A key date has arrived as the DP World Tour vs. LIV Golf hearing at Sports Resolutions gets underway in London. This is everything you need to know.
Yes, a key date has arrived in the “civil war” that has thrown professional golf into chaos. On 6 February, the DP World Tour vs. LIV Golf hearing began in London.
The implications are huge and, understandably, you might have a lot of questions about what is going on.
Who is involved? Why are they involved? When will a decision be made? Honestly, the list is endless.
The first thing to point out is that this is not a court case, but a sports arbitration hearing overseen by Sports Resolutions.
Why don’t we try and make this all a bit simpler by going back to the very beginning?
Why is this taking place?
LIV Golf held their inaugural event at Centurion Club last June.
Lots of players requested tournament releases from the DP World Tour to participate in the $25m prize purse event.
But the tournament conflicted with the Scandinavian Mixed played on European-based circuit.
The players were denied the releases, but some disregarded them and played anyway.
It got a little bit more complicated as some players had already penned multi-year contracts with the Saudi-financed tour.
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley later announced those players, later referred to as “rebels” were to be fined £100,000 and suspended from the Genesis Scottish Open and the Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship.
What happened next?
England’s Ian Poulter was one of three players who appealed the decision to Sports Resolutions. Joining Poulter was Spain’s Adrian Otageui and South Africa’s Justin Harding.
The number of appellants increased to 16, but Sergio Garcia, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel withdrew their names.
Long story short, a decision on the ruling was “stayed” and no punishments were enforced.
This subsequently allowed LIV Golf League players to continue competing on the circuit.
Who are the 13 appellants now?
- Ian Poulter
- Adrian Otaegui
- Justin Harding
- Lee Westwood
- Sam Horsfield
- Richard Bland
- Shaun Norris
- Laurie Canter
- Wade Ormsby
- Patrick Reed
- Bernd Wiesberger
- Graeme McDowell
- Martin Kaymer
What is going to happen?
This is where it gets a bit tricky, as the five-day hearing is being held behind closed doors.
What we do know is that two Kings Councils [a barrister or solicitor recognised as an expert in their legal field] along with former high court judge Phillip Sycamore will hear the arguments by both sides.
Lee Westwood has confirmed he will be giving evidence in person.
What do the players want?
They argue that as “independent contractors” they have the right to play anywhere, providing they fulfil the criteria for membership on any given tour.
The appellants argue that they have not been prevented from teeing it up on rival circuits in the past, pointing to the fact that players competed in conflicting PGA Tour events before the DP World Tour entered into a “strategic alliance” with the North American circuit.
They argue LIV Golf is no different to any other golf tour and should be recognised as such.
What is the position of the DP World Tour?
That players competing in conflicting events has a negative effect on player participation, TV contracts and sponsorships.
The DP World Tour argues it has the right to deny the releases.
When will we know what is going to happen?
The hearing will conclude on 10 February. A decision is expected in a few weeks’ time.
It will be published on the Sports Resolutions website.
Will there be an appeal?
Sports arbitrations are quicker and cheaper, meaning that any appeals would likely head to the courts.
DP World Tour media officer Scott Crockett previously said:
“Will we appeal if we lose? Will they appeal if they lose? Will their players still be able to play on the tour if they are appealing? Unfortunately, the simple and honest answer to all of that is we don’t know.”
What about the Ryder Cup?
LIV Golf players are indefinitely suspended by the PGA Tour and there is an ongoing antitrust lawsuit working its way through the U.S. court system.
If LIV players are banned from DP World Tour events it means that they will have limited opportunities to earn qualifying points for the six automatic places in Europe’s 12-man Ryder Cup team.
Beyond that, the LIV players would have to rely on Luke Donald for a captain’s pick.
Given that there is a lot of animosity from Wentworth HQ, it’s unlikely Donald would pick any of the “rebels”.
What happens if LIV players win?
They’ll be able to compete on the DP World Tour. A number of LIV players might start playing in European tournaments to gain world ranking points.
LIV are currently without Official World Golf Ranking accreditation which means that unless exempt they face an increasingly difficult task of being able to qualify for golf’s four major championships.
Cameron Smith, one of LIV’s marquee signings, has claimed the world ranking system is now “obsolete”.
Article originally appeared on: Golfmagic.com