DP World Tour Forces LIV Players to Make a Decision – 2027 Ryder Cup in Jeopardy

Starting in 2027, the DP World Tour will no longer allow players who join the new LIV Golf 2.0 league to become members. CEO Guy Kinnings confirmed this policy to BBC Sport on Monday, October 12. Several news agencies and media outlets, including the Associated Press and ESPN, picked up the story that same day.

There is a lot at stake for the players affected: Only DP World Tourmembers are eligible to compete on the European team in the Ryder Cup. The event will take place September 17–19, 2027, at Adare Manor in Ireland.

The End of Dual Membership

In recent seasons, the Tour had allowed for a middle ground. In 2026, about nine players were granted conditional exemptions so they could compete on both tours—usually in exchange for paying outstanding fines for their LIV appearances. This arrangement is coming to an end.

Going forward, it will be a clear “either/or” situation. The Tour requires every player to disclose where they intend to play in 2027. This information will be factored into the decision regarding membership. Anyone who provides false information and still competes on the LIV Tour risks immediate revocation of their membership. “Players have to make a decision,” Guy Kinnings, CEO of the DP World Tour, told BBC Sport.

“We have rules and regulations designed to protect our Tour, and all our members must adhere to them. Players who are not willing to follow our rules and regulations should not even try to join our Tour in the first place,” Guy Kinnings continued in his remarks to BBC Sport.

According to the British media outlet, the about-face is primarily due to LIV’s new business model: The league will offer its players equity stakes in the company going forward. The DP World Tour considers this equity model incompatible with its character as a membership organization. At the same time, the European Tour is currently renegotiating its strategic alliance with the PGA Tour —the tough stance is likely also intended to strengthen its own position in these talks.

Two Deadlines, Little Time

The players are under double time pressure. They must decide on LIV 2.0 by October 25. The deadline for DP World Tour membership is November 16.

This affects about 15 LIV players who currently hold status on the DP World Tour through one of the membership categories. These include Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Victor Perez, and Tom McKibbin. Players without this status, such as Joaquin Niemann or Thomas Pieters, would face a much tougher challenge: They would have to go through the qualifying tournaments or negotiate invitations to individual tournaments—and even then, only if they do not play for LIV.

DP World Tour: Who’s Staying, Who’s Leaving?

The first names have already been mentioned. Rahm stated through his attorney during a bankruptcy hearing that he will not participate in LIV 2.0; the player described the new terms as “unacceptable.” The two-time major champion is thus the most prominent departure. Sergio Garcia, whose contract was terminated, as well as David Puig and Adrian Meronk, have also declined to join the relaunch. Hatton has not yet publicly committed.

On the other side, the list is short: Richard Bland and Cameron Tringale are so far the only players who have publicly committed to LIV 2.0. Others, including Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, have sought a legal ruling through their attorneys to determine whether a contract termination constitutes a “termination”—in order to keep the door open for discussions with third parties.

For the Ryder Cup, the math is simple: Rahm and Hatton were the only two LIV Europeans on the winning team at Bethpage in 2025 under Captain Luke Donald. Anyone who chooses LIV now will lose their DP World Tour status—and with it, their path to Adare Manor.

LIV Golf Under Pressure

LIV is making this decision during a delicate phase. After Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, withdrew as a financial backer following the 2026 season, the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. on September 8. According to sources close to the matter, LIV has spent more than five billion U.S. dollars since its launch in 2022.

The private-equity firm BC Partners has come on board as a new partner. It has promised financing totaling up to $300 million— though only $4 million of that has been firmly committed so far, and the funds are subject to conditions, primarily the commitment to secure a sufficient number of players. LIV 2.0 is expected to be significantly leaner: ten tournaments, smaller prize pools, a focus on team competition, and a 52.5 percent stake in the company for the players.

BC Partners manager Ted Goldthorpe recently expressed confidence that they would be able to secure a “critical mass” of players by the October 25 deadline. LIV CEO Scott O’Neil promotes a model under the motto “Complete, not compete”—one that is intended to complement, rather than replace, other Tours. The next hearing in the bankruptcy proceedings was scheduled for Wednesday, October 14.

Analysis

With this move, the DP World Tour is taking away one of the few remaining competitive stages for LIV players outside their own league. Especially with only ten LIV tournaments planned, access to the European Tour could be decisive in terms of world ranking points and major championship opportunities. Patrick Reed’s example is seen as a realistic path back to the PGA Tour: He served his suspension and has since been working his way back up through the DP World Tour, where he currently leads the points standings. The PGA Tour itself has not yet announced a new return program for LIV players.