DP World Tour Says Players Who Sign With LIV for 2027 Will Not Be Members

The DP World Tour will not allow any player who signs with LIV Golf for 2027 to be a member of its circuit. CEO Guy Kinnings laid out the position in comments to BBC Sport on Monday, Oct. 12.

"Players need to make a choice," Kinnings said. "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."

That is a sharp turn from recent seasons.

What changes for 2027

The tour granted conditional releases to nine players this season. Those releases let golfers such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton play LIV events while keeping DP World Tour membership. Laurie Canter, Adrian Meronk, David Puig and Tom McKibbin were also among those with releases or membership in 2026.

Next year, every player will be asked to disclose which tours they intend to play. The answer will be weighed when membership is decided. BBC Sport has been told that anyone intending to play what is being called LIV 2.0 will not be accepted. A player who hides LIV plans and then plays there would face termination of membership.

The stakes reach past the regular schedule. Only DP World Tour members are eligible for selection by Europe in the Ryder Cup. Hatton and Rahm have each played in the last two Ryder Cups under captain Luke Donald and are highly likely to be considered for next September's matches at Adare Manor if eligible.

Why LIV is in play

LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund withdrew its multi-billion-dollar backing following five years of financing. Last week it announced up to $300m in financing from BC Partners Credit to push toward a 2027 season. The new model would make players equity owners of the league and its teams.

BBC Sport reports it is understood that equity offer is the main reason for the tougher line. The tour's view, per that reporting, is that players holding equity in a rival league is incompatible with the DP World Tour being a members organisation. The same reporting says the move likely also positions the tour for its ongoing negotiations on a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour.

Who is already moving

Around 15 LIV players, including Rahm, Hatton, Victor Perez and McKibbin, hold "status" with the DP World Tour under a membership category. Others, such as Joaquin Niemann and Thomas Pieters, do not. They would need to go through qualifying school or sign agreements giving them invitations to a set number of events. Those agreements would be open only to players who are not part of LIV in the future.

A tour spokesperson told Today's Golfer on Friday, Oct. 9 that the tour is "exploring the terms on which we are willing to accommodate players provided they are free from third party contractual restrictions and are willing to abide by our membership regulations." The Tournament Committee has approved the process, the spokesperson said, and more inquiries are expected. Today's Golfer reported that the invitations could reach double digits but would not include the five Rolex Series events.

The departures are stacking up. Rahm has said he will not continue on LIV. Puig has indicated he will not sign for the relaunched league. Sergio Garcia received court approval to terminate his LIV contract, and LIV did not oppose it because his deal did not fit the LIV 2.0 model. Meronk has reportedly decided not to extend his contract.

LIV's position

LIV is not conceding. Ted Goldthorpe, head of BC Partners Credit, told BBC Sport last week he was confident the league would have a critical mass of players. That was before Rahm announced his exit.

Richard Bland is the only player to have publicly stated a desire to play LIV 2.0. Perez indicated last month that he hoped there would be a future for the league.

Lawyers for several other players, including major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, have asked the bankruptcy court to clarify that rejecting contracts equals termination. That ruling would let those players hold discussions with third parties about their futures.

The calendar

Two deadlines sit close together. LIV must sign players by Oct. 25 under its court-supervised restructuring. Players have until Nov. 16 to sign up with the DP World Tour for 2027.

It is not yet known how many of the roughly 15 LIV players with DP World Tour status will give up their LIV deals before the Nov. 16 cutoff, and whether LIV can reach its player threshold by Oct. 25 without them.