Johnson pockets £100m for Saudi about-turn

Dustin Johnson was paid around £100million by Greg Norman to secure his shock signing for the Saudi-backed rebel golf league, Telegraph Sport understands.

As the former world No1 stunned golf by being named in next week’s launch, the PGA Tour angrily hit back last night by pledging disciplinary action against him and the other players involved.

An extraordinary signing-on fee was tabled to lure Johnson as Norman became desperate to land a stellar name at the 11th hour. Phil Mickelson, who has not been named in an initial 42-man entry list, had piled pressure on organisers by telling them he was taking too much of the heat on his own.

Insiders claim Johnson will now receive up to $150million (£119million) just for stating his commitment. The record-breaking fee will more than compensate for an inevitable storm around Johnson and an expected exodus of major sponsors linked to his commitments on the PGA Tour.

Three months after declaring he was “fully committed” to the PGA, the 37-year-old was named in the field for next week’s LIV Golf Invitational, which offers $25million in prize money due to controversial backing from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Six more names are due to be added before the event begins, which could mean Mickelson is handed a late entry.

Despite the signing of Johnson, who won the Masters 18 months ago, other big names suggested they were less than impressed by the line-up. Ahead of teeing off at this week’s PGA Tour event – the Memorial Tournament – Rory Mcilroy said he was happy to continue playing in “proper tournaments”, having rejected all advances from LIV Golf. “It’s not something that I would do personally,” he added. LIV Golf had initially planned to announce the field last Friday, but Norman, the organiser-in-chief and a friend of Johnson, postponed revealing the list due to last-minute negotiations with his star signing.

Johnson was previously billed to play in the RBC Canadian Open next week, and had even appeared on promotional posters as part of an ambassadorial endorsement deal with the Canadian bank. Both RBC

and the tournament expressed dismay at his decision.

The American is by some way the biggest draw card ahead of the inaugural tournament from June 9 at the Centurion Club, St Albans. Englishmen Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Richard Bland, plus Graeme Mcdowell of Northern Ireland, are also in the 12-team field for the three-day event. Like Johnson, Mcdowell had a lucrative sponsorship deal with RBC, but the bank last night announced it had now dropped both players.

Former US Open champion Mcdowell said it had been a “very difficult decision” to commit to the LIV series, but it was the “right decision for me and my family”.

In a plea against sanctions, the Northern Irishman said: “If we do get banned from the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, for example, is that good for golf?” Both the PGA and European tours are understood to have denied releases for players, so all of those involved risk punishment after the tournament begins. The PGA said in a statement: “Members have not been authorised to participate in the Saudi Golf League’s London event, under PGA Tour regulations. Members who violate the tournament regulations are subject to disciplinary action.”

Johnson’s dropping by RBC comes after Louis Oosthuizen and Westwood lost their UPS deal and yesterday the fashion brand Hugo Boss was understood to have cut ties with Martin Kaymer.

Mickelson, 51, who has also lost several deals, had been linked with the breakaway for months but said in February he was taking a break from the game after apologising for making “reckless” comments.

Amnesty International has expressed concern over Saudi involvement, but Norman, LIV Golf’s chief executive, said “free agency has finally come to golf ”.

David Winkle, the agent of world No13 Johnson, said his client had “been contemplating this for the past two years”.