Nicklaus pledges to follow PGA Tour guidelines

JACK Nicklaus has pledged his Memorial Tournament will fall in line with the PGA Tour if it bans or suspends players for competing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

The PGA Tour has refused to grant the likes of Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood the required releases to contest the first event at Centurion Club next week, with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman vowing to “defend, reimburse and represent” any players sanctioned if they play regardless.

The 48-man field for the 54-hole event, which has a £20 million prize fund and offers £3.1m to the winner, is not yet announced, and nor has the scale of disciplinary measures players could face.

Asked if competing in the LIV events would place invitations to his tournament at risk, Nicklaus said in a pre-event press conference: “The PGA Tour will answer that. I don’t think that’s my question, frankly. We live by the rules of whatever the PGA Tour is. That’s what we do.”

The Memorial Tournament is an invitational, referred to by the PGA Tour as an “elevated event” along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Genesis Invitational. They all have purses of £9.5m with 120man fields.

■ KEVIN Duncan (Kings Links Golf Centre) is the early pace-setter in the Northern Open at Portlethen Golf Club.

A five-under 67 gave Duncan a one-shot lead in the £20,000, 36-hole Tartan Tour event. Duncan’s round included five birdies, an eagle-three at the 13th and two bogeys.

Craig Lee, halfway leader at last week’s Scottish Challenge at Newmachar, is tied second on four under alongside Chris Currie and Stephen Gray.