Last month, the DP World Tour won a hearing against LIV Golf players. As well as leaving futures of those players on the Tour in jeopardy, it also left the Ryder Cup careers of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia hanging by a thread.
Now, the trio have ended the uncertainty over whether they would tee it up in the biennial tournament at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club by resigning from the DP World Tour.
Westwood explained his decision to The Telegraph’s Golf Correspondent James Corrigan, saying: "I could not really see any other option with all the punishments hanging over me. I don’t agree with the direction Keith [DP World Tour CEO Pelley] and his board have taken and I want to move on.”
Each of the trio has a strong claim as a legend of the tournament. Westwood has represented Team Europe a record 11 times. Meanwhile, Spaniard Garcia is the all-time record points scorer in the Ryder Cup, which he achieved after beating Rickie Fowler in the 2021 Sunday Singles to move onto 25.5. Poulter, too, has an enviable record in the tournament, and was instrumental in one of its greatest comebacks of all time as Team Europe beat the US in 2012 in an achievement dubbed the Miracle of Medinah.
The DP World Tour has confirmed the resignations of the trio in a statement, along with that of another LIV Golf player, Richard Bland. It reads: “The DP World Tour today confirmed it has received membership resignations from Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland and Lee Westwood who were sanctioned for serious breaches of the Tour’s Conflicting Tournament Regulation committed last June.
“The DP World Tour would like to take this opportunity to thank the four players for the contribution they have made to the Tour and in particular to Sergio, Ian and Lee for the significant part they have played in Europe’s success in the Ryder Cup over many years.”
Despite that gratitude shown in the statement, it goes on to point out that “their resignations, however, along with the sanctions imposed upon them, are a consequence of their own choices.”
Westwood also confirmed to The Telegraph that he had paid the £100,000 that had originally been imposed on him and 16 other LIV Golf players by the DP World Tour after they played in the circuit’s inaugural tournament in London last June. Those penalties were stayed following an injunction won by Poulter and two others at the time.
As well as not being able to play following their resignations, as the rules stand, Poulter, Westwood and Garcia will not be able to ever serve as either Team Europe captains or vice captains either.
The DP World Tour statement also confirmed that “a further update on other sanctioned members will be provided on Thursday.”
