The tug-of-war between the PGA Tour and the professional golfers who have chosen to play on the Arab SuperLeague is likely to end in court. As announced, zero tolerance has come from the US circuit towards those who are playing the first of the Liv Golf Series, in London.
Arab SuperLeague, statements
Commissioner Jay Monahan suspended 17 pros, from Mickelson to Dustin Johnson. “Their decision is dictated by financial reasons. And the expectations of these players – says Monahan – represent a lack of respect not only for the circuit but also for our fans and partners ”.
Now the case becomes a real dispute, in the hands of a pool of lawyers. The announcement is the Northern Irishman, Graeme McDowell, one of the 17 banned. “We should be able to play where we think best and instead it cannot be.
For this reason we turned to a team of lawyers to try to resolve this situation which is nothing more than a power struggle that shouldn’t concern us golfers ” The Spaniard Sergio Garcia, on the other hand, goes straight: “I was banned from the PGA Tour even though it was I who resigned.
Yet all this does not bother me, because I am happy and enthusiastic about the project undertaken ”, the thought of Sergio Garcia, one of the Major champions who passed to LIV Golf. For his part, LIV Golf is no longer upset as it will extend the list of its players.
“The PGA Tour’s decision to suspend players from participating in LIV Golf events is vindictive. It sharpens the distances between the circuit and its members. The era of free agency – underlined LIV Golf again – has begun.
We are proud to have such a field in London and for upcoming events” The PGA Tour is an organization that takes care of the main professional golf tours in the United States. It is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida.
Its official name is written all in capital letters, or “PGA TOUR” The PGA Tour became an organization of its own in 1968 when it split from the PGA of America, which is now primarily an association of golf professionals, such as masters and club managers.
Tournament players first formed their own organization, the Association of Professional Golfers (APG). Later, in 1968, the players abolished the APG and agreed to operate as the PGA “Tournament Players Division”, a fully autonomous division of the PGA, under the supervision of a new 10-member Tournament Policy Board. The name then officially changed to “PGA Tour” in 1975.
Source: Tennis World USA