Report: LIV Golf rebels will be banned from playing Scottish Open
The LIV Golf players will be banned from playing the forthcoming Scottish Open, according to reports.
The golf rebels who signed have signed up to the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf series will be banned from next month’s star-studded Scottish Open.
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According to an exclusive report by Jamie Corrigan of The Daily Telegraph, the eagerly awaited decision by the DP World Tour will be that the LIV Golf players won’t be allowed to tee it up at The Renaissance Club a week before The Open.
This is significant because for the very first time in the tournament’s history it is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour.
The established American circuit have suspended 17 players indefinitely for defying orders to play at the inaugural $25m LIV Golf event at Centurion Club just outside of London two weeks ago.
The DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, signed a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour 20 months ago to try and fend off the threat of rival golf leagues and strengthen their grip on world golf.
But this strategic alliance has been and will be tested going forward. Banning the likes of Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia would likely lead to a court battle.
Poulter has pledged to fight his suspension.
Letting them play risks the alliance with the American tour being damaged.
Per Corrigan’s report, the DP World Tour are reportedly going to assess the situation on a tournament-by-tournament basis because this is not a Ryder Cup year.
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Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour chief executive, has not publicly commented on these matters.
There are concerns that the Ryder Cup is under threat.
At present, America’s Dustin Johnson is unavailable for selection for the United States in Rome because he has resigned his PGA Tour membership.
What the future holds for former Ryder Cup Europe heroes Poulter, Garcia and Lee Westwood remain unclear.
Pelley wrote to DP World Tour members last week, saying: “While I understand the frustration, I remind you all that although we work closely with the PGA Tour, we are different organisations and our rules and regulations are therefore different too.”
This week the R&A announced that LIV Golf players who have already qualified or are exempt will be permitted to play the landmark 150th Open at St. Andrews.
