PGA Tour and DP World Tour must ‘fight off’ Saudi-backed rival, says Colin Montgomerie

The Asia Tour is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund

Montgomerie has warned tours about their rival (Getty Images)

Colin Montgomerie has warned the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to “fight off” the Asian Tour, which is backed by Saudi investment.

Saudi Arabia government’s Private Investment Fund has put $200m into the rival circuit which has led to fears of a Super League in the sport. Montgomerie says the money motivation in golf is “problematic”.

“It’s a shame it’s come to this. We used to work well with the Asian Tour and now we are at loggerheads because of money,” Montgomerie told BBC Sport.

“It’s a problematic issue. It’s that horrible, evil word, money. The mighty dollar ruling people’s hearts and minds.

“We never played the game for money as such on the European Tour [now DP World Tour] when I first started out. I was trying to see how much better I could get as a golfer. Now it’s all about that evil word, money.

“It’s a shame. Let’s hope the European Tour is closer to the PGA Tour than we’ve ever been before and we can fight it off.”

Saudi Arabia is investing in sports in a bid to distance itself from its human rights record, a move called sportswashing. The upcoming Saudi International is the Asia Tour’s flagship event and it’s attracted a wealth of stars including Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood.

Montgomerie added it’s a shame the money invested wasn’t put towards a better cause.

“That money could have been used to promote the women’s game,” he added. “It’s a ridiculous amount of money to be thrown at people who don’t need it.