European Tour Bans LIV Golfers From Three Upcoming Tournaments, Fines Them $120K

The European Tour is tightening the screws on golfers who chose to defect from the PGA Tour and join LIV Golf, announcing Friday that participants in LIV Tour’s inaugural tournament would be banned from three upcoming events which are co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour. 

The Tour announced a fine of $120,000 for players who participated in June’s LIV Tour event in England and banned those players from the Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship, and the Barracuda Championship. 

“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," European tour chief executive Keith Pelley said, according to ABC News. 

“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.”

LIV Golf’s first event was held from June 9-11 at The Centurion Club in England, with Charl Schwartzel winning the event and taking home $4 million in prize money. 

LIV GOLFERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

On Wednesday, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers announced that members of the LIV Golf Invitational Series would be allowed to play in July’s Open Championship at St. Andrews. 

“Players who are exempt or have earned a place through qualifying for The 150th Open in accordance with the entry terms and conditions will be able to compete in the Championship at St Andrews,”  Slumbers said in a media release, according to Golfweek. “We are focused on staging a world class championship in July and celebrating this truly historic occasion for golf. We will invest the proceeds of The Open, as we always do, for the benefit of golf which reflects our purpose to ensure that the sport is thriving 50 years from now.”

Many big names have joined the Saudi-backed tour – earning a suspension from the PGA Tour – with Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Dustin Johnson being a few of the biggest names to defect. 

Earlier in the week, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka reportedly joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series, along with Abraham Ancer. 

LIV Golf’s next tournament will be held at Pumpkin Ridge golf course in Portland, Oregon, from June 30-July 2.