LIV Golf: Peter Uihlein hits spectator at London’s Centurion Club

One spectator at the LIV Golf event in London this weekend was painfully caught out and hit right on the back-side with a wide drive from Peter Uihlein.

The new Saudi-backed LIV Golf series has been making the headlines in recent days as many top PGA Tour pros have jumped ship to join the start-up.

On Friday, Bryson DeChambeau became the most recent star to join the breakaway series and it followed the confirmation from the PGA Tour that rebel players who participate in LIV Golf events are to be suspended with immediate effect.

There are two main reasons for the hostile response to the addition of the series.

Firstly, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – the same organisation that helped bankroll the takeover of Newcastle United – are the major shareholders in LIV Golf.

It’s commonly perceived that this sovereign fortune is frequently used to ‘sportswash’ the Gulf nation’s activities – for example by investing money in LIV Golf, Newcastle football club, major boxing events and Formula 1.

Secondly, the chairman of the PIF is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bin Salman was identified in a declassified United States intelligence report as being complicit in the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi – an accusation Bin Salman has denied.

Everyone has their own reasons for making the switch so it’s impossible to say for all of them, however there is one obvious benefit – prize money.

The new series has scheduled seven events in 2022, each one holding a total prize fund of £25 million. A figure considerably higher than even the most lucrative tournament on the PGA Calendar.

The inaugural event kicked off just a couple of days ago at London’s Centurion club with the final day happening right