Lawrenson: LIV Event At St Albans Will Test European Tour's Ryder Cup Captaincy Threat

The Daily Mail’s Derek Lawrenson considers news of Phil Mickelson possibly returning and going for the Saudi money he knows is controlled by a murderer.

And in doing so Lawrenson notes two key points worth keeping an eye on:

The interesting thing will be if the DP World Tour follow through with their threat to prevent anyone who signs up for a Saudi event from becoming a Ryder Cup captain in the future.

It looks as if Westwood, Poulter and Garcia — three shoo-ins for the job under normal circumstances — are ready to call their bluff and see who blinks first. It would certainly damage the credibility of the Ryder Cup if all three were overlooked for the post.

That’s an understatement. It would be a stunner given how all three have seemed like locks to one day wear $1900 jumpers and drive the bright blue buggies of the DP World Team, I mean, Europe.

He also offers this reminder about all of the money talk surrounding the world of golf.

There's a war going on, people are struggling everywhere to pay their bills, and yet 48 golfers, half of whom will be journeymen at best, will play a glorified exhibition 54-hole tournament for a $4million first prize, with even last place getting $120,000.

Is it possible to conceive a worse optic for golf than that?