DP World Tour to deny 2027 membership to players joining LIV Golf

The DP World Tour will refuse membership for the 2027 season to players who commit to LIV Golf next year, BBC Sport reported on Monday. The decision tightens the European circuit's approach to participation in the rival league and carries consequences beyond its own events: golfers must hold DP World Tour membership to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings said members must comply with regulations designed to protect the circuit and that players unwilling to do so should not apply to join. Under the new approach, applicants will be required to identify the tours on which they intend to compete. Those disclosures will form part of the assessment of their membership applications for next season.

The position marks a departure from arrangements that previously allowed some golfers to compete across both circuits. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were among the prominent players granted conditional releases in earlier years, while nine players received such releases this season. According to the BBC, the main reason for the change is understood to be LIV's proposed offer of equity to players, which is regarded as incompatible with the DP World Tour's structure as a members' organisation.

The two circuits have different deadlines for securing commitments. Players seeking DP World Tour membership for next year have until 16 November to register. LIV, meanwhile, must sign players by 25 October under its court-supervised restructuring process. The BBC reported that LIV's future remains uncertain despite the prospect of $300 million in funding as the league attempts to reorganise.

Ted Goldthorpe, who leads BC Partners Credit, told BBC Sport last week that he was confident LIV would attract enough players. Since those remarks, however, Rahm has said he will not continue competing on the LIV circuit. The two-time major champion's decision comes as other players seek clarity about their contractual positions during the restructuring.

Lawyers acting for several golfers, including major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, have asked the court to clarify whether rejection of their contracts would amount to termination, allowing discussions with third parties about their futures. BBC Sport reported that Richard Bland was, at the time of its report, the only player to have publicly expressed a desire to compete in the restructured LIV league.