Henrik Stenson and the DP World Tour Fines

It’s safe to say that, until Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf was announced, the most noisy signing of a European player with the Saudi League was undoubtedly that of Henrik Stenson. The Swedish player decided to make the move when he was already invested in the position of captain of Team Europe, a fact that raised accusations and controversy, and which led to his removal and replacement by Luke Donald (a choice that turned out to be a winning one, editor’s note).

Since then, Stenson has taken a critical stance towards the DP World Tour, culminating in his dismissal from the European Tour following the sanctions imposed on LIV Golf players. Well, on the sidelines of the tournament that just concluded at The Greenbrier, the 2016 Open Champion gave an interview on the podcast Beyond the Clubhouse, in which he returned to broach the subject of fines.

Henrik Stenson, statements

At the heart of the matter is the inconsistency that Stenson sees in the treatment the Tour has reserved for the various players. The Swede particularly highlights the different treatment reserved for Rahm and Hatton, given the severity of the fines imposed on him, Poulter and Westwood (who also raised the same issue in another interview, editor’s note) and the different paths in the Ryder Cup.

“They are two world-class players, everyone knows that, and I would be surprised if they were not part of the team.” “But given the way a lot of European players have been treated, viewed and fined, I would like to see some consistency in the way this is all handled.” “I think everyone should be treated the same.

Whether you are a member of the European Tour and Team Europe or not” “Do you fine certain players in certain situations and not in others, and so on? Consistency is what everyone expects”. A DP World Tour spokesperson said: “We do not discuss the specific details of sanctions imposed on any player, but the reality is that we have been and will continue to be consistent, fair and proportionate in assessing breaches of the Conflicting Tournament Rules”.