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- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
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- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
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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 have the increase in The Players Championship to $20 million this year if it wasn't for this threat."
- Return to the top -
Johnson's last victory came at the Saudi International last year. He has not won since and will tee off Thursday in fifth, a slide that was partly his own choice.
The American took a 14-week break after the CJ Cup in October.
Now he can regain some momentum at an event where he has won twice and finished second once in its first three editions.
Asked if the number one ranking was on his mind, Johnson replied: "Absolutely!"
"I took a break because I felt like I needed it, and I wasn't really happy with the way I played last year. So, just wanted to kind of reset and prepare for this year."
The 37-year-old Johnson has been overtaken in the rankings by a younger generation.
The reigning world number one Jon Rahm is 27 years old, number two Collin Morikawa is 24 as is third-ranked Viktor Hovland.
"I feel like the amount of talent in the game of golf right now is incredible. To get to number one and staying at number one is very difficult. You have got to play well every single week. It's very tough to stay at the top just because of the level of talent of the guys around you," said Johnson.
"Obviously, since the first year I came, I've liked the golf course. I've obviously done pretty well here," he said. "It's a tournament I enjoy playing."
X.Karnes--AMWN