Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is unique in a way that it offers celebrity amateur golfers from different fields the chance to compete with some of the best in the arena. Alongside the main event, there is a team championship competition where the amateur is paired with a professional golfer.
However, there is one player, Andrew Waterman, who enjoys relative anonymity among the stars. But a report has emerged that says he is one of the most influential figures in sports right now. In fact, he is also one of the most polarizing figures in the golf world.
The influential figure who is playing under a pseudonym
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LIV Golf, since its inception, has cleaved the world of golf into two. An exodus of players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour meant the breakaway golf league was at loggerheads with the two established tournaments since the beginning. Now, the mastermind behind LIV is set to play at the DP Tour World Tour event at St. Andrews. Although not without a caveat.
As per The Scotsman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the 53-year-old chairman of the LIV golf will play at this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The report added that the golfer will be playing under a false name, “Andrew Waterman.” Incidentally, Al-Rumayyan has appeared in the tournament before, under his real name.
The LIV mastermind is set to play alongside LIV golfers Peter Uihlein, Laurie Canter, Talor Gooch, and Louis Oosthuizen. Adding to the name of celebrity golfers at this year’s event is Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of R&A, who will also play in the same group as the Saudi Aramco chairman.
🚨#NEW: Yasir Al-Rumayyan is set to compete in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews and is in the field using a fake name listed as ‘Andrew Waterman.’ The PIF leader will tee it up alongside R&A boss Martin Slumbers and LIV golfer Peter Uihlein. pic.twitter.com/XWu7pxfo3K
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) October 4, 2023
Al-Rumayyan, as a matter of fact, was the mastermind behind PIF’s heavy investment in the arena of golf. He was also the man who sought out a peace accord with PGA Tour.
Why has this caught the attention of golf fans?
This is definitely a significant development, as LIV since its inception has polarized the golf world. LIV had an acrimonious relationship with PGA Tour and its European counterpart DP World Tour, since it lured away multiple Major winners and ace golfers from the two. Since then the issue has been mired in litigations and counter-litigations.
Hashing out a deal with the PGA Tour, however, has not proven easy. It has been months since the initial announcement, but there has been no concrete update on the deal. DP World Tour, on the other hand, hasn’t moved away from its previous position, banning LIV golfers from participating in this year’s Ryder Cup. A reported breakthrough was on the horizon, but the deal is yet to see the light of the day.
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By using a pseudonym, Al-Rumayyan, probably wanted to fly under the radar ahead of the tournament. But the exact opposite has happened.
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