Possible suspension and lifetime bans await players considering joining breakaway global golf league
The PGA Tour has reportedly warned its members of suspension from the circuit and quite possibly a career ban if they join a much-publicised breakaway global tour.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that the Super Golf League, recast from the Premier Golf League and said to be backed financially by Saudi Arabia, has made multi-million dollar offers to some of the game’s leading stars.
World’s top-ranked Dustin Johnson, former world No1s Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson are among prominent names to have been approached, reportedly with up to $30 million offers to join.
The Daily Telegraph reported the tour would begin in September next year, which would almost certainly force players to leave the PGA Tour in favour of the new money-spinning circuit.
However, The Guardian reported late on Tuesday that the commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan, had put forth his stance to the players at a meeting at Quail Hollow, home to this week’s PGA Tour event, the Wells Fargo Championship.
The same report claimed the European Tour would employ a similarly firm stance.
The two tours confirmed last year a shared strategic alliance to work on global media rights and commercial opportunities. The European Tour’s chief executive, Keith Pelley, had not long before said his circuit had turned down a “show-stopping offer” from the Premier Golf League.
Mooted for some time, the idea gained serious traction early last year, with original plans comprising an 18-event schedule from January to September – 10 in the US, three in Europe, three in Asia, one each in the Middle East and Australia – featuring 48-player fields and $10m purses each week.
The season would then end with a 12-team championship, with key players getting part-ownership in each franchise. The format is believed to include three-day tournaments with no cut.
While players were said to be intrigued by the proposal, a number of high-profile stars said publicly at the time that they would not take part, including then world No 1 Rory McIlroy.
However, the four-time major champion conceded in February last year: “I’m against it until there may come a day that I can’t be. If everyone else goes I might not have a choice.”