The DP World Tour has finally unveiled the sanctions it is to impose on members who took part in the LIV Golf event at Centurion Club, despite not having received releases to allow them to do so.
All DP World Tour members who took part in the first LIV Golf Invitational event are to be fined £100,000 and will no longer be able to play in the Scottish Open (July 7-10), the Barbasol Championship (July 7-10) and the Barracuda Championship (July 14-17). LIV Golf players who were originally scheduled to play in these events have been removed from the entry lists.
All three events are co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour as part of their strategic alliance, although it is unlikely that any LIV Golf players were entered into the Barbasol Championship or the Barracuda Championship, both of which are held in the US, and with the latter tournament clashing with the Open Championship.The DP World Tour has said that the £100,000 fines apply to DP World Tour members appearance at Centurion, and further fines and sanctions may be issued for players who take part in further LIV Golf events that specifically conflict with DP World Tour events.This essentially means that LIV Golf players who are members of the DP World Tour can continue to play in other DP World Tour events, as well as other LIV Golf tournaments providing they don’t clash with existing DP World Tour events.
The DP World Tour has stated that money raised from the fines will be used to boost prize funds at future DP World Tour events, as well as being distributed to the tour’s ‘Good for Golf’ charity programme.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the DP World Tour, said: “Every action anyone takes in life comes with a consequence and it is no different in professional sport, especially if a person chooses to break the rules. That is what has occurred here with several of our members. Many members I have spoken to in recent weeks expressed the viewpoint that those who have chosen this route have not only disrespected them and our Tour, but also the meritocratic ecosystem of professional golf that has been the bedrock of our game for the past half a century and which will also be the foundation upon which we build the next 50 years. Their actions are not fair to the majority of our membership and undermine the Tour, which is why we are taking the action we have announced today.”
