Ian Poulter and Fellow Professional Suffer the First Major Financial Setback After Joining Hands With LIV Golf

Ian Poulter is a well-known golfer who is currently playing on the LIV Tour. The English Professional athlete has many fans in the golf world. Poulter recently joined the LIV Golf Series and like all other players, suffered big losses.

The PGA Tour memberships of all the players who left the Tour and joined the Saudi-backed Tour have been suspended as per Jay Monahan’s statement. However, Ian Poulter and another golfer have suffered another major loss. These new LIV members have had their long-time activations paused by ‘Mastercard’.

Why did Mastercard do this with Ian Poulter? And who is the other player who paid the same toll as Poulter? Let’s dig deeper and find out.

Ian Poulter and another golfer suffer a huge loss after joining LIV

Most players joined the LIV Tour in hopes of getting a better monetary deal than PGA. But as they say, money can’t buy everything. The famous credit card company Mastercard has allegedly “paused its activations” with Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell as a result of them joining the LIV Tour. Mastercard said that the decision was taken “recognizing the uncertainties around their standing with the PGA Tour”.

Read More: LIV Golf Has Changed the Sport, and the Idea PGA Tour Once Mocked Is Now Being Adopted by Them as Response

Pouter had signed the Mastercard endorsement in 2009, while McDowell joined the company in 2011. However, Poulter did not put on the Mastercard logo on his shirt in the LIV event that happened last week in Oregon. But he wore it again in the Genesis Scottish Open this week. Poulter also had the logo for his LIV team on his shirt in the Scottish Open.

But Mastercard has no intentions of keeping its deals active with any players who are uncertain to remain on the PGA Tour. The Vice President of Communications Seth Eisen stated on Friday and said, “We appreciate the role they have played as ambassadors for Mastercard and the Tour for the past several years,”.

What else was Poulter and McDowell in the news for?

McDowell got dropped by the Royal Bank of Canada shortly after he announced the news of joining the LIV Tour. The golfer made this decision public when he failed to appear at the RBC Canadian Open. On the other hand, Poulter also made it to the headlines after he was recently allowed to play in the Scottish Open after being banned by the DP Tour.

SBJ has not made any clear announcement regarding the duration of the “Pause” they’ve put on the pair. They have also not stated any further actions against the players or anything related to the pause being removed. However, Poulter and McDowell are not the only players to lose sponsorships and deals with brands after joining the LIV Tour. Golf legend Phil Mickelson also lost numerous relationships with businesses and brands including some major endorsements.

The decision to join the LIV Tour has not been completely beneficial for any former PGA Tour player. But tons of golf stars have still chosen to join the Saudi-Funded league due to its high monetary rewards. It is hard to predict what the future holds for the game of golf.

Watch This Story: LIV Golf Series Players Suffer Another Major Setback