LIV Golf field 2022: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson headline list of players in controversial tour’s inaugural event

LIV Golf has become a looming threat to the PGA Tour as it tries to lure top players with large payouts. The field for the LIV Golf Invitational Series' inaugural event shows that it could take away at least a few big names.

The company Tuesday released the list of players who will be participating in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place at the Centurion Club in London from June 9-11. Headlining the list was Dustin Johnson, the 13th-ranked player in the world.

A late entry to the list? Phil Mickelson, whose early support of, and controversial comments about, the Saudi Arabia-based league led him to take an extended absence from golf.

MORE: Phil Mickelson's LIV controversy, explained

Who is listed by LIV as confirmed players? The Sporting News takes a look.

LIV Golf field 2022

Johnson and Mickelson are the biggest names on the list. But plenty of other familiar names are listed.

LIV Golf initially announced 42 players in the field. Among them, 16 rank among the top 100 in the world, including Louis Oosthuiszen, Kevin Na, Talor Gooch and Sergio Garcia. Brooks Koepka's brother, Chase Koepka, is listed as a participant. Turk Pettit, the 2021 NCAA individual men's golf champion, is also on the list.

Not long after the original field had been announced, LIV Golf announced that Mickelson would also be joining the league, with the six-time major champion calling it a "fresh start." He joined five other players announced in the 48-man field.

MORE: LIV Golf format, explained: Weekly drafts, lucrative payouts to players

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has previously threatened any golfers who leave for LIV Golf with possibly being banned from the PGA Tour.

Johnson had previously distanced himself from LIV Golf, saying in a statement in February he was "fully-committed to the PGA Tour." His agent, David Winkle, indicated that the commitment is no longer as full as it was.

"Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off and on for the past couple of years," Winkle told ESPN. "Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family's best interest to pursue it. Dustin has never had an issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end (he) felt this was too compelling to pass up."

MORE: Why Jack Nicklaus turned down over $100M to join LIV Golf

The London event will take place at the same time as the RBC Canadian Open, which Johnson won in 2018. The RBC Canadian Open said in a statement it was "disappointed to learn" that Johnson would be playing in the LIV event.

A statement from the RBC Canadian Open on Dustin Johnson’s decision to play in LIV golf event pic.twitter.com/BSahB3UeaX

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 1, 2022

And on Wednesday, RBC ended its sponsorship of Johnson, a deal that the parties agreed to in February of 2018. They also severed ties with Graeme McDowell, the only other player that they sponsored who has decided to play in the LIV event.

LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement that "free agency has finally come to golf." He said he believes the new series will help "change the course of history" and bring "new and open competition" to golf.

"The desire shown by the players to participate in LIV Golf demonstrates their emphatic belief in our model and confidence in what we’re building for the future," Norman said.

MORE: Norman's incredible comments about murder of Khashoggi

The full list of golfers named by LIV Golf, with their Official World Golf Ranking as of May 29.

* Amateur.