'100% False' - PGA Tour After Asian Tour Pro Makes 'Bullying At Its Finest' Claim

The PGA Tour has denied rumours it threatened to ban three Japanese players if they took part in this week’s Asian Tour event, which is backed by LIV Golf.

American pro Berry Henson had claimed three Japanese players have pulled out of this week’s International Series Singapore because they were told if they took part they would not be allowed to play the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship. But CBS Sports golf writer Kyle Porter tweeted that the PGA Tour had told him this was “100% false”.

Henson, who has played on the Asian Tour since 2011, made the claim on Twitter, adding that if the players have been threatened with bans from the PGA Tour’s only Japanese stop, then that is “bullying at its finest”.

The tweet drew numerous responses, including from Australian pro Scott Hend, who called it “ridiculous stuff” along with exploding head emojis, but four-time PGA Tour winner Steve Flesch, who now plays on the Champions Tour, called it “Total BS,” adding “LIV bots and trolls are hard at work again”.

The next two Asian Tour events are both part of the International Series, which is backed by LIV Golf. This week’s event is the International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club, while next week the players head to Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club for the International Series Korea. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion who is signed with LIV Golf, has confirmed his participation in both.

LIV Golf currently has 12 teams, including the all-Japanese Torque GC with the line-up of Hideto Tanihara, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Yuki Inamori and Jinichiro Kozuma. One of the Saudi-backed series’ top targets is said to be Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion who followed that success by winning the Zozo Championship last October.