LIV Golf faces an uncertain future (Image: Getty)
Several LIV Golf members have been exploring potential options on the DP World Tour should the breakaway circuit cease operations.
LIV’s future remains uncertain with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which has invested more than $5 billion (£3.7bn) since its establishment four years ago, reportedly anticipated to withdraw its financial support at the end of this season.
Doubts surrounding the league’s prospects have intensified following reports that its June tournament in Louisiana will be cancelled on Tuesday, creating a six-week gap in the middle of the campaign. Two weeks ago, the league’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, informed personnel that the season would proceed at “full throttle,” though it was reported that leading star Bryson DeChambeau was preparing contingency arrangements.
It appears DeChambeau may not have been the only one, with Today’s Golfer reporting that “several” members of the breakaway circuit have contacted the DP World Tour to enquire about their eligibility for 2027. One player is reported to have also asked about qualification for the HotelPlanner Tour, the second-tier European competition.
Eight LIV members also retain DP World Tour memberships after securing conditional releases in February to compete on the breakaway tour without incurring penalties, reports Mirror US.
Those players, including Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Detry and David Puig, have a fallback position in place should LIV collapse, but others lack status and could find themselves without playing opportunities on elite tours.
Guy Kinnings, CEO of the DP World Tour, has expressed sympathy for players left in limbo. He said: “We’re reading the headlines and observing, “We’ve got members and dual members [of the DPWT and LIV] and we listen to them.
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“Those kinds of headlines that we’ve seen in the last few weeks have got to be concerning for them. But all we do is control what we can control, make sure our product is as good as it can be. I don’t think it can be easy with all of that going on.
“But at the moment, our focus is just on us doing what we can do. We listen to players, listen to their representatives all the time and go from there.”
Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour earlier this year (Image: Getty)
Kinnings’ PGA Tour counterpart, Brian Rolapp, has meanwhile left the door ajar for certain LIV players to return after facilitating Brooks Koepka’s comeback in January through the launch of the Returning Member Program.
DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith were eligible to follow Koepka’s example but chose not to, though Rolapp is keeping a close eye on developments.
“We don’t know what’s going on over there,” Rolapp told the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ earlier this month. “We know those guys are under contract, we’ll respect that.
“Brooks [Koepka] came back to the PGA because he made a phone call and said, ‘Look, I’m out of my contract, I’m ready to come back.’
“So we’re thinking about it. We’ll react when we have an opportunity to react, but right now, we’re focused on making the PGA Tour better.
“But listen, I’ve said it publicly, and I’ll say it again, I’m interested in whatever makes the PGA Tour better. That’s what my job is, that’s what I’m interested in doing, and that has no limit, so that’s how I’ll focus on it.”