The DP World Tour, a professional golf tour sanctioned by the European Tour, recently won an arbitration case against a group of players who were challenging the tour’s move to suspend and fine them for joining LIV Golf, a breakaway league. The case, which was heard by a three-member panel at Sports Resolutions UK, was held in February.
The conflict originates with the European tour’s conflicting-event release regulations and the hefty fines that were given to any player who competed in LIV events last year without a release. The players argued that these regulations were unfair, and Ian Poulter was among the first to challenge the European tour’s decision. He was denied a conflicting-event release and fined £100,000 for participating in the inaugural LIV event in London. Consequently, this led to other players appealing their fines and suspensions, allowing them to keep competing in DP World Tour events until the hearing.
The official announcement of the result is expected to be posted this week; however, a spokesperson for the DP World Tour said that the process was confidential, thus declining to provide any details. LIV Golf representatives also declined to comment on the matter.
On the other hand, another dispute is taking place in the United States where a group of PGA Tour players have similarly challenged the Tour’s regulations in an anti-trust lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. This lawsuit is scheduled for a trial in January 2024.
Founded in 2020, LIV Golf is a professional golf league for both male and female players. The tour has recruitment offices in London, Amsterdam, and New York. LIV players compete for prize money and receive a percentage of the tour’s profits. It is owned and operated by parent company LIV International.
Ian Poulter is an English professional golfer who turned pro in 1996 and was named European Tour Golfer of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2008. Ian has won 14 events on the European Tour, including five Rolex Series events. He has also represented Europe in five Ryder Cup teams and achieved a historic win against Tiger Woods in the 2008 Ryder Cup singles.
