PGA Tour can ban non-members playing LIV Golf for one year, according to new rules

In what is deemed as an effort to break LIV Golf's flow before it's upcoming second season, the PGA Tour has introduced a new rule.

According to the new rule, even non-members of the PGA Tour will face a one-year ban if they play in "unauthorized" events.

An unauthorized event has been described in the player handbook as "any golf event for which the commissioner has denied or has indicated he would deny all conflicting event releases and/or media releases or not eligible for releases because it is to be held in North America".

According to new regulations that began in the 2022-23 season, "any player who has participated in an unauthorized tournament is ineligible to compete in any event sanctioned by the PGA Tour for a period of one year".

This new regulation applies not only to the Tour events but also to Monday's qualifiers for both the Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour and the Q-school.

Although LIV Golf hasn't naturally been explicitly mentioned, it can be assumed from the recent developments and the ongoing civil war between the controversial series and the PGA Tour, that this new rule has been brought in to discourage players from joining the Saudi-backed league.

Last year, the Tour banned defectors, and this new regulation even applies to non-members like college players and top amateurs.

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"The PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf" - Greg Norman earlier

Greg Norman at the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami - Day Three (Image via Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Members of the controversial LIV Golf series have repeatedly said that players should be allowed to play in whichever tour they choose to since they are independent contractors.

Last year, LIV Golf player Lee Westwood had called the PGA Tour "bullies" when discussing the closer ties between the tour and the DP World Tour amidst the LIV Golf debate.

Even LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman has said that the choice should be left to golfers. He said:

"Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament. This is particularly disappointing in light of the Tour’s non-profit status, where its mission is purportedly 'to promote the common interests of professional tournament golfers'."

However, one thing that can be understood by the new rule brought in by the PGA Tour is that the LIV Golf threat is still looming on the tour's head since their authority has now extended to even college players and amateurs who are not even members of the tour.