Ryder Cup organisers could breach broadcast and commercial contracts worth tens of millions that could threaten the future of the iconic biennial competition if they ban players who have defected to the controversial LIV Golf Series.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Henrik Stenson was set to move away from the PGA and DP World Tours in favour of a lucrative switch to LIV Golf. The 46-year-old’s dramatic move will be seen as a coup, and it is understood Stenson’s signing-on fee will be around £40 million ahead of his debut at next week’s third £20m LIV event in New Jersey.
In March, Stenson signed a contract in March that stipulated he could not play on the breakaway league but Ian Poulter’s recent court case led to an injunction to allow the Englishman to play in the Scottish Open - which suggested Stenson would be able to play both. Stenson will reportedly soon be unveiled on the LIV roster, and DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley will want to line up a replacement as quickly as possible after stripping the 46-year-old of his captaincy.
It means Team Europe have been dealt another blow, as established Ryder Cup names such as Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell have already made the move to LIV Golf. Ryder Cup officials are yet to confirm whether players who have signed up to the Saudi-backed tour will be able to compete at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome next summer.
Their decision is likely to be heavily influenced by financial considerations, largely to do with sponsorship. As reported by the Daily Mail , major sponsors of the Ryder Cup - including UK rights holder Sky Sports, Aon, BMW and Rolex - have inserted exit clauses in their contracts which allow them to have their investment returned to them if the field is not at full strength.
Sky Sports extended their deal with the Ryder Cup last January to cover the event in Rome next year as well as the 2025 edition in New York’s Bethpage Black Course. The negotiations took place amid whispers of LIV’s birth and sly attempts to sign the best players in the world.
Players who have joined the LIV Golf series - which is bankrolled by a Saudi Arabian government renowned for their human rights abuses - were handed immediate and indefinite bans from the PGA Tour, while the DP World Tour have implied they will fine the rebels and suspend them from future events but they haven’t issued a ban just yet.
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The PGA and DP Tours are also broadcast on Sky so could face financial consequences if they continue to lose key players. The contentious move by Team Europe to drop Stenson suggests golf’s raging civil war is set to continue, although commercial pressures may force the traditional tours’ hand.
On paper, Stenson’s loss is not heavy given the 2016 Open champion and former World No.2 has struggled for form and is without a title in almost three years. However, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is proving the breakaway tour can reach anyone in the sport while threatening the legitimacy and prestige of the Ryder Cup, which is considered one of golf’s premier competitions.
The US have also lost stars - Johnson, Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed - who have been dealt bans and are therefore ineligible to play in Rome. It places the future of the biennial Ryder Cup in doubt, with so many big names keen to leave in the face of lucrative contracts bankrolled by a Saudi regime with renowned human rights abuses.
