Sergio Garcia is the only one of 17 players sanctioned by the DP World Tour for joining LIV Golf not to have paid his fine, the tour has announced.
The 43-year-old was one of a clutch of players that includes Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter to have been hit with a fine over joining the breakaway Saudi-backed tour.
A statement said: “The DP World Tour today confirmed that 16 out of 17 players have paid their fines which were imposed for serious breaches of the Tour’s Conflicting Tournament Regulation last June.
“The players were each fined £100,000 – a sanction originally imposed in July 2022 and upheld last month by an independent panel appointed by Sport Resolutions.
“Sergio Garcia has not paid his £100,000 fine, nor has he given any indication that he intends to.
“We will therefore take appropriate action if he continues not to respect the Sport Resolutions panel’s decision.”
Garcia, along with Poulter and Westwood, on Wednesday announced his resignation from the World Tour.
Rory McIlroy said it is a shame that the trio will now not get the chance to one day captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team following their decision to quit.
Their departure renders them ineligible for inclusion when the match against the United States begins in Rome in September.
On Thursday, Westwood spoke out against the DP World Tour following the controversy, seemingly closing the door on any hope of a return in the future.
And McIlroy said: “I think it’s a shame that you’ve got the highest points score ever in the Ryder Cup and two guys that when they look back on their career, that’s probably going to be at least a big chunk of their legacy is the roles that they have played in the Ryder Cup for Europe.
“For those three guys to not captain Europe one day, it’s a shame. But as the DP World Tour said in their statement, at the end of the day that was their choice and they knew that these were potentially going to be the consequences of those choices and of those actions and here we are.
“Yeah, it’s certainly a shame.”
Europe’s captain, Luke Donald, echoed McIlroy’s sentiments and said he is sad that the three will not be available to represent the side.
Donald, who will lead the Europe team as they seek to win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2018, felt sorry that the situation had come to this.
“It’s sad we’ve got to this point but this was always a possibility,” Donald told BBC Sport. “I played with all three and they’ve been stalwarts of, and given a lot to, both the Ryder Cup and European Tour.
“I have a little more clarity now. I know they’re not an option to play in, or be any part of my team. It is a shame. They’ve got a lot of history when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
“Ultimately this is their choice and I wish them well. They feel like this was the best choice for them and now I’ve got choices to make that are best for me.
“There are generational shifts throughout the history of the Ryder Cup and maybe this is one.
“We certainly have plenty of great players to look at and pick from and I’m certainly excited about how everyone has played this year so far.”
Donald was made captain in 2022 after Henrik Stenson was dismissed for joining in the Saudi-backed LIV tour.
He will be without three of Europe’s most successful performers in the contest, with Westwood having featured as a player a record 11 times and Poulter unbeaten in singles across his seven appearances. Garcia is Europe’s all-time record points scorer.
Donald added: “There’s great momentum with European golf. We’ve already had seven winners in the US [this season] and a bunch of people who haven’t played in the Ryder Cup have played great this year on the DP World Tour, so I’m excited about the make-up of this team.”
Amnesty International campaigner urges ATP stars to speak out against Saudi 'sportswashing'
Leading tennis players should speak out against "appalling" human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as the Public Investment Fund (PIF) targets a partnership with the ATP Tour.
That is the view of Amnesty International's regional campaigner Reina Wehbi, who sees the prospective link as a way of distracting from the country's "crackdown" on basic rights.
Earlier this week, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told The Financial Times that talks had been held over a partnership between the PIF and the men's tour.
Saudi Arabia's numerous sports investments – including the PIF's majority ownership of Newcastle United and the controversial LIV Golf circuit – have been denounced by critics as efforts to improve the country's reputation through 'sportswashing'.
Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Wehbi said tennis stars should not shy away from criticism of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.
"Saudi Arabia is promoting its colossal investment in sporting events and entertainment as progress and reform. This is a far cry from its appalling human rights record," Wehbi said.
"Saudi Arabia's interest in the ATP fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing that the country has been using to divert attention from its escalated human rights violations.
"Authorities continue their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Almost every single human rights defender has been unlawfully detained in Saudi Arabia.
"Last year, Amnesty recorded the highest number of executions in 30 years in Saudi Arabia. Human rights should be a primary consideration when choosing where to host international sporting events and sporting bodies have the responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate human rights violations directly linked to their events.
"Tennis players and all other celebrities should make sure to use their celebrity status and their popular platforms to speak up against abuses and be the voice of those put behind bars for exercising their rights.
"They should make sure not to offer Saudi Arabia uncritical praise and not to help it avoid scrutiny for its continued human rights violations behind the scenes.
"All players should advocate for the respect and protection of human rights wherever they are."
PGA-LIV merger has saved the Ryder Cup, says Johnston
The merger of the PGA Tour with Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf will help preserve the Ryder Cup.
That is the view of Andrew 'Beef' Johnston, who was speaking to Stats Perform on behalf of the Beef's Golf Club podcast.
It was announced last week that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) had merged with LIV Tour's backers – Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
While the merger has left high-profile players like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm in difficult positions, Johnston does believe the move will help save golf's flagship team competition.
Players who had left for LIV Golf were set to be barred from competing in the Ryder Cup, which takes place in Rome in September and early October.
"Yeah 100 per cent [it's saved the Ryder Cup]," he said.
"You want to see the best players go head to head, 100 per cent. The best players of their time you want to see playing, that's what makes great Ryder Cups, when you've got the best players and if you're missing certain players, I don't think it's ideal.
"On the flip side, there's always going to be players coming up, the new generation and there are great players no matter what happens.
"So, I always thought the Ryder Cup would be in safe hands, but it's better that everyone can play."
As for welcoming LIV rebels back onto the PGA and DP World Tours, Johnston has few issues.
"Yeah, I have never been fussed at all," he added.
"I know there's been some players unhappy about them going, a few have been a bit awkward about it. I'm not too sure exactly who it was or why it was or whatever reason. But I still keep in touch with a couple of them.
"You've got to do what you've got to do. You're not doing anything terrible. The whole moral situation I found quite interesting from the start and the PGA Tour and DP Tour were saying it's morally wrong to go. But we already played in Saudi a few years ago. So, I found that a bit funny.
"We're self-employed. If you get that opportunity, go, and take it. What I didn't quite understand were some of the guys trying to come back and play on the DP Tour.
"If they've signed the full contract to go and play on LIV, my perspective would have been: 'Alright, I'm gonna move over to LIV Golf, sign on for a lot of money. I'm going to go and play the 16 events, enjoy my time off with family or whatever I want to do'.
"I'd personally go and BBQ a lot and hang out with my mates. But that's their choice again and everyone's got their choice. I don't think we should be saying: 'Oh, you can't come back. You can't come and do this'. I'm not really fussed [about them doing that]."
Search for 'Beef's Golf Club' to hear Beef's full podcast.
Instagram: @beefsgolfclub"
McIlroy 'wasted a lot of energy' backing PGA Tour in LIV row
Andrew 'Beef' Johnston feels Rory McIlroy "wasted a lot of energy" in his staunch support of the PGA Tour.
McIlroy was one of the biggest opponents of the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, which lured huge names from the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau.
Yet in a shocking turn of events this week, it was announced that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) had merged with LIV Tour's backers – Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
That has left McIlroy, who said he still "hates LIV" in an awkward position, and Johnston feels the world number three has expended unnecessary energy defending the PGA Tour.
"Potentially, I think in some respect it could help him because I think he's just going to turn around and say, 'Alright, I'm going to concentrate and I'm going to do me'," said Johnston in an interview with Stats Perform.
"And that's what he should [do]. I've kind of been hoping Rory would do that. He shouldn't have to get involved and back the PGA Tour as hard as he has.
"I think he's wasted a lot of energy on that and I'd love to just see him focus on golf and pick up more titles and more majors because he's one of the best golfers we've seen.
"I just want to see him concentrate on his golf. So hopefully he gets through this meeting and he just goes, 'Do you know what I'm looking forward, just let it be.' And he can crack on. I'd like to see him do that, to be honest."
Reflecting on the news, Johnston said: "It's just insane. It's nuts. For what, two years, it's been so far away from that, so far away from doing that.
"I think I was talking about it a week ago or so. I said 'There's never ever going to be a deal because there's lawsuits going on and everything's kicking off, and no one will budge at all'. And all of a sudden, bang! That news comes out of the blue. And when I mean out of the blue, I don't think anyone knew.
"I don't even think Tiger [Woods] or Rory knew. I mean if they don't know that none of us are going to know."
Asked if it was a positive step for the sport, Johnston said: "It depends how they format it.
"If they format it where a player can tee up on any of the three tours knowing that if I have a good couple of seasons I can get into the Ryder Cup, I could get into LIV or however they're going to format the tournaments, and there's a way that you could be rewarded for playing good golf and getting into these high money bonus events, which I'm sure is going to happen, then great.
"There's going to be a lot of unhappy people and a lot of unhappy players right now. My first thoughts are people who have backed the tour, like Rory and Jon Rahm, people like that, and they've turned down a hell of a lot of money.
"They really propped the Tour and backed the Tour only to be sort of stabbed in the back. Absolutely blindsided by this. I can't imagine how they're feeling, they've got to be absolutely fuming about it."
Search for 'Beef’s Golf Club' to hear Beef’s full podcast.
Instagram: @beefsgolfclub
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