Rory McIlroy was not the only one who felt like a “sacrificial lamb.” Actually, it was Pablo Larrazabal, who was ‘sacrificed.’ Well, almost. A year before the $3 billion framework agreement. A year before, McIlroy admitted his frustration. The Spaniard took permission from the DP World Tour to play at the LIV Golf Invitational London. Yet, just months later, he found his name on the list of fined players.

Unbelievable as it may sound, the Spaniard insists he got the green signal from top brass. No less than the CEO actually. Earlier, Larrazabal told Golf Digest that he had a verbal agreement with the Tour. This time, in a tell-all interview with Flushing It Golf, the 40-year-old admits DP World Tour hurt him in ways more than one.

Keith Pelley betrayed Pablo Larrazabal? 

The popular consensus about golfers who teed up at the LIV Golf London event was they defied the orders of their home circuit. But that’s not the case with Pablo Larrazabal. “I played the first LIV event, in London with an agreement with our CEO. CEO said, no problem,” the nine-time European Tour winner was quick to dispel the rumors of his alleged rebellion. But did he know what was coming? 

The Spaniard insists, there was never any clause of the eye-watering fine that the DPWT later imposed on their former players. “And you play that tournament, you have to play these, these, these;” that was the only ‘clause.’

Larrazabal’s fatal flaw was that he didn’t sign the ‘agreement’ on the dotted lines. After plying his trade in the home circuit for over a decade, the Catalan thought he could trust the words coming from Keith Pelley. “[F]or me… if I have a verbal agreement, it’s like if I sign it.” 

The nine-time DP World Tour went on, “But they broke it because (of) the lawsuit.” In the wake of LIV Golf’s inception, Pelley fined jaw-dropping sums of money on players who teed off in Centurion Club. Pablo Larrazabal, who has voiced his frustration with the PGA Tour as well, was caught in the crossfire.

When DP World Tour won the arbitration case against LIV Golfers, many including Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter resigned from their home circuit. Larrazabal, however, kept his Tour Card. Although it’s not clear whether the 40-year-old had to pay a fine, the entire fiasco hurt him financially. 

Larrazabal had to bear the financial brunt 

The fact that his name was on the DPWT’s list of fined players hurt his reputation considerably. The nine-time DP World Tour winner said, “[T]hey hurt my brand, my personal brand.” Adding further, the 40-year-old confessed, “Obviously, sponsors didn’t like it.” 

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The Barcelona native didn’t reveal whether any of his sponsors left him, but it seemed he had a hard time regaining trust from them. Pablo Larrazabal took a break from professional golf after the LIV conundrum. Now, once again back in the European Tour, the Spanish International finished at the 34th position in his last outing at the DP World Tour Championship.

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