"Treat everyone the same"- LIV Golf star Henrik Stenson calls out European Tour over 'inconsistent' fining of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton

When Henrik Stenson first left the European Tour for the LIV Golf Series, he not only had to give up his Ryder Cup captaincy but was also fined heavily. His fellow teammates Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter were fined heavily as well, with the former being forced to pay up to $1,000,000.

Henrik Stenson said that there was a stark difference between the fines that those who first joined LIV Golf had to pay versus what Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton paid. Speaking about the lack of consistency from the European Tour, Stenson said via Golf Monthly.

"On the same note, though, given how a lot of other European players that went to LIV have been treated, looked upon, and fined - you talked about inconsistency earlier, I'd like to see some consistency in how all of this is dealt with."

Henrik Stenson pointed out that there needed to be consistency in the way that all the golfers who left the Tour were treated, regardless of when they left.

"I think you just need to treat everyone the same. Either you can be a member of the European Tour and the European Ryder Cup team [or you can't]. Are you fining certain players in certain situations and not in others and so on? Consistency is all that everyone is after."

As it stands, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are also eligible to qualify and play the Ryder Cup in 2025.

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Henrik Stenson calls out DP World Tour officials for unfair treatment of LIV Golf players ahead of the Open Championship

Earlier this year, Henrik Stenson also called out DP World Tour officials for the unfair treatment of LIV Golfers at the 2024 Open Championship. Talking about the same issue of fines, Stenson pointed out (via Golf Magic):

"I've been told that my fine for each individual LIV competition I played in before I resigned my membership are twice what Jon is getting now. How does that work? Are they saying I am worth twice what Jon is? It's the other way around, surely, if not more. That's a big compliment, if so."

The negotiations between the LIV Golf Series, PGA Tour and European Tour are still underway. Until then, all DP World Tour players who left for the Saudi-backed league will be fined. Recently, Jon Rahm also opened up about not paying his fines yet.

Despite the current fiasco with the fines, LIV Golfers are still eligible to be a part of the European team for the Ryder Cup as long as they do not give up their DP World Tour membership. There are several names on the potential list for the Ryder Cup, including the likes of Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk.