But Jon Rahm, World No. 3 and arguably Europe’s emotional leader, isn’t quite ready to let them go. Rahm teamed with Poulter for one match in Paris in 2018 and went 3-0 with Garcia as a team in Whistling Straits two years ago. Beyond that experience, Rahm is a self-professed student of the history of the game, and perhaps it’s no surprise that in the run-up to this week, he has sought the advice of both men.

When asked about Garcia’s influence, Rahm revealed that he’d been in communication with his former teammate.

“I did talk to him and ask for advice,” he said. “He did show me a lot of what to do at Whistling and obviously in Paris, as well. But I did have a little bit of a chat with him, and with Poulter, as well. Not that it’s going to be easy to take on the role that those two had both on and off the golf course, but just to hear them talk about what they thought and what they felt is obviously invaluable information.”

His call with Poulter happened more than a week ago, but he’s been on the phone with Garcia as recently as Monday.

“There’s no such thing as a stupid question,” Rahm said. “Curiosity is going to get you somewhere.”

That philosophy forms the basis of his conversations with Poulter and Garcia — he’s smart enough to know that he still has plenty to learn from players like that.

In turn, he’s happy to act as a sounding board for Europe’s younger players.

“I always tell them it’s very easy to really be in your mind and your feelings because you don’t really know how to process a week like this, so ask as many questions as you can from anybody,” Rahm said on Tuesday. “At the same time, I understand that they’re here wanting to prove why they’re here and make their mark as rookies, but there’s always something to learn from some of the great players.”

Rahm admitted that in his first Ryder Cup, in Paris, he was so shy and overwhelmed that he didn’t ask a single question. He compared himself to this year’s most prominent rookie, Ludvig Aberg, who Rahm described as “quiet”.

“I was about as quiet as one can be,” he said of his debut in Paris. “I’m very shy and introverted by nature, so everything — the whole week seemed a little daunting at first. And you’re going into a locker room where people have been sharing for 15 to 20 years, so it’s very hard to — at least it was very hard for me to fit in right away like that. A lot easier the second time, though.”

Main image: Stacy Revere

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With that in mind, let’s take a tour through history and revisit the 15 best captain’s picks ever made, based partly on record and partly on circumstance. Keep in mind that although the Ryder Cup has been around since 1927, Europe didn’t start using captain’s picks until 1979 (and took a year off in 1983), while the US didn’t make its first captain’s picks until 1989.

15: Jose Maria Olazabal, 1987
Record: 3-2-0
3-2-0 is the worst record of any player on this list, but the reason Jose Maria makes the No. 15 spot is that Tony Jacklin had the wits to take him as a rookie, and then to pair him with Seve Ballesteros in a duo that never accomplished much … except to become, by far, the greatest twosome in Ryder Cup history. Here, they won their first three matches, with Olazabal sinking a bevy of clutch putts as Ballesteros guided him around the course. He lost his final two matches, but it was enough to give Europe their first win on American soil, and to launch the Spanish Armada that would give the Americans fits for years.

14: Sergio Garcia, 2021
3-1-0
In the “glory amid a stomping” department, we offer Garcia, who won all three pairs matches with Jon Rahm in the latest installment of the Spanish Armada at Whistling Straits. The end result of the event was an historic 19-11 drubbing by the Americans, but Garcia came through for Padraig Harrington and managed to defeat players such as Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth twice each.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros. David Cannon

13: Jose Maria Olazabal, 1991
3-1-1
Three Spanish players in a row? That’s right, we’re going right back to Olazabal. For Bernard Gallacher, it didn’t take a lot of brains to pick Olazabal, who was next in line on the points rankings and literally ranked second in the world, so this one is more about performance than surprise. In any case, he teamed with Seve yet again to win 3.5 points in four matches, and also dealt Paul Azinger two Friday losses that remain among the most memorable — not to say bitter — of his career. The post-script here, though, is that Azinger got his revenge with a win against Olazabal in Sunday singles, and the Americans squeaked out an important win at the “War by the Shore.”

12: Xander Schauffele, 2021
3-1-0
Let’s go right back to Whistling Straits, where Schauffele cemented the brilliance of his partnership with Patrick Cantlay by winning two foursomes matches — including a statement drubbing of Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter in the anchor match of the first session — and also won a fourball match with Dustin Johnson before getting a deserved rest on Saturday afternoon. He got beat by McIlroy on Sunday, but at that point, it didn’t matter. The lead was so massive that the Americans couldn’t lose, and Schauffele played an integral role in getting them there.

11: Ian Poulter, 2008
4-1-0
It’s so easy to forget that anything good happened for the Europeans at Valhalla, but one of the most sneakily significant lines on Poulter’s Ryder Cup résumé is that even in the face of an American annihilation, he was brilliant. After a narrow 1-down Friday loss, he proceeded to win four straight matches, teaming with Justin Rose twice, Graeme McDowell once, and then beating fellow captain’s pick Steve Stricker in singles. The Postman always delivers, even when the rest of his continent is shut down.

Dustin Johnson. Jim Watson

10: Dustin Johnson, 2012
3-0-0
In a lot of ways, this was really the perfect use of a captain’s pick by Davis Love III. He had a “role player” vision for DJ, and it worked to perfection. He teamed with Kuchar to win a match in both fourball sessions, including a win over the tough Rose/Kaymer win on Day 1, and then dusted Nicolas Colsaerts in singles — a rare bright spot in one of the worst days in Ryder Cup history. Love doesn’t get enough credit for how well he managed the team those first two days, and the way he used DJ is the shining example of a strategy gone right.

Jesper Parnevik. David Cannon

9: Jesper Parnevik, 1999
3-1-1
Everything I just wrote about DJ has a slight echo with Parnevik’s 1999 campaign, right down to the massive comeback by the other team on Sunday. Mark James tried a renegade strategy of benching a shocking number of players before Sunday singles, hoping to establish a big enough lead in pairs by avoiding his weakest players in order to safeguard against a Sunday collapse, and it almost worked. A key part of that plan was Parnevik, who teamed with Sergio Garcia four times in the first two days to earn 3.5 points. Among his victims were Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, and if things had gone differently at Brookline on Sunday, he’d be remembered as one of the most important cogs in a brilliant plan by James.

8: Thomas Pieters, 2016
4-1-0
Speaking of valiant efforts in losing causes, it’s easy to forget how brilliant Pieters was at Hazeltine National, becoming just the second player after Ian Poulter (twice) to claim four wins. His first match with a struggling Lee Westwood was disastrous, but after that, he teamed with Rory McIlroy to beat anyone the Americans could throw at them, including the powerhouse Dustin Johnson/Brooks Koepka team on Saturday afternoon. He went on to beat JB Holmes in singles, but this was America’s Cup to win.

Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. Jamie Squire

7: Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, 2006
DC: 3-0-0/LW: 3-0-2
This was the height of European power in the Ryder Cup, and though they may not have strictly needed this famous Ryder Cup pairing to beat the Americans at The K Club, they nevertheless added to their collective legacy by winning two fourball matches together and then grabbing another win in singles. Westwood added two halves and, considering that they were the only two picks allotted to captain Ian Woosnam that year, it’s hard to imagine how it could have gone any better.

6: Luke Donald, 2010
3-1-0
Celtic Manor goes down as one of the strangest Ryder Cups in recent memory, due to weather more than anything else. Donald, a former World No. 1, got the nod from captain Colin Montgomerie, and as the format was changed to accommodate the many delays, he won two sessions on Saturday and beat Jim Furyk in an early singles match on Monday. This Cup ended with a one-point win for the Europeans, and with all the small margins making such a difference, Donald justified Montgomerie’s faith.

5: Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, 2018
SG: 3-1-0/HS: 3-0
Somewhere, you can find an article I wrote back in 2018 questioning Thomas Bjorn’s captain’s picks, and his tactic of going with veteran leadership over players on better form. I refuse to link it, but it exists out there. Boy, was I wrong! Paul Casey and Ian Poulter performed admirably, but it was these two picks, Garcia and Stenson, who really lit it up. Stenson teamed with Justin Rose to reprise their fantastic Gleneagles pairing and win both fourball matches, then smashed Bubba Watson in singles, while Garcia teamed with Alex Noren and Rory McIlroy to win two pairs matches, then beat Rickie Fowler in a crucial singles match. Sorry, Thomas!

Hunter Mahan. Sam Greenwood

4: Hunter Mahan, 2008
2-0-3
Paul Azinger didn’t tell anyone he was doing it until after, but part of his revolutionary pod system in 2008 was that the pods of three players who qualified automatically would get to choose their own captain’s pick. That means that this pick actually came down to Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard, who chose Mahan as a group. In the end, Mahan played all five sessions — extremely rare for a captain’s pick — and came away with two wins and three halves. Session after session, he was setting the tone, and his 3.5 total points were crucial in spurring the Americans to a massive win.

3: Raymond Floyd, 1993
3-1-0
Context: This year’s American team will be trying to win in Europe for the first time in 30 years, and the last time they made it work was in 1993. Tom Watson was captain, and though American fans have bad memories of him operating on gut instinct many years later in Gleneagles, in ’93 he made the controversial choice to pick the 51-year-old Floyd — who had actually been a captain four years earlier! — as his final pick. This was the ultimate instinct pick, because Floyd had won just once in the last seven years, and never in ’93. But after getting blanked in one match Friday, he won twice with Payne Stewart on Saturday and beat Jose Maria Olazabal in what turned out to be the clinching match. All things considered, this wild pick couldn’t have turned out any better.

2: Sandy Lyle, 1987
3-1-0
The record may not be as spectacular as some, and he didn’t win his singles match, but it’s important to keep in mind here that in ’87, Europe were attempting the seemingly impossible task of winning for the first time on American soil. In the first session, Bernhard Langer teamed with Ken Brown, but lost, and Tony Jacklin needed a partner for his German star. He went to Lyle, who proceeded to win three straight pairs sessions with Langer and lead Europe to a 10.5 -5.5 lead. Even better for the Europeans, they beat the pairing of Lanny Wadkins and Larry Nelson twice on Saturday, a team that had been among America’s best historically. They needed every bit of that lead, too, because America trounced them in singles, almost erasing the entire deficit. But Lyle’s three wins with Langer helped Europe establish a cushion that was too much to overcome, and that’s how they made history.

Ian Poulter. Getty Images

1: Ian Poulter, 2012
4-0-0
Call me biased if you want, but the Medinah Ryder Cup was the first tournament I ever covered, and I will absolutely never forget Poulter’s brilliant one-man stand in fourball as Saturday afternoon became Saturday night (this video is Ryder Cup 101), which I’m still convinced infused the Europeans with the energy to stage the brilliant comeback on Sunday … a comeback in which Poulter played an integral role, beating Webb Simpson, 2-up, in the second match. All in all, he finished a perfect 4-0-0, and despite the fact that picking Poulter was painfully obvious for Jose Maria Olazabal, it still goes down as the greatest performance by a captain’s pick in the history of this event.

Main image: Golf Digest montage

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Ian Poulter has company. And he has the same last name.

The long-time European Ryder Cup stalwart turned LIV Golf member is playing in the Asian Tour’s International Series event at Close House in England. If he thought he was going to show up and get in four casual rounds of competitive golf this week, his plans have now changed.

After three rounds, Poulter’s 19-year-old son Luke is hot on his heals.

Luke Poulter is a freshman on the University of Florida men’s golf team and is playing in his first professional event this week alongside his father. With three holes remaining in Round 2 on Friday, Luke was on the outside of the cut but finished birdie, eagle, par to make the cut on the number. Dad had finished earlier and was there on the ninth hole watching his son complete the first task, greeting him with applause and a hug.

Birdie, eagle, par finish for Luke Poulter to join his dad @IanJamesPoulter in making the cut at the @intseriesgolf at @CloseHouseGolf ?? pic.twitter.com/0oRKiQbzhm

— Majesticks GC (@MajesticksGC) August 18, 2023

Now though, it’s getting serious. Ian shot one-over 72 on Saturday while Luke shot three-under 68 to make up four shots during the third round. Ian is tied for 13th place at two-under while Luke is tied for 20th place at even par. Andy Ogletree leads the event at nine-under.

Two other sons competed in the same event, but both missed the cut. Lee Westwood’s son Sam shot 76-79 to miss the weekend. Lee made the cut but shot a third-round 81. Davis Love III’s son Dru shot 76-75.

On a day when the sun came out for the first time this week, although a strong wind accompanied it, unheralded South African Neil Schietekat carded a 66 at Close House, near Newcastle, to sit one back of Ogletree, while Australian Matt Jones (67), Abraham Ancer (69) from Mexico and Spaniard David Puig (70) are a further stroke adrift.

Ogletree, who heads both the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits and has been a reserve on the LIV Golf League this year, finished strongly with an eagle on the par-five 16th, followed by a birdie to edge ahead of a stacked leaderboard.

He had started the day one shot behind overnight leader and playing partner Puig, who made a costly triple-bogey on the 12th, where he four putted, to hand the lead to the American.

However, Ogletree missed a two-footer for par on the following hole and saw Jones move in front over the closing stages before his storming finish.

“I stayed patient all day, super tough, you know you got a couple birdie opportunities coming in. Hit a great shot on 16 and ended up making an eagle so that was kind of a bonus,” said the 25-year-old American, who has claimed two International Series titles: in Qatar this year, and Egypt last season.

“It was brutal with the wind. Hit a couple of crazy clubs, like I hit a pitching wedge from 168 and stuff like that. So definitely 20-30 yard wind changes, whether it was into or down so pretty, pretty difficult.”

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Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut fired an opening five-under-par 66 to take the lead in the Asian Tour’s International Series England at Close House, near Newcastle, as some of LIV Golf’s big names lurked near the top of the leaderboard.

He fired six birdies and one bogey in nasty conditions on the Colt Course, to finish the day one in front of American Liv-er Jason Kokrak and Jaewoong Eom from Korea.

Germany’s Dominic Foos and Suradit Yongcharoenchai from Thailand returned 68s, while LIV Golf and Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter was in group of 10 players on 69.

Sarit played a practice round here with countryman Pavit Tangkamolprasert before last year’s England event, which was played at a different venue, and said: “Maybe that helped a little bit today, there was more rain that time.”

He started on the back nine on Thursday, and birdied 10, and 14 before a brilliant two on the 18th — a difficult 185-yard par-three, that could be the scene of much drama come Sunday. He dropped a shot on the second, but recovered with gains on three, six and eight.

“I have been hitting it really well,” he said. “Today was just about the putting, it is all about the putting. Still need to fix my long putting, I might practice that.”

Sarit triumphed for the first time on the Asian Tour last year, at the season-ending Indonesian Masters, but has struggled this year, until a top-10 finish in the Indonesia Open two weeks ago.

“I had an injury at the beginning of the year, at first it was a back injury, then I got sick, I got Covid, I also had neck and wrist problems,” said the 25-year-old, who was also laid low by Covid last year.

“I took a lot of time off to repair my body, to not get into trouble with injury again, I think that’s worked.”

Kokrak, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour including two in 2021, finished strongly with birdies on 16 and 17.

“Very happy with that,” said the 38-year-old. “I thought I was going along well but not really making any putts. I was hitting it well but thought I should be more under par. Made a couple there at the end, happy with it.

“The course is wet and super long. I would love to see this place really bouncy.”

Ian Poulter. Asian Tour

Englishman Poulter was happy to get in the clubhouse among the leaders after a rough second half.

“Damage limitation,” said Poulter. “Obviously, three-under through nine and cruising but bogeyed the first hole which is my 10th, a par five, is suicide, frustrating to do that. I shanked it down four which is not ideal, nearly made par, and had another bogey on the par three with a pulled eight iron, I was in the middle of the fairway there. Dropping three shots on that nine was poor.”

His son, Luke, an amateur, started well with a 72 although made costly mistakes with the short stick.

Poulter Sr said: “He’s one over, he had four three putts. He will probably slap himself around the head, so he has obviously played good golf, and he has not done his job on the putting green. He is a good golfer, and great he is in the field this week.”

His compatriot, fellow LIV Golfer and playing partner Lee Westwood, who is the Touring Professional for Close House, also looked set to be among the front runners but made a double on his third from last hole and came in with a 70.

American Andy Ogletree, who currently leads the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits, signed for a 72, while Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, who claimed the Mandiri Indonesia Open two weeks ago, shot 73.

The post Sarit’s super 66 secures first-round lead In International Series England as LIV Golf’s top guns lurk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

If you scroll down to the tee times below you may see a duplication of two of England’s most famous golfing surnames.

Nope, it’s not a typo.

I guess it shows that time flies when you are having fun as both Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will welcome their sons to the field for the Asian Tour’s International Series event at Close House, just outside Newcastle this week.

Luke and Ian Poulter. Stuart Franklin

Having both caddied for their dads at previous events, Luke Poulter and Sam Westwood are now both in the 156-strong field in their own right contending for the $2 million prize money.

There will be 2 Poulter’s in the field for the @intseriesgolf at @CloseHouseGolf this week, excited to experience it with Luke??????

Grab your tickets now: https://t.co/p9hPUCcETu pic.twitter.com/zw9B69TwBI

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) August 14, 2023

Last year, the senior Poulter spoke to Golf Monthly about Luke’s chances on tour. “I’m holding him off at the moment, but it will happen one day,” he said. “When he does win I know his celebrations will match anything you’ve ever seen from me. And I will plaster it all over social media, because I’ll be more proud than disappointed.”

The Westwoods have previously played in the same tournament — the 2022 Indonesian Masters, when Westwood Jr made his debut as a professional. “He started playing the game very late,” Westwood told Golf Monthly of his son. “He only took up the game seriously at age 16 and he is 21 now. I don’t really have any expectations for him this week. I just want him to enjoy himself.”

Excited to tee it up at @CloseHouseGolf with Sam this week for the @intseriesgolf eventhttps://t.co/05m2ciKXOd pic.twitter.com/TTF6MNZy0X

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) August 14, 2023

However, if the Englishmen want to make history and make it a family affair in the same group, first they will have to make the cut as, while the dads are paired together for Rounds 1 and 2, the young guns have been split across the field.

Oh, if that wasn’t enough, a youngster named Davis ‘Dru’ Love IV is also in the line-up. Yep, that will be the son of 1997 PGA champ Davis Love III.

Maybe a glimpse of the next generation is on the cards at Close House…

International Series England Tee times and pairings
Thursday
Hole 1
7.00 Kyson Lloyd, Runchanapong Youprayong, AJ Batty
7.10 Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Natipong Srithong, Luke Joy
7.20 James Wilson, Taewoo Kim #1468, Settee Prakongvech
7.30 Rattanon Wannasrichan, Micah Lauren Shin, Yikeun Chang
7.40 Denwit Boriboonsub, Luke Poulter (a), Angelo Que
7.50 Prom Meesawat, Ben Campbell, Sam Westwood
8.00 Jbe Kruger, Tom Power-Horan, Michael Maguire
8.10 Andrew Dodt, Trevor Simsby Chikkarangappa S
8.20 Hung Chien-yao, SSP Chawrasia, Poom Saksansin
8.30 Pawin Ingkhapradit, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Kyongjun Moon
8.40 Siddikur Rahman, Jaco Ahlers, Bjorn Hellgren
8.50 Josh Younger, Seungtaek Lee, Carlos Bustos
9.00 Alex Ching, Dominic Foos, Lloyd Jefferson Go

Hole 10
7.00 David Puig, Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Taehee Lee
7.10 Abraham Ancer, Chan Shih-chang, Brendan Steele
7.20 Hideto Tanihara, Sarit Suwannarut, Matt Jones
7.30 Ian Poulter, Nitithorn Thippong, Lee Westwood
7.40 Eugenio Chacarra, Steve Lewton, Scott Hend
7.50 Hudson Swafford, Travis Smyth, Peter Uihlein
8.00 James Piot, Chase Koepka, Tomoharu Otsuki
8.10 Simon Robinson, Chanat Sakulpolphaisan, Kartik Sharma
8.20 Danthai Boonma, Honey Baisoya, Ian Snyman
8.30 Gunn Charoenkul, Richard T Lee, John Lyras
8.40 Kevin Yuan, Lee Chieh-po, Bai Zhengkai
8.50 Jack Murdoch, Nicolas Paez, Faisal Salhab
9.00 Will Marshall, Jean Bekirian, Rory Franssen

Hole 1
12.00 Chanmin Jung, Taichi Kho, Jediah Morgan
12.10 Miguel Tabuena, Andy Ogletree, Wade Ormsby
12.20 Richard Bland, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Graeme McDowell
12.30 Anirban Lahiri, Phachara Khongwatmai, Jason Kokrak
12.40 Sebastian Munoz, Kieran Vincent, Dean Burmester
12.50 Pat Perez, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim
13.00 Brendan Jones, Jaewoong Eom, Shiv Kapur
13.10 Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Jack Harrison, Davis Love IV
13.20 Ben Jones, Nicholas Fung, Suradit Yongcharoenchai
13.30 Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Viraj Madappa, Yongjun Bae
13.40 Jyoti Randhawa, Jack Thompson, Nick Voke
13.50 Rhys Thompson, Chen Guxin, Matt Sharpstene
14.00 Terry Pilkadaris, Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Matthew Cheung

Hole 10
12.00 Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Meenwhee Kim, Saud Al Sharif
12.10 MJ Viljoen, Marcus Fraser, Othman Almulla
12.20 Turk Pettit, Jeev Milkha Singh, Neil Schietekat
12.30 Mardan Mamat, David Drysdale, Veer Ahlawat
12.40 Chapchai Nirat, Rahil Gangjee, Matt Killen
12.50 Miguel Carballo, Yoseop Seo, Zach Murray
13.00 Berry Henson, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit, Ben Leong
13.10 Jarin Todd, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai
13.20 Todd Sinnott, Chang Wei-lun, Kosuke Hamamoto
13.30 Dodge Kemmer, Wang Wei-hsuan, Rashid Khan
13.40 Douglas Klein, Khalin Joshi, David Hague
13.50 Harrison Gilbert-Wong, Shergo Al Kurdi, Karandeep Kochhar
14.00 Laird Shepherd, Ye Wocheng, Sangpil Yoon

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Former world No. 5, Ian Poulter, will join his long-time friend and Majesticks GC co-captain Lee Westwood, in an ever-strengthening field for the upcoming International Series England at Close House from August 17th-20th.

The fifth tournament of The International Series 2023, and 11th on the Asian Tour, can expect the flamboyant fashionista to bring some colour to the famously monochromatic city of Newcastle, and not for the first time.

Poulter has dazzled golf fans at Close House previously – the Englishman put rounds of 66, 65, 68 and 70 together to finish tied-11th on his last competitive visit in 2017.

Now looking ahead to the hotly anticipated North-eastern showdown, Poulter said: “I always enjoy the opportunity to tee up on home turf and Close House is a fantastic venue where the crowds are packed with knowledgeable golf fans.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to witness some of the top talents of the Asian Tour first-hand in the [LIV Golf] League, especially Andy Ogletree who stepped in for Lee in DC and turned in a 62! So, I’m looking forward to my International Series debut.”

Nicknamed ‘The Postman’ for consistently delivering vital points for Team Europe in The Ryder Cup, the 47-year-old has 17 professional victories under his (often brightly coloured) belt.

Two of Poulter’s wins have come on the Asian Tour, including the 2009 Singapore Open and 2010 Hong Kong Open, the latter of which is now also among the ten International Series events contributing to the Asian Tour schedule in 2023.

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are the definition of global golfers – having played, and won throughout the world. They are beloved by English golf fans, and anyone attending International Series England is in for a very special week.

“The International Series now regularly welcomes titans of the game, with Patrick [Reed], Eugenio [Chacarra] and Abraham [Ancer] all competing alongside Ian [Poulter] and Lee [Westwood] this August, demonstrating the strength of the Asian Tour right now.”

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In turn, they are now all ineligible to compete in this year’s Ryder Cup, ending any late hopes that somehow they could play for Team Europe in Rome this September.

The timing of the resignations is no coincidence. The players had 30 days from the date of the Sports Resolution UK panel decision (April 6) to either pay the aforementioned fines or relinquish their memberships.

In a statement, the DP World Tour thanked the players for their contributions they have all made to the tour, especially those of Garcia, Poulter and Westwood (all three are lifetime honourary members) for “the significant part they have played in Europe’s success in the Ryder Cup over the years”. Those contributions — which added up to 28 appearances collectively — as well as any prospect of future captaincies, can now be assumed to be at an end.

“Their resignations, however, along with the sanctions imposed upon them, are a consequence of their own choices,” the DP World Tour statement underlined. “As we have consistently maintained throughout the past year, the Tour has a responsibility to its entire membership to administer the member regulations which each player signs up to. These regulations are in place to protect the collective interests of all DP World Tour members.”

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Westwood revealed that he had actually paid his fine, one that was applied to 17 players in total, prior to submitting his resignation.

“This is a sad day, but I could not really see any other option with all the punishments hanging over me,” said the 50-year-old former World No. 1. “I don’t agree with the direction [chief executive] Keith [Pelley] and his board have taken and I want to move on.”

A further update on other members sanctioned will be released on Thursday. It is understood that some, like Westwood, have already paid their fines; others have not. By way of example, the presence of Adrian Otaegui in the field for this week’s Italian Open presumably means that the Spaniard who has participated in multiple LIV events but none since last September has already settled his debt with the DP World Tour.

Interestingly it was Otaegui who helped set the arbitration case in motion in the first place. Following the DP World Tour’s fine and suspension of 17 members who fled to the fledgling Saudi-backed circuit last June for the inaugural LIV Golf event in London, a group of players led by Otaegui, Poulter and Justin Harding filed an appeal against the DP World Tour. The LIV members were granted an injunction to enter the Genesis Scottish Open, pending a full hearing before the arbitration panel in February, in which LIV players like Westwood and Patrick Reed testified.

Garcia, Poulter and Westwood were a part of the 2021 Ryder Cup, which the United States won soundly at Whistling Straits. Garcia, the all-time points leader for Team Europe, was the only player of the four that resigned that was likely to garner any serious consideration for this year’s match in Rome.

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Taichi Kho’s dream debut as a professional in an Asian Tour event at the Hong Kong Golf Club, his home course, continued when he took the second round-lead in the $1million World City Championship.

The 22 year old brilliantly fired his second-successive six-under-par 64 to lead by two from Filipino Miguel Tabuena, the first-round leader, who shot 67, and winner of last week’s The DGC Open in India.

New Zealand’s Michael Hendry is third, four behind Kho, after returning a 64.

Kho, a member of the HKGC since January and was unveiled this week as their ambassador, is 12-under and now has an outstanding opportunity to become the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour – which would be especially significant as this event is the first international golf tournament in Hong Kong, China for 38 months.

Notre Dame graduate Kho played flawless bogey-free golf making two birdies on the front before four more on the second half, including one on the famous par-four 18th.

“Yeah, just a really great round of golf and I putted really well today,” said Kho. “And you know like I said yesterday, I’m just gonna go out there and try my best on every shot and that’s exactly what I did. And I was able to roll a few putts in and it added up to a total of 64, so very happy with the day.”

He graduated at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, in 24th place, made it through to the weekend in the two Tour events he played after that, and after another fine round today showed he is clearly revelling playing at this level.

Although appearing outwardly very calm he admitted there have been plenty of nerves over the first two days.

He said: “Yeah, I mean, I felt it a little more today, but overall, I feel like I did a really good job of just kind of being in my own bubble and focusing on myself, and felt like it was just myself and the golf ball out there today. So yeah, I’m just gonna try and tap into that tomorrow.”

.@migueltabuena riding wave of form at the #WorldCityChampionship ?#HKGC #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/etYlYZfDqR

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) March 24, 2023

Tabuena, who led with a 63 yesterday, impressively recovered from a double-bogey on his opening hole.

“It was great, I was proud of the way I fought,” said the 28 year old. “I didn’t get off to a good start, a bit of an errant drive again on the 11th hole [he started on the back nine], pulled it and had to take an unplayable. But told myself that there’s a lot of holes left, there’s two more days left, you know there’s no need to panic or there’s no need to be worried. You know you’ve been playing well and just got to keep patient and just trot along.”

The Filipino admits to not being far away from playing his best golf.

He added: “I believe I’m pretty close, like I said, I have a lot of confidence. But you also gotta learn how to control it right? Especially on this course you know, it’s very easy to be overconfident. So, just gotta stick to my routine, stick to my game plan and I know that if I do that, I will have a shot on the back nine on Sunday.”

Korean Yoseop Seo returned a 64 and is solo fourth, five back from Kho.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (67) and Suradit Yongcharoenchai (68) are a further stroke back along with Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent (67).

Australia’s Wade Ormsby, winner of the International Series Thailand two weeks ago and a two-time Hong Kong Open champion at HKGC, shot a 70 and is one-under.

England’s Ian Poulter, the Hong Kong Open winner here in 2010, carded a 72 to finish on even par which was the cut mark.

The post Asian Tour: Taichi Kho edges ahead of Philippines’ Tabuena on his home course in Hong Kong appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You just knew it was coming. And LIV Golf did not disappoint.

Moments after reports broke regarding the PGA Tour’s plan to make its designated events limited fields with no cuts in 2024, a certain league currently running events with limited fields and no cuts wasted little time taking a swing.

“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” the LIV Golf League Twitter handle wrote. “Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future.”

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future.#LIVGolf

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 1, 2023

LIV Golf’s inaugural season featured eight 54-hole events with 48 players and no cuts. This year the Saudi-backed circuit transitioned to a full league with 14 54-hole events with 48 players and no cuts. Last week Charles Howell III won the first LIV event of the year at Mayakoba in Mexico by four shots.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players Wednesday announcing a Designated Event Model, where in 2024 select designated events will feature between 70-80 players with no cuts and opportunities for players who are not eligible to qualify.

RELATED: PGA Tour’s plan to tweak designated events

“Together, this approach provides a schedule that is cohesive, compelling, consequential and with clarity for fans, players and sponsors alike,” Monahan said in the memo.

pic.twitter.com/dsJ1nDp1QT

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 1, 2023

Two of the most vocal LIV Golf players, like the Twitter handle of the league that they play for, took to Twitter to nudge the PGA Tour.

“Sounds somewhat familiar,” Ian Poulter wrote. “Now I can’t wait to hear all the back tracking of comments from the last 7 months.”

Familiar, maybe? But still not the same. The league Poulter competes in plays 18 holes less than the one he left.

I’ve spent the last year reading how good full fields and cuts are! ?

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) March 1, 2023

Said Lee Westwood: “I’ve spent the last year reading how good full fields and cuts are!”

The post LIV Golf wastes little time throwing shade at PGA Tour following news of no-cut events appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I have not,” Johnson said flatly.

Then came the follow-up: “Will you watch it?”

“Probably not,” the former World No. 1 said, before catching himself and adding almost apologetically, “I’m just being honest.”

Finally, Johnson was asked: “Do you have any interest in watching it?”

“Zero … I watched them [Netflix] film me, so no need to watch the episode.”

The docuseries, produced by Netflix and Vox Studios in collaboration with the PGA Tour, showcases Johnson alongside US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick in Episode 5. Johnson is portrayed, through sit-down interviews and a dinner with his team, as satisfied with his standing in professional golf’s elite ranks. His episode was filmed while Johnson was transitioning from the PGA Tour — where he won 24 times, including the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters — to LIV Golf.

Johnson was reportedly offered well over $100 million as a signing bonus when he joined from its inception last summer. He played all of LIV’s eight-event inaugural season and made almost $36 million. That came from his victory in LIV’s Boston stop, as well as his position at the top of the season-long standings for both he and his team, the 4 Aces.

Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. Stan Badz

In the Netflix episode, the 38-year-old father of two said his decision to join LIV was purely a business decision: play less, earn more.

“The decision to join LIV finally just came down to the offer that they made me,” Johnson said in the episode. “For me, it was playing less, making more money. Pretty simple. If someone offered anyone a job, doing the same thing they’re already doing, but less time at the office and they’re going to pay them more, pretty sure you’re going to take it. And something is wrong with you if you didn’t.”

In contrast, one top player who was featured and did watch his episode was English star Ian Poulter. In Episode 3: “Money or Legacy”, Poulter talks through whether a lucrative LIV Golf contract is worth giving up his PGA Tour card and potentially the right to play on or be involved with future Ryder Cup teams. Poulter became a legend within the European team over seven victorious appearances. The episode explores the human side of Poulter and the family factors behind his decision to join LIV.

The 47-year-old liked what he saw.

“I think the overall piece with the family was pretty good,” Poulter said at El Camaleon.

Poulter also said he had been inundated with messages and comments on social media from fans who had previously been critical of his LIV move, but sympathised with him after watching the episode.

“I have had nothing but incredible comments since,” Poulter said. “Hundreds of notifications on social media from people who were very critical, but apologised and said things like: ‘I got it wrong. I’ve said negative things since you started playing LIV but to be honest, I didn’t know the full story and background.’”

Poulter hopes “Full Swing” has a similar impact to “Drive to Survive,” a popular docuseries also produced by Vox Studios that explores the world of Formula 1 racing.

“I’m a huge ‘Drive to Survive’ fan,” he said. “I’m actually waiting for Season 5 to start, and if this does what it does for Formula 1, which saw a 45-per cent uptick in support, then that’s really, really cool. I’d love to take golf to people who haven’t been fans of it previously.”

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