DP World Tour forcing players to ‘make a choice’ with LIV Golf at crossroads

LIV Golf was dealt another blow as the rebel golf league looks to emerge from bankruptcy proceedings successfully. 

The DP World Tour will not allow any players who sign up to play on LIV 2.0 next season to participate in 2027, impacting not only players’ schedules but also making them ineligible to play for the European team at next year’s Ryder Cup. 

The hardline stance comes after previous years saw the DP World Tour reach agreements for some of the top players to participate in both the DP World Tour and LIV Golf.

It was what had allowed Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to compete for Europe during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. 

Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII plays his shot from the eighth tee during day three of LIV Golf Indianapolis. Getty Images

“Players need to make a choice,” DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings told the BBC in a statement. “We have rules and regulations which are there to protect our tour and which our members must all abide by. Players who are not willing to comply with our rules and regulations should not be seeking to join our tour.”

Players have until Nov. 16 to sign up for the European tour for 2027 and they will be asked to disclose which tours they will play on next season, with that being taken into account in their membership decision, the BBC reported. 

BC Partners, the private equity firm working to help keep LIV Golf alive, extended the deadline for players to commit to LIV until Oct. 25, and only Richard Bland has publicly said he would play on the new incarnation of the league. 

Two-time major winner Jon Rahm has said through his lawyer that he will not play on LIV Golf next season, and David Puig and Adrian Meronk have also said they would not take part. 

Sources connected to the DP World Tour told The Athletic on Monday that LIV Golf’s proposed new structure, which includes player equity stakes, is part of what led to the change in posture from the European tour on conditional releases. 


Guy Kinnings, European Tour Group CEO speaks during the trophy presentation on day four of the BMW PGA Championship
Guy Kinnings, European Tour Group CEO speaks during the trophy presentation on day four of the BMW PGA Championship. Getty Images

LIV CEO Scott O’Neil had pushed the idea of “complete, not compete” when addressing the media during the rebel golf league’s season finale in Indianapolis. 

“Golf doesn’t need one tour to win and everyone else to lose,” he said in August. 

O’Neil has been doing what he can to try to keep LIV going after the Saudi Public Investment Fund pulled its funding for the golf league earlier this year. 

Attempts to try and partner with national opens and to bolster relationships with other tours have hit roadblocks. 

The PGA Tour has launched a partnership with the Australian Open and in July, the PGA Tour agreed to a deal with the Asian Tour.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour also have a strategic alliance in place since 2020. 

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