Following the confirmation that the DP World Tour has won its legal battle against LIV Golf, CEO of the European circuit, Keith Pelley has admitted its players now face a struggle to represent Team Europe in the Ryder Cup.
LIV Golf players with DP World Tour memberships, including Ryder Cup legends Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia, would have been hoping for a different result from Sports Resolution, allowing them to resume their careers on the Tour and the chance to qualify for the Ryder Cup without fear of sanctions.
However, even though the result didn’t go their way, they can still technically qualify for Luke Donald’s team for the biennial tournament as they have not been stripped of their memberships.
That’s something Pelley acknowledged following the announcement. He said: “In a broad brush, they still can play. As long as you’re a member of the DP World Tour you can qualify for one of the six spots or in fact you can get selected by Luke Donald with one of his six picks. And that’s always been the case. “
Nevertheless, he also admitted that, realistically, it is unlikely they will be able to qualify given the packed LIV Golf League schedule and potential sanctions that could come their way for continuing on the newer circuit.
He said: “The challenge is now depending upon what transpires with the sanctions that we impose down the road, that might make it more difficult for them to play in DP World Tour qualifying events, but more importantly, they have commitments, we all know they have commitments to play on another tour that conflict with DP World Tour qualifying events and that will make it harder for them to qualify. But it's also very important to understand that that decision has been their choice. “
It has not been confirmed what sanctions could be imposed on LIV Golf players by the DP World Tour. However, among its powers would be fines or suspensions for competing on LIV events, which could persuade some of its players to rescind their DP World Tour memberships.
Regardless of what transpires, Pelley insisted it is the right decision for the Tour and its members. He continued: “I think it's a very good day for our membership. It's a very good day that we can administer our rules and regulations that have been put in by our members, for our members, to protect our members. So that's very, very positive."
Pelley also stated his desire to look ahead after what has been a protracted process: “I also believe now that perhaps we can now move on,” he explained. “Yes, there is a lot of analytical work to be done on what our next steps are going to be but we can also now focus on looking ahead and looking at what our 2024 schedule is going to be. And that's exciting.
“So we're delighted about what transpired today but we're also equally as excited about the future and with the 2024 schedule entails.”
The decision also means the $100,000 fines originally imposed on LIV Golf players for teeing it up in the first event will now need to be paid.
