LIV players are preparing to strike back at the DP World Tour, and have threatened legal action, claiming the punishment handed out against them for jumping ship to the upstart league has been “grossly unfair and likely unlawful.”
As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are among 16 players that have been fined and banned from playing in the Genesis Scottish Open, which will be contested at the Renaissance Club in Berwick next week as a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. In an open letter, the players said there would be legal actions against the DP World Tour unless the current sanctions are overturned by Friday.
The LIV players were hit with fines of 100,000 pounds plus are ineligible for three upcoming tournaments, including the Scottish Open, last Friday.
The letter was signed by 16 of this week’s LIV Golf Invitational competitors in Portland, who likely will be punished for playing in the event. It was addressed to the DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and sent to other board members, and asked for the circuit to negotiate in good faith with the Saudi-backed circuit, or face the risk of legal action.
The letter, in part, read: “In Mr. Pelley’s latest communication, he uses the statement that every action in life comes with a consequence. We agree, and we are concerned that the actions of the Tour against us, LIV Golf, and golf in general will have adverse consequences on the DP World Tour, a tour and an organization that, despite our recent interactions, we care deeply for.
Exclusive: Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood among LIV Golf rebels to threaten legal action against DP World Tour / @jcorrigangolf reports https://t.co/LorzmGCPhg
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) June 30, 2022
“The intention of this letter is not to further divide us, but to respond to Tour statements and to pose questions that the Tour should answer and we should discuss in detail. Instead of spending our time, energy, financial resources, and focus on appeals, injunctions, and lawsuits, we would implore you, the custodians of the DP World Tour, to reconsider your recent penalties and sanctions, and instead focus our energies on forging a path forward that is better for the DP World Tour members and the game of golf.
“To this end, we ask that you rescind your fines and suspensions by 5:00 pm on Friday, July 1, 2022. In addition, we represent over 5 percent of the DP World Tour membership and, under its articles of association, we ask you to convene a meeting of Tour membership to discuss these important matters further. If not, you will leave us with no choice but to employ the various other means and methods at our disposal to rectify these wrongs.”
The letter also expressed concern that the DP World Tour’s recently announced expanded relationship with the PGA Tour isn’t in the best interest of the circuit and will leave the DP World Tour in a diminished position, playing “second fiddle.”
“We appreciate that the argument being put forward is that the ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA Tour will provide overall benefit to DP World Tour members — hence the competitive threat to the PGA Tour being treated differently when it comes to releases and other matters,” the letter said.
“To begin with, we do not accept that protecting the PGA Tour through this alliance could in any way justify this disparate treatment. Even if it could, what are these benefits? This is a question we have asked for many months.
“Thus far, the option to play the Barracuda Championship instead of the Scottish Open doesn’t appear to be one that benefits the membership at all. Ultimately, approximately 40 DP World Tour members who would have been eligible for the Scottish Open on the DP World tour will now not be eligible, and instead will only have the option to go and play on the PGA Tour in Kentucky the week before The Open, for less money but at a higher cost to participate.
“In addition, PGA Tour players have been encouraged to play the Scottish Open through a stipend to cover travel costs, but the same benefit is not afforded to DP World Tour members?! That the DP World Tour top performers will now earn PGA Tour cards serves only to solidify the DP World Tour as second fiddle to the PGA Tour and depletes the DP World Tour’s top rising talent even further. And without regard to whether this collaboration is lawful, would this collaboration be happening without LIV Golf entering the market?”
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