Poulter quits LIV for senior golf but faces a year out in America

Ian Poulter, who turned 50 in January, said in a statement on Friday that he will not play for LIV 2.0 and wants to “focus on senior golf”. He is the second LIV team captain to leave in three days, after Louis Oosthuizen quit Southern Guards on Wednesday.

Poulter has been suspended by the PGA Tour since he joined LIV. Field Level Media reports that he will probably have to sit out a year from his last LIV event before he can play on PGA Tour Champions, as Henrik Stenson did. Golf Digest reported that at the US Senior Open in June he said he was prepared to wait.

In June Poulter paid DP World Tour fines he had estimated at about $1.1 million, and he can rejoin the tour in November. He still has to serve suspensions believed to total about 10 weeks, the Associated Press reports. His first DP World Tour start in more than three years, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship earlier this month, ended with a missed cut. Rejoining would not make him eligible to captain or vice-captain a European Ryder Cup team. “Even if they were to rejoin as members, neither can serve as a Captain or Vice Captain,” a tour spokesperson told Golfweek in June of Poulter and Lee Westwood. Poulter has a 15-8-2 Ryder Cup record from seven appearances.

Poulter and Westwood co-captained Majesticks GC, the all-English team that finished 12th of 13 this season. Westwood has not said whether he will stay. He was confirmed for the Link Hong Kong Open, which finishes on Sunday 25 October, the day LIV’s players must say whether they will sign up.

As well as playing senior events, Poulter said he would keep building his YouTube channel, The Postman, and spend more time with his sons: Luke, 22, a University of Florida golfer who has played in the Walker Cup, and Joshua, 14.

BC Partners Credit’s $300 million investment in LIV 2.0 depends on a “requisite number of players” staying, according to Golf.com. Richard Bland, Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele are among the handful who have committed. BC Partners can extend or waive Sunday’s deadline. A LIV lawyer has said the league should know by the end of the month whether it will carry on, Sky Sports reports.

Sources

• ESPN: Ian Poulter says he won’t be part of LIV Golf 2.0
• Field Level Media: Ian Poulter joins LIV Golf exodus: ‘Tough decision’
• Yahoo Sports (AP): Ian Poulter officially leaving LIV Golf, won’t return for LIV 2.0
• Yahoo Sports: Poulter leaves LIV as exodus of big names continues
• Golf.com: Ian Poulter’s LIV Golf departure adds to growing list
• Golf Digest: Ian Poulter faces an uncertain golf future, but he’s relishing chance to play in U.S. Senior Open
• Golf Monthly: Ian Poulter confirms LIV Golf exit
• Sky Sports: Ian Poulter becomes latest to confirm LIV Golf exit
• GolfMagic: Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Anthony Kim confirm plans amid LIV Golf exodus