Pelley takes swing at LIV rebels as his World Tour faces legal challenge
CHIEF executive Keith Pelley has hit back at the 16 players who have threatened the DP World Tour with legal action unless their sanctions for competing in the first LIV Golf event are rescinded.
In a strongly worded 550-word response to the letter, which “implored” the Tour to reconsider the penalties before 5.00 today, Pelley criticises the claim from the players that they “care deeply” about the Tour - citing how many times they have played in Rolex Series events in recent years.
He also says one player gave a signed commitment to play in this week’s Horizon Irish Open but is instead contesting the second LIV Golf event in Portland.
Pelley declined to comment in detail on the threat of legal action but said he feels the sanctions handed out are “proportionate, fair and I believe considered necessary by the majority of our members.”
He said: “There has been a leak to the media of a letter we received on behalf of a number of LIV Golf players which contains so many inaccuracies it cannot remain unchallenged.
“Before joining LIV Golf, players knew there would be consequences if they chose money over competition.
“Many of them at the time understood and accepted that.
“As one player named in the letter said in a media interview earlier this year; ‘If they ban me they ban me.’
“It is not credible some are now surprised with the actions we have taken.
“The letter claims these players ‘care deeply’ for the DP World Tour.
“An analysis of the past participation statistics on our Tour in recent years of several of the leading players
named suggests otherwise. One player in particular named in the note has only played six Rolex Series events in the past five years. Another one only four.
“I wish many of them had been as keen to play on our Tour then as they seem to be now, based on the fact they have either resigned their membership of the PGA Tour or, if they are still in membership, have been suspended indefinitely.
“Furthermore, given how deeply these players say they care about the DP World Tour, perhaps some of them could have played in Ireland this week in support of our new title sponsor - in particular one player who gave us a signed commitment to play at Mount Juliet.
“With that player in action at Pumpkin Ridge, you can imagine the allegation in the letter that we are in the wrong is hard to accept.”
Pelley went on: “We also take great exception to an allegation made near the end of the letter which states we are somehow playing ‘second fiddle’ to the PGA Tour. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“We held a player meeting in Ireland on Tuesday where we outlined all the many benefits of our expanded relationship with the PGA Tour.
“One of those is an unprecedented 10 cards on offer to the PGA Tour, cards many of the players named in this letter desperately wanted to attain in the early stages of their careers.
“Why now be critical of those trying to do the same?”
DP World Tour members including Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were each fined £100,000 and banned from next week’s Genesis Scottish Open and two other events co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour after playing at Centurion Club earlier this month - despite being refused permission.