Billy Foster 'Would Include' LIV Golf Rebels In European Ryder Cup Set-Up

Veteran caddie Billy Foster says he’d like to see the European Ryder Cup stalwarts who joined LIV Golf still involved in the event this year, even if just as part of Luke Donald’s backroom staff.

Henrik Stenson was meant to be European captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone GC in Rome in September, before he had to give up the role after joining LIV Golf.

The likes of Lee Westwood, record Ryder Cup points scorer Sergio Garcia and even ‘The Postman’ himself Ian Poulter all joined LIV in a move that seemingly ended their hopes of playing any further part in the tournament.

The legal case on whether the DP World Tour can ban LIV players from competing in their events and from making the Ryder Cup is ongoing, but the veterans were likely being lined up as future captains over the next few years.

Now on the bag of US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, Foster told Garrett Johnston on his Beyond The Clubhouse podcast that he feels the Ryder Cup stalwarts playing for LIV should have some involvement in the competition.

“Personally I’d like to see the likes of Westwood, Stenson, Poulter, Garcia still be involved in Ryder Cups,” Foster said on Beyond The Clubhouse.

“Alright, it’s at a stage where they might not be playing anymore, but they’ve certainly given so much over the last 20 years, inside the locker room and on the golf course just to not include them for their experience, even if it’s in the backroom staff or whatever, I’d still love to see those guys involved.

“Maybe I don’t know enough about it, and maybe there is a lot of bitter and twistedness and guys not liking them going to that side and coming back in.

“But they’re very inspirational European players and to not include them, for me, I wouldn’t be doing it, I would include them.”

Foster is also among the group of people in the game that feel LIV Golf players should be allowed to play in DP World Tour events, to make sure the best players in the world are involved.

“Personally I just like to see the best players – the PGA Tour is a different animal I know that, but in Europe, for me, would you like to see some very average players, I’m not naming names, or would you like to say, well, actually what if Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter want to play in Wentworth or wherever it is. I’m sure the public would love to see them.

“Some guys on both sides of the pond think those guys that have left, why should they make fortunes on LIV and then come and cherry pick where they play. But what the answer is, I don’t know.”