DP World Tour pro fined £675,000 and handed EIGHT tournament suspension

"This decision just ended the DP World Tour," pro tells 'Flushing It'.

12 May 2023

DP World Tour pro fined £675,000 plus EIGHT tournament suspension

One DP World Tour pro has been fined a whopping £675,000 and handed an eight-tournament suspension, according to social media account @FlushingItGolf.

The unnamed DP World Tour pro has also been told he will receive further penalties for any more breaches should he continue to compete in LIV Golf and Asian Tour events.

The player in question believes "their decision has just ended the DP World Tour."

On Thursday night it was confirmed by the DP World Tour that they had officially fined and banned 26 players.

According to a statement that was sent to GolfMagic, the sanctions are based on individual cases with "fines ranging from £12,500 to £100,000 for each breach and a suspension of up to eight tournaments."

I’ve just spoken with a LIV player who has played every event. He was fined £675k plus an 8 event suspension, with further penalties for any more breaches.
Bearing in the mind the first place money on the DP World Tour this week is around half of that fine, I would expect all… https://t.co/NH8pCiBorM
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 11, 2023

All of those 26 DP World Tour players will not be reinstated until they have paid their fines in full, from which point their suspensions would apply.

The sanctions relate to breaches in the period 22 June 2022 to 2 April 2023.

Suspensions will only apply to regular season events so all players will be able to compete in the major championships should they be eligible.

The first event where a suspension can come into play is at the Porsche European Open from June 1 to 4.

According to a series of tweets from Flushing It, which you can read below, it would appear the 26 players have been banned and fined in very different ways from each other.

Some players have reportedly been handed maximum fines and eight-event bans, while others have been handed smaller fines and a maximum of four-tournament suspensions.

DP World Tour pro fined £675,000 and handed EIGHT tournament suspension

I’ve spoken with a number of players now and they’ve all been given different sanctions. Some have been fined for events that others haven’t… it seems as though the tour has gone heavy on some select players to effectively force them to resign their membership. Quite bizarre.
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 11, 2023

For the DP World Tour players that have been hit hardest for their involvement with the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf League, their hands have been forced in terms of resignations.

That was certainly the case for sacked European Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson, who confirmed on Thursday night that he was following Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Richard Bland in tearing up his DP World Tour card.

Flushing It tweeted:

"I’ve just spoken with a LIV player who has played every event. He was fined £675k plus an 8 event suspension, with further penalties for any more breaches. Bearing in the mind the first place money on the DP World Tour this week is around half of that fine, I would expect all full time LIV players to resign membership. This decision is going to be catastrophic for the DP World Tour. The Asian Tour is already encroaching into European soil and they will take full advantage of this by showcasing the sanctioned European stars, with more events expected next season. As one player just said to me: “this decision has just ended the DP World Tour”. I tend to agree. It’s a very sad situation for European golf."

The account added:

"I’ve spoken with a number of players now and they’ve all been given different sanctions. Some have been fined for events that others haven’t… it seems as though the tour has gone heavy on some select players to effectively force them to resign their membership. Quite bizarre."

What do you make of the DP World Tour's huge fines and bans for players having competed on LIV Golf and Asian Tour events? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.