“You can’t blame them for playing less golf for more money” - Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie on LIV golfers unable to play Ryder Cup
Billy Foster, who caddies for Matt Fitzpatrick, has offered his take on the drama surrounding LIV Golf, the Ryder Cup, and more. No LIV players were added to the European team for next weekend's tournament. One such player was added for the United States, but former standouts for Europe were left out.
Foster doesn't believe this is a good thing. He believes they bring value to the team and that their decision shouldn't have an impact.
Foster said:
“What they bring to that locker room is immense, and I wouldn’t have banned them because they should be the next three Ryder Cup captains – and are they going to be that now? Probably not, which is a shame because what they’ve done in the Ryder Cup is now tarnished for doing what was right for them. Let’s face it, you can’t blame them for playing less golf for more money.”
Fitzpatrick's caddie is referring to Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. The three of them have been stalwarts for the team for decades, and they're no longer involved with the team.
Matt Fitzpatrick's caddie discusses Ryder Cup and more
Foster said he would not have banned them via Sports Illustrated:
“Would I ban them? Personally, no, I wouldn’t. Because for what they’ve done for the Ryder Cup and the records they’ve got – Sergio is Europe’s record points scorer, Westy is fifth, and Poulter’s played seven Ryder Cups and has never been beaten in singles.”
Despite their decision to leave the PGA Tour and join LIV Golf, the caddie doesn't believe that should come with punishments. He understands that it's a debatable issue, but he would like to see them involved with the future of European golf:
“Everybody has opinions, but would they gel in the locker room with the new breed of players? I don’t know, but certainly from a personal point of view, I’d love to see them still be involved and I’d love to see them be the next three captains.”
There is a chance that the three of them will never participate in the Ryder Cup again. The decision to join LIV Golf did not come without downsides for every single golfer that made that decision. They knew that and made the choice, but a removal from the Ryder Cup seems to have been one of those consequences.
He also believes that the European Tour is being negatively affected by their ban:
“The European Tour is not in great shape at the moment and it could be years before we get another dominant European team. We’ve got a handful of strong European players, but as far as a depth of 12 players, it’s not what it was."
He believes the absence of Westwood, Poulter, Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson and others levaes a dramatic void in play, one that is yet to be filled.
He conceded that the European Tour could look very different in a few years time, but he's not sure that the current setup without former stars is good.