Eight LIV Golf players are reportedly stranded in the Middle East, facing difficulties flying out ahead of this week’s tournament in Hong Kong.
The golfers, including prominent names like Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield, had been practising in Dubai when US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Saturday triggered widespread flight cancellations and airport closures across the region.
Caleb Surratt, 21, a member of the LIV Golf team Legion XIII, shared his experience with Golf Channel.
He described the initial aftermath as “terrifying”, stating, “(The) world just came undone on Saturday.”
While Sunday and Monday were marked by “missile interceptions”, Surratt noted that Tuesday in Dubai felt “totally normal life, people walking around and such.”
Efforts are underway for Surratt and his fellow players to secure flights from Dubai or potentially Muscat, Oman, in time for the Hong Kong tournament, which begins on Thursday.
The league has contingency plans, with reserve players available to step in if necessary.
The US State Department has urged American citizens to leave the region, and CNN reported on Tuesday that a “wide corridor of airspace” across the Middle East remains closed to air traffic, complicating travel.
The affected players are Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Sam Horsfield, Anirban Lahiri, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Caleb Surratt and Lee Westwood.
They represent various teams within the league, including Majesticks (Westwood, Horsfield, Canter), Legion XIII (McKibbin, Surratt), Cleeks GC (Meronk), 4Aces (Detry), and Crushers GC (Lahiri).
Other sports stars have also been affected by the airspace closures across the Middle East in recent days.
Tennis players, including Daniil Medvedev, stayed in Dubai while they waited for flights to get to this week’s Indian Wells tournament.
West Indies and Zimbabwean cricketers also had their flights delayed as they looked to return home from the T20 World Cup after being knocked out of the tournament over the weekend.
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