The European tour is joining the PGA Tour in its stand against the LIV Golf Series.
On Friday, the European tour announced that players who participated in LIV Golf's inaugural event in London would be suspended for three tournaments. Those golfers will be unable to participate in the Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship.
Additionally, the European tour is fining those golfers £100,000 ($123,000) for playing on the LIV Golf tour without authorization.
MORE: Can LIV Golf members play at The Open in 2022?
What led the European tour to that decision? It was spurred by conversations with members of the European tour, as the governing body's chief executive Keith Pelley explained, per ESPN.
Many members I have spoken to in recent weeks expressed the viewpoint that those who have chosen this route have not only disrespected them and our Tour, but also the meritocratic ecosystem of professional golf that has been the bedrock of our game for the past half a century and which will also be the foundation upon which we build the next 50 years.
Their actions are not fair to the majority of our membership and undermine the Tour, which is why we are taking the action we have announced today.
It's no surprise that the European tour reached this decision. The organization, like the PGA Tour, is facing a potential existential threat from LIV Golf. As such, the tours are doing their best to discourage golfers from leaving by making it costly and taking away their ability to play in both LIV Golf and the traditional tours.
Additionally, all three events which LIV golfers are banned from are co-sanctioned by the PGA. So, they may have had an influence on the decision.
MORE: Full list of LIV Golf players, why they joined the Saudi-backed start-up
It's important to note that, unlike the PGA Tour, the LIV golfers haven't been suspended indefinitely from the European tour. They are beginning with a baseline suspension of these three events and the fine. However, the European tour acknowledged that there could be "further sanctions" for players that continue to play on the LIV Golf tour.
The Scottish Open, which runs from July 7-10, will be the first European tour event at which LIV Golf participants won't be allowed to play. Brooks Koepka had previously been announced as part of the Scottish Open but will now be unable to participate.
The total purse for the Scottish Open is expected to be $8 million.
