Players ditching the traditional tours for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series are set to be banned from competing in the four Majors as of next year, according to a report in the MailOnline (opens in new tab).
A host of the game’s biggest names have already been lured to the Greg Norman-fronted breakaway circuit, with the PGA Tour quick to issue them with indefinite suspensions for competing on a rival tour without a release.
To combat the threat, the PGA and DP World Tours strengthened their “strategic partnership”, with Keith Pelley also banning LIV stars from the three newly co-sanctioned events on the 2022 schedule, and serving them with £100,000 fines.
The ongoing battle has already caused fractures in the game, and they are set to grow deeper with the latest news that comes as the historic 150th Open at St Andrews gets underway.
Chief Executive of the R&A Martin Slumbers delivered a scathing assessment of the up-start league in the build-up to the Claret Jug shoot-out, saying: “The model we’ve seen at Centurion and Pumpkin Ridge is not in the best long-term interests of the sport and is entirely driven by money.”
He ruled out banning the 24 LIV rebels who were eligible to tee it up at the Old Course but added the R&A would “review our exemptions and qualifications criteria for the Open”.
It is now understood that an avenue being explored is to exclude anyone who is suspended from one of golf’s traditional tours from featuring in future editions of the game’s oldest championship.
Should it come to fruition, it is a move that’s sure be met with widespread condemnation from those associated with LIV. In a further blow, it’s also expected that the four Major organisations – The R&A, The USGA, the PGA of America and The Masters – will be aligned in adjusting their qualification criteria.
A host of Major champions such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia have reportedly signed multi-year contracts with the breakaway venture.
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