The PGA Tour finally took action against the golfers who bolted for the LIV Golf Invitational Series by suspending their membership.
The suspension applies to Phil Mickelson and all other members who decided to join the Saudi-backed league that began on Thursday and warned anyone else who makes the jump will face the same fate.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sent a letter to members not long after the play in the lucrative breakaway series began outside London to address the 17 golfers who he said “decided to turn their backs” on the U.S.-based circuit.
“These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons. But they can’t demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities, and platform as you,” Monahan wrote. “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.”
Phil Mickelson a six-time major winner and former world no.1Dustin Johnson, and 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia are among the higher-profile golfers in the 48-player field at Centurion Club this week.
They will no longer be eligible to participate in PGA Tour events, including the Presidents Cup and all other tours sanctioned by the circuit.
Even if players resigned from the tour they will still not be permitted to play as a non-member via a sponsor exemption or any other eligibility category.
The PGA Tour’s decision triggered a swift response from LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and has lured players over with a $255 million purse spread over eight events this year.
“Today’s announcement by the PGA Tour is vindictive and it deepens the divide between the Tour and its members,” LIV Golf said in a statement.
“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.”
Monahan did not say how long the suspensions, which also impact former major winners Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel, and Louis Oosthuizen, would be in place.
The decision by the PGA Tour, which does not run golf’s four majors, came after the United States Golf Association said it would allow LIV golfers to play in next week’s U.S. Open if they are exempt or had already qualified.
