R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said the governing body "will go public in January/February with what we are going to do with regard to LIV golfers," but they are "not banning anyone," according to John Huggan of GOLF DIGEST. Slumbers: "We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open. The name says it all. And that’s important. What we will do is ensure that there are appropriate pathways and ways to qualify.” Slumbers said the Open "needs to set itself aside from what’s going in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle," which is to "have the best players in the world competing.” Slumbers said, “I worry about some of the discussions going on at the moment. ... I worry about pathways being eroded. And I worry about the loss of values." He added golf’s values "really matter" and there is a "risk that the LIV Golf debate could lose some of those values." Slumbers: "I think some of the pathways could be eroded. Neither would be good for the long-term health of the sport.” Huggan: "Like it or not though, the opinion of the R&A chief executive is one that carries weight within the seemingly endless debate and controversy caused by well-financed Saudi Arabia’s venture into golf" (GOLF DIGEST, 10/29).
