Legal proceedings have been issued against Sky Television in a bid to force the satellite TV station to change the channel on which they plan to broadcast the Ryder Cup.

Sky have announced the Ryder Cup will be shown on Sky Box Office - usually reserved for pay-per-view events but in this case free to subscribers.

The move would prevent subscribers to ONdigital watching the event, as they only get Sky Sports 1 and 3 as part of their package.

But the European Tour and Ryder Cup Ltd have reacted furiously, claiming the move has created confusion, and issued legal proceedings against Sky demanding the Ryder Cup be reinstated to Sky Sports.

Mitchell Platts, spokesman for the Ryder Cup, said: "It would appear that Sky's principal reason for wishing to omit the Ryder Cup from the Sky Sports channels is to avoid the possibility of its competitor ONdigital having the right to show matches.

"We do not believe the Ryder Cup should be used as a pawn in this dispute."

The Ryder Cup has been the flagship of Sky's golf coverage over the last seven years. The latest match at The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts on September 24-26 has been heavily advertised with Sky Box Office showing `English' coverage, and digital channel Sky Sports Extra showing the match from an American perspective with coverage from NBC.

Platts added: "The European Tour and Ryder Cup Ltd strongly object to Sky's intention to omit the broadcast of the Ryder Cup on one of Sky Sports channels.

"European golf, including the Ryder Cup, has been shown on these channels for each of the last seven years and that remains the contracted position today.

"We adamantly believe that this late change of channel has created confusion which will be exacerbated if the Ryder Cup is not reinstated on Sky Sports and thereby alienate sections of the viewing public and our sponsors which is damaging to the Ryder Cup.

"The European Tour and Ryder Cup Ltd fully supports Sky's initiatives to increase the potential viewing audience of the matches, but we insist this should be developed from a starting point of showing matches on one of the contracted Sky Sports channels where golf is traditionally seen.

"We wish to continue discussions with a view and a hope for mutual resolution."

Earlier this week, Cablelink announced that the tournament would be transmitted free to Irish television viewers following Sky's decision of the changed broadcast. According to a spokesperson yesterday, those plans are "full steam ahead" but they must await further developments before the possibility of altered coverage.