McGinley: Oosthuizen only LIV star who stayed gracious

Paul McGinley has revealed that Louis Oosthuizen was the only LIV Golf rebel he knows of who he believes acted with grace after turning his back on the DP World Tour.

McGinley admitted he was left "heartbroken" by the way players conducted themselves after joining LIV.

This was particularly true for the six members of his 2014 Ryder Cup team who signed up for the breakaway league.

Some of those players threatened or took legal action against the DP World Tour in response to being fined for playing LIV events.

Oosthuizen, however, took a different approach.

He sent a heartfelt letter to DP World Tour bosses explaining his rationale for the decision.

The letter was well received at the tour's headquarters at Wentworth.

"He wrote a letter to Keith Pelley, then the CEO, that was read out to the board," McGinley told The Times.

"He talked about where he came from in South Africa, the opportunities he'd been given on the European Tour, and how he was able to move on to the PGA Tour from there."

"He said he was at a point in his career where he's getting more injuries and how this was a huge amount of money that he couldn't turn down, but that he would leave the European Tour with a heavy heart."

"That letter was appreciated."

The South African announced last month that he was quitting LIV amid its bankruptcy woes to rejoin the DP World Tour.

McGinley, a non-executive director of the DP World Tour, believes the likes of Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter will "regret" the conduct they exhibited when they left for LIV.

Both have since walked away from LIV and will feature more on the DP World Tour, where they will be in for a mixed reception from members.

The Irishman accused them of "short-sightedness" and showing no "graciousness" in the way they handled their departures to join LIV four years ago.

"They burned their bridges as they crossed to the other side and a lot of people were offended by that," McGinley said.

"Half of the team I captained in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles went to LIV."

"Half of them."

"Not one of them showed any graciousness to the Tour they were leaving."

"That broke my heart."

McGinley was careful not to make this a personal attack.

"I don't want this to be a hatchet job on the boys, I have relationships with them, but they made mistakes," he said.