in '19, which is 12% of the European Tour’s schedule and "some of its most attractive stops." Abu Dhabi this year "joins the Rolex Series, a collection of eight showcase events offering purses" of at least $7M. The tour "shifts to Dubai a week later" before the Saudi Int'l. European Tour CEO Keith Pelley last year said, "Across the board, our golfers love playing in the Middle East. They feel incredibly safe there, they are treated exceptionally well, and all of our host courses are terrific." Pelley also "hinted that the Middle East expansion may not be done" (NYTIMES.com, 1/15).
