Arlo White, the Chicago Fire’s occasional voice, will be the lead announcer for the controversial new LIV Golf series

Arlo White, until recently the voice of English Premier League soccer on NBC and an occasional Chicago Fire announcer, will be the lead play-by-play caller for LIV Golf, according to an announcement Monday by the controversial new rival series to the PGA Tour.

White will be joined in the LIV Golf booth by longtime Golf Channel and NBC broadcaster Jerry Foltz and — for this week’s inaugural tournament outside London — former Asian Tour player Dom Boulet, known as the “voice of golf in Asia.” The announcement said a list of networks airing the series will be revealed later this week.

The LIV Golf series, started by Greg Norman and financed mostly by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has eight tournaments scheduled this year, including five in the United States. The 54-hole events offer huge guaranteed purses, with this week’s tournament awarding $25 million to the 48-player field and $4 million to the winner.

The PGA Tour denied releases for its members to play in the LIV Golf events and most current top players have declined to join the new league, although a few marquee names such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia are in this week’s field.

White called four Fire games on WGN-TV last summer, and he and the Major League Soccer team said in February he would return this season “for a longer spell.”

White will be replaced by Peter Drury on NBC’s Premier League coverage when the new season begins in August, according to multiple reports last week. White had been NBC’s lead voice for coverage of England’s top league since it acquired Premier League rights in 2013.

[ Arlo White is the voice of the Premier League on NBC. And although he’s from England, he’s a die-hard Cubs and Bears fan. ]