Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood among Saudi International line-up

  • By Iain Carter
  • BBC golf correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Image caption,

DP World Tour players Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton have all signed up to play in Saudi Arabia

Bryson DeChambeau and seven of Europe's Ryder Cup team will play next year's Saudi International, putting them on a collision course with their home tours.

The players are among 25 revealed by organisers of the event which will be played near Jeddah from 3-6 February.

Their participation puts them in conflict with the PGA and DP World Tours, who have indicated they will not provide releases to their players.

This may lead to fines or suspensions for some of the game's biggest names.

Former US Open winner DeChambeau will be joined by fellow major-winning Americans Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner as well as Olympic champion Xander Schauffele at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.

The list also includes Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. They were all members of the European Ryder Cup team beaten at Whistling Straits in September.

There is a strategic alliance between the American and European circuits. Both are wary of a potential Saudi super-league which could involve the world's leading players.

February's Saudi tournament, which was previously part of the European Tour schedule, is now the Asian Tour's flagship event.

"The Asian Tour has gone from being partners to being competitors," said European Tour chairman David Williams in a recent interview with The Scotsman. "And we are fierce competitors."

The Saudis have appointed former world number one Greg Norman as their figurehead. As Chairman of Liv Golf Investments, the Australian is overseeing an initial $200m (£140m) pumped into the Asian Tour.

The 66-year-old said "this is just the beginning" when he was announced as chief executive last month.

"Do I think Saudi Arabia could become a golfing powerhouse? Yes, I do," Norman added in a recent interview for Arab News.

Other players to have confirmed that they will play the $5m Saudi event next year include Ryder Cup vice-captains Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson as well as former world number one Adam Scott.

Organisers say it will be the strongest international field ever assembled on the Asian Tour.

The DP World Tour has told BBC Sport it has no comment to the news at this stage but how it and the PGA Tour reacts will be watched closely by by leading players all over the world.