I don't play but do occasionally watch if I was a player and they said I would be banned if I played in the LIV golf event I would call their bluff and play.
The tournament, being held at Centurion Club near London, is the most lucrative in the history of the game with a $25m (£20m) prize fund.
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson is among the biggest names to be affected.
LIV Golf issued an immediate reply calling the PGA Tour "vindictive" and said this "deepens the divide between the Tour and its members".
The statement added: "It's troubling that the Tour, an organisation dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing.
"This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond."
The PGA Tour released its statement 30 minutes after play had begun at Centurion, where 48 players are competing in the first of eight planned LIV Golf invitational events.
Former world number one Greg Norman is the chief executive of LIV Golf, which has £1.6bn of funding from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The first seven events all have the same $25m prize fund, with the winner collecting $4m, while a team element will see the top three teams share $5m. The eighth event is a $50m team championship and will be played in October at Trump Doral in Miami.
The PGA Tour had refused requests for waivers from its members wanting to play in the new series and had threatened to ban those that rebelled.
Read in full on BBC Sport.
PGA Tour suspends members for playing at LIV Golf event
The PGA Tour has suspended all of its members who are playing in this week's Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational.The tournament, being held at Centurion Club near London, is the most lucrative in the history of the game with a $25m (£20m) prize fund.
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson is among the biggest names to be affected.
LIV Golf issued an immediate reply calling the PGA Tour "vindictive" and said this "deepens the divide between the Tour and its members".
The statement added: "It's troubling that the Tour, an organisation dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing.
"This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond."
The PGA Tour released its statement 30 minutes after play had begun at Centurion, where 48 players are competing in the first of eight planned LIV Golf invitational events.
Former world number one Greg Norman is the chief executive of LIV Golf, which has £1.6bn of funding from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The first seven events all have the same $25m prize fund, with the winner collecting $4m, while a team element will see the top three teams share $5m. The eighth event is a $50m team championship and will be played in October at Trump Doral in Miami.
The PGA Tour had refused requests for waivers from its members wanting to play in the new series and had threatened to ban those that rebelled.
Read in full on BBC Sport.