Mickelson says 'everyone in top 100' approached to play in Saudi league

While Dustin Johnson welcomes the challenge he will face on the course at the lucrative Saudi International, Phil Mickelson appreciates the financial competition being offered to the established tours, claiming on Wednesday that "everyone in the top 100 has been approached" to play in the new Saudi Arabian-funded Super Golf League.

For the first time, the tournament is an Asian Tour-sanctioned event and despite the hostility of the European and US tours to plans for the Asian Tour to act as a platform for a Saudi-backed Super League, the money on offer has drawn a star-studded field.

Every PGA Tour and the DP World Tour member playing at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club this week had to seek a special release to enter the $5 million event.

Yet the 120 player-field that tees off Thursday includes Johnson, Mickelson, world number eight and Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele, number nine Bryson DeChambeau and 11th-ranked Cameron Smith as well as major winners including Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed.

Mickelson, himself a six-time major winner, is rumoured to be one of the players Golf Saudi is pursuing for the proposed league.

"Everyone in the top 100 of the world has been approached," he said Wednesday.

"I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there are parts of it that they're probably concerned with," Mickelson, who is 51, said.

"I'm appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour," he said.

"We would not have the increase in the FedExCup money. We would not