Saudi League Golfers ‘Should Not Be Part Of A Ryder Cup’ - Rich Beem

Former PGA Championship winner Rich Beem believes those who sign up for the LIV Golf Series should be banned from featuring in future Ryder Cups.

The threat of fines and bans continue to hang over prospective mutineers who opt for the riches on offer from the Saudi-backed attempt to form a global breakaway circuit that gets underway in London on June 9. 

European Ryder Cup legends Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia have both requested releases to tee it up at the Centurion Club for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational, but Beem is backing the PGA and DP World Tours in the battle of Old vs New that shows no sign of abating.

“If players go over and play in the LIV Series, I think they are going to be banned from the respective tours at some point,” Beem told BoyleSports Latest Golf Betting. “And as far as playing or captaining in the Ryder Cup, I think they've made it fairly clear that if you go and join this tour, you're not going to be up for captaincy and you probably won't be a part of the Ryder Cup anymore.

“Hats off to them. I think taking that stance clearly draws a line in the sand and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I think that with the threat of litigation and independent contractors, it'll get messy with lawsuits. But I agree that if you go do this, you should not be part of a Ryder Cup on either side anymore. I definitely agree with that.”

Beem is at Southern Hills for the PGA Championship, 20 years on from holding off Tiger Woods to lift the Wanamaker Trophy in memorable fashion at Hazeltine National. While the Sky Sports pundit would be satisfied to make the weekend in Tulsa, he is ruling nothing out when it comes to the 15-time Major champion, who has defied the odds time and time again to deliver the unthinkable. 

Asked if he thought Tiger would add to his Major haul, Beem added: “You know, it wouldn't surprise me anymore. Watching him tee it up in the Masters this year and seeing what he was able to do in the first round, I thought if he can do that with about maybe three months of good practice, he can still get it done now. 

“The toughest part about it is going to be finding a golf course where he's able to walk and I still think he's - pardon the expression - not out of the woods yet with the injuries because they're pretty gruesome. Walking 72 holes takes a lot out of you anyway.

“If you look at this year alone - I think a lot of people would agree with this - St Andrews has to be a place he's looking forward to more than anything else because it’s a flat walk. If the weather's halfway decent, if it's not blowing and raining sideways and he's not fighting the elements, then it's a pretty standard walk. 

“He will have some indifferent stances and lies that he has to cope with, but beyond that, it's a thinking man's golf course. It’s not just bombs away, so I think he’d have a great opportunity to win at St Andrews if his body's doing well.”