On the weekend that LIV Golf opened play, the harshest criticism for the upstart league did not come from anyone on the PGA Tour.
Rather, it came from Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered in 2018.
U.S. intelligence eventually came to find bin Salman responsible for orchestrating Khashoggi’s death. In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Cengiz called for any golfer choosing to play in the Saudi-backed LIV series to be banned from playing in any major tournaments.
“If they still carry on and play as if everything is normal, then they should be banned from playing in the world’s major tournaments,’’ Cengiz said. “This will show that there are consequences for supporting murderers, and it will show the murderers that they are not escaping justice.’’
Khashoggi was also the subject of Phil Mickelson’s controversial comments to author Alan Shipnuck, which resulted in his hiatus from the PGA Tour and eventual leap to LIV Golf.
“They’re scary motherf—ers to get involved with,” Mickelson told Shipnuck. “We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Last week, the PGA Tour released a statement issuing indefinite bans for any players who participate in LIV Golf. The list of PGA Tour members who have made the leap includes Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Rickie Fowler and others.
The first LIV Golf event was held this weekend in London, with Charl Schwartzel emerging as the winner.