Golf's divisive LIV series prepares to tee off

Phil Mickelson headlines a field of 48 golfers at this week's LIV Golf Invitational London - the inaugural event in a breakaway series threatening to tear the sport apart.

Other big-name players who will tee off at the Centurion Club on Thursday include Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia.

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Format

There are eight events in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Seven are regular-season events - in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia - where players will compete as individuals and in teams for points and prize money.

Those competitions will be played over 54 holes in a traditional strokeplay format, instead of the usual 72, and there will be a "shotgun" start for all groups of players, who will tee off from different holes at the same time.

At the end of the seven tournaments, an individual champion will be crowned based on points accumulated throughout the season.

The eighth and final tournament will be a season-ending Team Championship matchplay event in Miami played over four days.

Since each event will be made up of a different field, teams will be decided via a draft each time.

Prize money

The golfers in the LIV series will be playing for the biggest prize pots in history - putting even the rewards on offer at the four majors in the shade.

Each regular season event will have a prize purse of $25 million, with the winner taking home $4 million.

Following the first seven events, an individual champion will be crowned, offering a total purse of $30 million for the top three