Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell Sponsorships Ended by RBC amid LIV Series Involvement

The Royal Bank of Canada confirmed it has terminated sponsorship contracts with longtime PGA Tour players Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell after they were listed as expected participants for the debut LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament.

"As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players. We wish them well in their future endeavors," an RBC spokesperson told ESPN's Mark Schlabach on Wednesday.

The first LIV event is scheduled to begin June 9 at the Centurion Club in London.

Johnson was the biggest surprise among those named on the entry list for next week's event. The two-time major champion said in February he was "fully committed" to the PGA Tour, but clearly changed his mind over the last three months.

His agent, David Winkle, released a statement Tuesday night about the decision.

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

The LIV Golf Series will offer $255 million in prize money over eight events, per Schlabach.

In May, the PGA Tour announced it would deny waivers for players to compete in the rival tour and previously suggested players could face a permanent ban for playing in LIV events.

Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf and a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he doesn't believe the Tour has legal standing to deny players freedom of tour movement, per Schlabach.

"I can only speak on information given to me by our legal team, and I have an extremely talented legal team in antitrust and anti-competitive laws, and we believe we're in the right position," Norman said. "We believe the players are independent contractors and have a right to go play wherever they want to go play."

The issue is likely heading toward an extended court battle.

In the meantime, it's unclear whether golfers who take part in the first LIV Series tournament will be eligible for the last two major tournaments of the 2021-22 season, the U.S. Open in mid-June and The Open Championship in mid-July.

McDowell has won four PGA Tour titles, including the 2010 U.S. Open, which saw him hold off the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els in the final round.

He's missed the cut in eight of the 15 PGA Tour events he's played this season and has yet to record a top-10 finish.