World Tour gives details of fines for LIV rebels who played without clearance

By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent

Players who competed in LIV Golf tournaments without permission have been fined up to £100,000 (€115,000) for each breach of the DP World Tour’s regulations.

Suspensions of up to eight events have also been handed out in the wake of an arbitration hearing which ruled that players had committed “serious breaches” of the DP World Tour’s code of behaviour.

In April, the Tour won its legal battle against 12 players who had appealed against being fined £100,000 and suspended from the Scottish Open for playing LIV Golf’s inaugural event in June 2022 without permission.

Statement from the DP World Tour on player sanctions.

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 11, 2023

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Richard Bland subsequently resigned their membership of the DP World Tour, with all but Garcia having paid the £100,000 fine.

On Thursday, the DP World Tour announced details of further sanctions imposed for playing in the remainder of LIV events in 2022 and those contested before the arbitration panel’s verdict was reached.

It is understood that the largest fine falls short of the seven-figure sums which had been reported.

A statement from the DP World Tour read: “In total, 26 players were today informed individually of the sanctions applicable to them based on the specific conflicting tournaments they each played in, as a DP World Tour member, without being granted a release.

“These sanctions include fines and, where appropriate, tournament suspensions.

“The sanctions imposed were determined on a case-by-case basis, acknowledging differences between the events in terms of the impact on the DP World Tour’s broadcast partners, sponsors and stakeholders.

“Where fines were issued to players they ranged from £12,500 to £100,000 for each individual breach of the Conflicting Tournament Regulation.

“The total cumulative suspension imposed on any single player for breaches in the period June 22, 2022, to April 2, 2023 is a maximum of eight DP World Tour tournaments, comprising a combination of one or two-week suspensions.

“The suspensions imposed relate to regular season DP World Tour events (i.e. excluding Major Championships) and will run consecutively, effective from the Porsche European Open from June 1-4, 2023 – the first tournament chronologically on the DP World Tour schedule whose entry list remains open as of today.

“Players who have resigned their membership will not be eligible for reinstatement unless and until they pay their fines and their suspensions will apply from then onwards.

“Further sanctions for breaches of the Conflicting Tournament Regulation in events which occurred subsequent to April 2, 2023, will be considered in due course.”