No Scots facing DP World Tour ban over $25m LIV Golf event

No Scottish player requested a release from the DP World Tour to try and secure a chunk of the $25 million up for grabs in the first of Greg Norman’s LIV Golf events next month.

A total of 12 Scots currently hold full DP World Tour cards, made up of a combination of seasoned campaigners and a new wave of tartan talent led by Bob MacIntyre.

However, despite officials of the DP World Tour refusing to comment, Scotland on Sunday understands that none of those players applied to be released for the inaugural money-spinning LIV Golf tournament at Centurion Club near St Albans.

It means that no player currently flying the Saltire at the top level of the game on this side of the Atlantic is facing either a possible fine or ban for teeing up on Norman’s Saudi-backed breakaway circuit without permission.

Englishman Richard Bland, last year’s Betfred British Masters champion, has indicated that he’ll be playing in the event, with a number of his compatriots, including Lee Westwood, also reported to have been among those seeking a release.

In wider terms, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Germany’s Martin Kaymer have also been linked with the event, as have former Open champions Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen.

“I think the Scottish guys on the tour at the moment are happy,” one of the DP World Tour card holders, who asked not to be named, told Scotland on Sunday.

“We’re playing for a minimum of $2 million in events this season and we’ve got some tournaments that are now co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, with more of them coming.”

Referring to the fact that the LIV Golf events are being tagged as “sportswashing” by Saudi Arabia, he added of the united stance by the Scots: “As a country, it looks good morally

and, certainly in its