Shortly after the LIV Golf Invitational Series kicked off its inaugural event Thursday morning, the PGA Tour announced punishments for its players who left to play in the breakaway league.
The 93-year-old tour announced the suspensions of 17 PGA golfers who are competing at the opening LIV Golf tournament at the Centurion Club in London. The players, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, will not be allowed to compete in future PGA Tour events or the Presidents Cup.
The suspensions do not apply to the sport’s four majors — the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or British Open — each of which operates under its own governing body. The United States Golf Association decided earlier this week that golfers who play in LIV events will be allowed to participate in next week’s U.S. Open.
“These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan wrote in a memo to the tour’s members. “But they can’t demand the same PGA TOUR membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as you. That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners. You have made a different choice, which is to abide by the Tournament Regulations you agreed to when you accomplished the dream of earning a PGA TOUR card and — more importantly — to compete as part of the preeminent organization in the world of professional golf.”
Monahan also wrote that any golfers who play in future LIV Golf events will be punished the same way. Two players who fall into this category are Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, who will reportedly make their LIV Golf debuts in Portland, Oregon, later this month.
Monahan had previously hinted at lifetime bans for players who spurned the PGA Tour, but his decision Thursday — one that was anticipated by many in the golf world — didn’t go that far. The tour had announced in early May that it would not grant conflicting-event releases to PGA players who wished to compete in LIV events.
“I am certain our fans and partners — who are surely tired of all this talk of money, money and more money — will continue to be entertained and compelled by the world-class competition you display each and every week, where there are true consequences for every shot you take and your rightful place in history whenever you reach that elusive winner’s circle,” Monahan wrote.
After Monahan’s memo was made public, LIV Golf called the PGA Tour’s punishment “vindictive.”
“It’s troubling that the Tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing,” LIV Golf said. “This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond.”
Some of the players, such as Johnson, Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, hoped to avoid being punished from the tour by resigning this wee, but Monahan said those players are still included in the suspension.
The 54-hole Centurion event this weekend has a $25 million purse — twice that of next week’s U.S. Open. The overall prize pool for the eight-event LIV series — funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — is $255 million. Other events on the tour will take place in New Jersey (at former President Donald Trump’s Bedminster club), Oregon, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok and Saudi Arabia.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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