Pebble Beach Pro-Am may feel the effects of an event held in Saudi Arabia, as the PGA competes against the Asia Tour on scheduling.

In the days leading up to the PGA Tour’s visit to the Bahamas for the Dec. 2-5 Hero World Challenge, golfers spent more time talking about two distant settings: Saudi Arabia and – by inference – Pebble Beach.

Several of the tour’s biggest names are scheduled to compete at the Saudi International in February and have asked to be released from PGA commitments for the event. They reportedly include five-time Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Phil Mickelson, along with Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepke, Bryson DeChambeau, Kevin Na, Xander Schauffele and others.

“I need to play against the best in order to be the best, and wherever that is is where I will go,” Schauffele said in a press conference prior to the Bahamas round.

But there’s a scheduling conflict, one that could have a significant impact on the annual Pro-Am, and on the future of professional golf.

The Saudi event takes place Feb. 3-6, the same weekend as the PGA Tour stop at Pebble Beach. Golfers have long crossed organizational boundaries. Members of the European Tour, for instance, play PGA Tour dates. But those organizations reached a sanctioning agreement of which the kingdom’s event is not a part, thus waivers to participate are required.

While tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has yet to announce whether waivers will be granted – the organization has until Jan. 4 to respond – there is little recourse other than a fine to punish golfers should they ignore a ban. And Saudi Arabia is paying the top players to take part.

A number of touring pros skip the Pro-Am each year for various reasons. But the exodus of so many of the sport’s top drawing cards could dent ad sales, celebrity participation and attendance. The event serves as one of the two main annual fundraisers for the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.

“I understand the PGA Tour’s point,” golfer Rory McIlroy said in a press conference. “They don’t want to lose their top players to go play on another tour. I get it.”

McIlroy is not slated to play at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. But he says the conflict exposes a flaw in the structure of professional golf: “We as professionals know where we stand. Are we actually independent contractors? Are we employed by a certain entity?”

Many vested in the PGA and European tours see this as a move by Saudi Arabia to roil the usually calm waters of professional golf. The kingdom has for several years been pushing to establish a rival tour – Super Golf League – stocked with the sport’s elite.

On this, PGA’s Monahan has been adamant. If such a league develops, any player who jumps will face a permanent ban from the PGA. Collin Morikawa, currently the world’s number-two golfer, told reporters he had been approached by the Saudi venture.

“A lot of it goes through my agent and I want to know as much information as possible,” he added. “You don’t want to be left out, obviously, if things go one way versus the other.”