LIV Golf has Florida ties and is paying PGA Tour members to defect. Here's what you need to know

Seventeen golfers playing in the LIV Golf Series were suspended by the PGA Tour, according to a Thursday announcement.

Those who choose to participate in the future will also be suspended, the Tour announced. The announcement came roughly 30 minutes after the LIV teed off in London for its first 54-hole, team-oriented tournament, USA TODAY reported.

Players who have resigned their PGA Tour membership won't be eligible for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and will not be allowed to play in PGA Tour events as "a non-member via a sponsor exemption or any other eligibility category."

"I am certain our fans and partners — who are surely tired of the all this talk of money, money and money — will continue to be entertained and compelled by the world-class competition you display each and every week, where there are true consequences for every shot you take and your rightful place in history whenever you reach that elusive winner's circles," PGA Tour president Jay Monahan said in a statement.

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What is the LIV Golf Series?

The LIV Golf tour was formed in 2020, backed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. The tour is controversial because the Saudi government has been accused of human rights violations, including potential ties to the killing of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.

LIV Golf — whose name is derived from the Roman numeral for 54 — plans to run eight events between June and October in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Each event will consist of 54 holes (three 18-hole days), where 48 players will compete on 12 different teams.

The LIV Tour also said there won't be any cuts and each round will be a "shotgun start," where players start on every hole instead of having group tee times, in hopes to speed up the pace of play. LIV Golf will dole out a combined $250 million in prize money across events, individual winners, and winning teams.

Is it a Saudi Arabia golf tournament?

The Public Investment Fund, which is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has paid players high sums to defect from the PGA Tour. The idea is to make it a Super League by 2024 with 14 tournaments, Golf Monthly reported.

Only one tournament this season is actually in Saudi Arabia. The Oct. 14-16 event is scheduled for Jeddah's Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

PGA players including Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were suspended

The tour has already landed a number of big names. Phil Mickelson, one of the first known PGA Tour players to support the league, says he doesn't plan to resign his PGA Tour membership.

Dustin Johnson announced this week that he resigned from the PGA Tour and intends to participate only in LIV Golf events and majors in the immediate future. He reportedly received $125 million to join the tour. He joins Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Ian Poulter and others for the tour’s inaugural event at the Centurion Golf Club outside of London.

While 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau won't play in the inaugural event, his agent announced Wednesday that he will join the league, starting July 1-3 for the tour’s event in North Plains, Oregon.

Is Donald Trump, a Florida resident, involved in LIV Golf?

Five of the new tour's tournaments are scheduled for the United States, starting July 1-3 near Portland, Oregon. Two are on courses owned by former President Donald Trump, including the one he owns at Doral, in South Florida. It poses a direct challenge to the PGA Tour because its regulations do not allow for any releases for tournaments held in North America.

Where will LIV Golf be played in Florida?

Trump National Doral will host LIV Golf's Team Championship the last week of October. It will feature 12 teams, Golf Digest reported. The first-place team wins $16 million, followed by $10 million for second, and $8 million for third. Each player on the team gets a 25% cut.

Greg Norman is from Florida. What is his role in the LIV Golf Series?

Greg Norman, known as the "Shark", is again wading into the waters of a rival golf league.

Norman, the two-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, attempted to get the World Golf Tour off the ground in 1994, but was unsuccessful.

Golfweek reported in November how the PGA Tour planned to create a series of lucrative, international tournaments that will offer guaranteed money to the world's best players. Norman, a South Florida resident, is heading up the league. Jack Nicklaus, one of the founders of the modern PGA Tour, said he was offered

USA TODAY's Scooby Axson and Cale Clinton contributed to this report.

John Gallas manages a digital optimization team that works with several newsrooms in Florida. Support their work by subscribing to a local news organization. And find him on Twitter as @JohnGallasNJ.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: LIV Golf tour: PGA Tour suspends players with Florida connections