Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood & Dustin Johnson contacted over Saudi Arabian-funded super league
- Published
American Phil Mickelson has been talking with Greg Norman in Saudi Arabia before this week's Saudi International
Most of the world's top 100 players have been asked to join a Saudi-funded super league, says Phil Mickelson.
England's Lee Westwood revealed on Wednesday that he has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that prevents him from discussing the issue.
Another former world number one, Dustin Johnson, has hinted he too has an NDA.
When asked if he had been approached, six-times major winner Mickelson said: "Pretty much every player in the top 100 in the world has been contacted."
It has been reported that Westwood's Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter is considering a £22m offer to sign up with the Saudis.
BBC Sport understands another current European Ryder Cup player turned down a £7m offer to sign up. Unlike Mickelson, Westwood and Poulter this player is not competing at this week's Saudi International event in King Abdullah Economic City.
The super league is expected to be the next step by the Saudis, who have ploughed £300m in to the Asian Tour to create a 10-tournament International Series, fronted by former world number one Greg Norman's Liv Golf Investments.
The International Series, which plans to run for the next decade, includes an event at the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire this June and is being funded by the Saudi's Public Investment Fund, which was also used to buy Premier League Newcastle United last year.
Norman says the Series "is just the beginning" and he is expected to serve as commissioner of the proposed super league.
It would be a limited field Formula One style circuit that would include a team element as well as individual competition.
"I think it's a really good concept," said current world number five Johnson. "I think it makes it a little more interesting for the fans and for the players."
Asked to comment on whether Poulter had been approached by the Saudis, Johnson said: "Obviously whether they have or haven't, I'm not allowed to disclose. You'd have to ask Ian on that one."
This suggests the former Masters and US Open champion, who has twice won the Saudi International event, is also subject to an NDA.
Players who join the super league could be banned from the US-run PGA Tour, European-based DP World Tour and future Ryder Cups.
The field for this week's Saudi International, which is the flagship event on the Asian Tour but not part of the new 10-event series, includes Sergio Garcia, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey and Shane Lowry, who all represented Europe in last year's Ryder Cup.
Mickelson is joined by fellow major-winning Americans Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Jason Dufner as well as Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour grudgingly allowed their players releases for this week's tournament, which was formerly played under the auspices of the European Tour.
Mickelson contends that an influx of Saudi Arabian money into the game has given players greater leverage with the American and European-based circuits.
The 51-year-old cited the introduction of the PGA Tour's $40m Player Impact Programme (PIP) that rewards leading players for increasing their presence on social media.
"Everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career," said Mickelson.
"I'm appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour.
"We would not have an incentive programme like the PIP for the top players without this type of competition. We would not have the increase in the FedExCup money.
"We would not have the increase in The Players Championship to $20m this year if it wasn't for this threat.
"My hopes are that the biggest thing, which are media rights and the way the players have been used for so long, I hope that that changes through the competitive opportunity, as well."