DP World Tour news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The DP World Tour will bar LIV Golf players from 2027 membership, ending Ryder Cup eligibility.
The split forces golfers to pick one tour, reshaping Europe's Ryder Cup team.
Background
The DP World Tour had granted LIV players conditional releases, including settlements with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton that applied only to the 2026 season, partly to keep them Ryder Cup-eligible. The Saudi Public Investment Fund left LIV in April and LIV filed for bankruptcy in September, changing the calculus. The DP World Tour lost $85.3 million in 2025 as the PGA Tour nearly tripled its investment in the European circuit.
How it unfolded
- Oct 12, 2026DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said the circuit will no longer grant membership to players who compete in LIV Golf in 2027, ending their Ryder Cup eligibility.
- Oct 13, 2026Rory McIlroy said LIV was in 'such a state of flux' and that the DP World Tour was 'well within their rights to change the rules and regulations.'
- Oct 14, 2026At a court hearing, LIV Golf attorney Rob Fitzgerald said the organisation was 'quite concerned' and would know by month's end if it could continue as 'LIV 2.0.'
- Oct 15, 2026The DP World India Championship began, with McIlroy set to make his first start in nearly a month.
- Nov 16, 2026LIV players must apply for DP World Tour membership by this date; guidelines now bar double-dipping between tours.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said players must choose, and those unwilling to comply with tour rules should not seek to join.
- Party
- LIV attorney Rob Fitzgerald said the timing is a 'clear attempt to interfere' with LIV's player process and raises anti-competitive concerns.
- Support
- Rory McIlroy said the DP World Tour is 'well within their rights to change the rules and regulations.'
- Bulls
- BC Partners CEO Ted Goldthorpe said the investor is 'super committed' and 'all systems go' as LIV signs players before the Oct. 25 deadline.
Still unverified
Questions remain whether BC Partners is truly interested in running the league, given its history of taking on troubled companies for future tax credits. European Tour sources, speaking anonymously, say players will be asked to disclose which tours they intend to play on when membership applications open later this month.