On the heels of the PGA Tour banning LIV Golf International Series golfers from competing in tournaments, it appears their European counterpart will follow suit. To an extent.
The European Tour revealed that those who played in the inaugural LIV Golf event will be fined £100,000 ($123,000) and be suspended from July’s Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship, and Barracuda Championship.
Those three tournaments are co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, so it makes sense that those golfers are banned from these tournaments. But it’s also not much of a mandate when you really break it down.
Both the Scottish Open and Barbasol Championship are on the same weekend, so even if LIV Golf players could participate, they could only play in one. That next week, the Barracuda Championship is on the same weekend as The Open Championship and since LIV Golf players are able to play at St. Andrews, the big names from LIV Golf wouldn’t even be playing in the Barracuda Championship anyway.
In addition, this ban is being handed down while some LIV Golf players are participating in the European Tour’s BMW International Open. Sergio García, Martin Kaymer, and Louis Oosthuizen are notable golfers who are both in LIV Golf and participating in the European Tour this weekend.
The European Tour warned of “further sanctions” for golfers who continue to play in LIV Golf tournaments, but it remains to be seen if that actually happens.
[ESPN]