Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia were among four players with Saudi-backed LIV Golf who resigned from the European tour instead of facing fines of 100,000 pounds ($125,000) for playing LIV events without permission.
They were among those who played the inaugural LIV Golf event outside London last June and violated the conflicting tournament regulation policy.
The tour in a statement thanked the four players for their contributions — particularly Westwood, Garcia and Poulter for their roles in Europe’s dominance of the Ryder Cup.
That likely is the end of Garcia’s record run through the Ryder Cup, which dates to 1999 when he was 19. The Spaniard holds the Ryder Cup record for most matches won (25) and most points contributed (28 1/2) in nine appearances.
Poulter is best known for his “Postman” performance at Medinah in 2012 when he made five straight birdies in a fourballs match with Rory McIlroy, the spark that carried Europe to the greatest comeback by a visiting team.
Westwood spent three decades on the European tour and remained devoted in the wake of so many stars joining the PGA Tour. He has 25 wins on what now is commercially called the DP World Tour, won the points title three times and reached No. 1 in the world toward the end of 2010. His 11 appearances in the Ryder Cup are the most by a European.
Related Posts
