Pro "done with Europe" and "lying to players" as he denies sexism accusations

Three-time European Tour winner Scott Hend says he's done with Europe after denying accusations of sexism over his stance on the Australian Open.

Ben Smith's picture
Wed, 16 Nov 2022
Pro "done with Europe" and "lying to players" as he denies sexism accusations

Three-time European Tour winner Scott Hend says he's "done" with Europe, politics and lying to players as he denied being sexist for not wanting to play in the Australian Open.

Hend was accused of being "sexist elitist" after confirming he wouldn't be participating in the golf tournament where male and female competitors will peg it up in the same week. 

It will be the first time in the tournament's history that both genders will compete at the same time. 

Related: Scott Hend slams PGA Tour's PIP

There is also the addition that the prize money will be the same, with each champion taking home a cheque for AU$1.7M.

Hend told Fox Sports: 

"I've already been called a 'sexist elitist', which I'm not.
"My exact words were I believe the Australian Open is such a prestigious event, the women and the men deserve their own week for the event.
"It's nothing about being against women playing golf, it's nothing about prize money being exactly the same … it's just about the event having the history of how long the event [has been going for, that] both men and women should have their own week to shine."

He added: 

"That's all I've said, and that's what I firmly believe in. So that being the case, I haven't entered to play, I'm not going to try to pre-qualify … because I still believe that both men and women should have their own week to stand out and shine by themselves, not together, when people are going to compare them against each other in the one tournament.
"That's not what the Australian Open is all about."

Hend, 49, has also been unflinching in his opinions on how the emergence of the LIV Golf League has affected the game. 

In June, he blasted the DP World Tour over their sanctioning of players who had played in LIV's curtain-raising event at Centurion Club. 

The European-based circuit fined players £100,000 and banned them from participating in three events co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour

Next February, there will be a Sports Resolutions UK hearing that will determine if the DP World Tour have the legal power to ban LIV players.

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley

It was at this time that Hend also said he was fined £12,000 by the DP World Tour for teeing it up in an International Series event on the Asian Tour. 

The International Series is being bankrolled by the same people financing LIV Golf. The two tours are in an alliance and players in these events can qualify for LIV Golf tournaments. 

Hend told Bunkered he believed this action was petty and childish. Now he says he is done with Europe. 

He also told Fox Sports:

"I'm done with Europe, I'm done with the politics, I'm done with the lying to players, I'm done with having to ask for a release when I want to go play in other tournaments.
"For the last 25 years I've played where I want, when I want and I haven't had to ask for permission to go to play another event.
"Now … if you want to playing in another place, you need to get permission from that tour, otherwise they're going to sanction you, so if that's going to be the case, I don't want to be involved in that anymore.
"I play golf because I love playing golf. I don't want to have to get permission every week to go play somewhere else."

Next page: How much every LIV Golf player won in 2022