Billy Foster: Why European Tour has been ‘absolutely destroyed’ 

Billy Foster believes the DP World Tour’s decision not to join forces with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf could prove costly in the game’s big fallout.

The Yorkshireman, who is making his latest Masters appearance on Matt Fitzpatrick’s bag this week, admits he is saddened by the state of the formerly known European Tour.

Guy Kinnings – the new CEO at Wentworth HQ after Keith Pelley’s departure – has been tasked with guiding the circuit through a defining period as they aim to reach a peace agreement with the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the LIV venture.

Back in 2021, former boss Pelley had a meeting with PIF over the possibility of merging with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, but opted to align with the PGA Tour in a “strategic alliance” instead.

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And Foster believes that’s a decision the European Tour could come to regret.

“People think that the European Tour should collaborate with LIV and you’d have a World Tour that would rival the PGA Tour but whether that ship’s sailed, I’m not sure,” he said, via CasinoAlpha.com

“It could end up being a costly decision from the European Tour. I’ve been around it for 40 years, 20 years ago it was absolutely brilliant. It’s all such a shame.”

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Just last month, LIV Golf withdrew its application to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) board and the league’s plight with players sliding down the rankings continues.

But Foster has stressed that LIV players aren’t the only ones being hurt by the OWGR system, pointing towards how it has also “absolutely destroyed” the DP World Tour.

“I don’t know how the system works but it’s all biased towards America which is rubbish,” he said.

“The European Tour has been absolutely destroyed by it. It’s so difficult to build ranking points on the European Tour, all the points go to America.

“Out of Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann and Bryson DeChambeau, they’d all be top 15 in the world so absolutely the ranking system is a load of rubbish.”

There are 13 LIV golfers in the field this week at Augusta National, including the five star names mentioned by Foster. The others are Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.