Henrik Stenson has asked for "consistency" from the DP World Tour over fines and bans handed out to players who compete primarily in the LIV Golf League.
Stenson joined LIV in 2022 alongside Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood - all of whom now co-captain Majesticks GC - and all three ultimately felt compelled to resign their DP World Tour membership over rising financial sanctions. The Swede was also required to give up his Ryder Cup captaincy role.
Westwood revealed - while appearing on Peter Finch's podcast - that his outstanding fines figure was over $1 million before he walked away from the tour on which he had featured for almost 30 years.
The Englishman also went on to claim that more recent LIV signings, such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, are "getting fined a figure, but it's nowhere near the figure that myself, Ian Poulter, and a few others got fined" before also accusing the Wentworth-based circuit of lacking consistency when handing out punishments.
And, speaking to Garrett Johnston on his podcast 'Beyond The Clubhouse', Stenson echoed his teammate's sentiments by suggesting Rahm and Hatton have not been treated as harshly as the initial cohort who moved to the PIF-backed league.
NEW: Nice to visit w/Henrik Stenson at @livgolf_league Greenbrier. Among many topics, Garrett asked him if he thinks we’ll see Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton on Europe’s Ryder Cup team.Full chat on his game, his kids & more:https://t.co/32ciRsMqvl https://t.co/jHMXr2rpD1 pic.twitter.com/Fr2MSenfKvAugust 16, 2024
Regarding Rahm and Hatton's chances of featuring at Bethpage in 2025, the man who was set to lead Europe at Marco Simone said: "They're two world-class players - everyone knows that - so I'd be surprised if they weren't to be on the team.
"On the same note, though, given how a lot of other European players that went to LIV have been treated, looked upon, and fined - you talked about inconsistency earlier, I'd like to see some consistency in how all of this is dealt with.
"I think you just need to treat everyone the same. Either you can be a member of the European Tour and the European Ryder Cup team [or you can't]. Are you fining certain players in certain situations and not in others and so on? Consistency is all that everyone is after."
In response to both Westwood and Stenson's comments, a DP World Tour spokesperson said: "For clarification, the DP World Tour has been entirely consistent in our approach throughout the disciplinary process. Players have received identical sanctions for the same breaches when relating to the same conflicting events."
Stenson's thoughts arrived days after the European Tour announced a streamlining of the Ryder Cup qualification process.
Starting with the DP World Tour's British Masters at the end of the month, golfers competing on either the European or US-based circuit will all be placed into one points list, with more points available for PGA Tour events and Majors. No points will be available on the PGA Tour until January 1, however.
Stenson, who is no longer under consideration for a spot anyway as a result of not being a DP World Tour member, believes the changes will have very little effect on which 12 players ultimately make Luke Donald's squad as the blue and gold dozen attempt to defend the Cup.
The three-time Ryder Cup winner said: "It's gone away from having a European points list and a world-ranking points list to just having one list. You're probably going to see the same end result in terms of which guys are going to be at the top after qualifying.
"Clearly, they're going to be the ones who you're going to want on your team because they're the ones who play a world schedule. But it certainly seems like it was changed to a little bit more of a PGA Tour flavor in the European rankings.
"I think you're going to see the same end result, no matter how you set up the list."
