LIV challenges DP World Tour membership stance as relaunch deadline nears

LIV Golf has accused the DP World Tour of obstructing its efforts to reorganise, after the European circuit said it would deny membership to players competing in LIV next season. BBC Sport reported that LIV raised the dispute at a court hearing on Wednesday, with a decision on whether the league can continue expected by the end of October.

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Rob Fitzgerald, the Gibson Dunn attorney representing LIV, told the court that the timing of the membership policy threatened discussions with players and the wider restructuring. He also argued that it raised concerns about anti-competitive conduct by rival tours. Judge Michael B. Kaplan, overseeing the case in the New Jersey Bankruptcy Court, expressed concern about comments he had read.

The DP World Tour declined to comment on Fitzgerald's remarks, according to the BBC. Its chief executive, Guy Kinnings, had told the broadcaster on Monday that golfers would have to choose between the circuits. That position toughens an earlier approach under which some leading players, including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, received conditional releases allowing them to compete on both tours.

Fitzgerald identified two requirements for a relaunched LIV: completing structural arrangements connected to investment from BC Partners and signing enough players by October 25 to sustain a viable league. He said the decision between proceeding and winding down was anticipated by month's end. If the new competition goes ahead, LIV would soon need to start paying host venues, suppliers and other parties to prepare events.

The dispute comes after LIV sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in September following the withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's multibillion-dollar funding, BBC Sport reported. The organisation hopes to finish its court-supervised restructuring in early 2027, after which players can leave. The BBC said LIV owes its participants at least $45 million, adding a financial backdrop to the discussions about its future.

Rory McIlroy defended the DP World Tour's position ahead of the DP World India Championship, saying the tour was entitled to adjust its regulations to protect its business. Patrick Reed, who left LIV in January and leads the Race to Dubai, separately described being welcomed back to the European circuit. LIV's proposed relaunch remains dependent on resolving its investment structure and securing the necessary player commitments.