DP WORLD TOUR TO BAR LIV GOLF PLAYERS FROM 2027 MEMBERSHIP

The DP World Tour has told players that membership applications for 2027 will be rejected if a golfer states an intention to play on a relaunched LIV Golf league, according to an insider cited by Telegraph Sport. The insider said that if a player denies plans to join LIV 2.0 but later does so, their membership would be rescinded. DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings told BBC Sport that "players need to make a choice," adding that the tour has rules in place to protect its members' interests. The policy marks a change from arrangements in place during 2026, when the tour granted conditional releases to players including Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk, allowing them to retain European Tour status. Those releases required financial settlements and commitments to additional tour appearances, and had been described by the tour as applying only to the 2026 season.

The new stance means golfers who lose DP World Tour membership would also lose their route to Ryder Cup selection under the tour's published criteria, even though no separate Ryder Cup ban has been announced. Hatton is cited as an example of a player facing a significant decision, having played in the last four Ryder Cups, including Europe's victorious teams in 2023 and 2025. The conditional release arrangement had been treated as temporary from the outset, with the tour indicating the position could change for the following season.

The decision comes as LIV Golf prepares for what has been described as a changed future for the league, raising questions for the breakaway competition's prospective investors about its appeal if leading European players decline to join. CBS Sports reported that the policy would prevent LIV Golf players from competing in DP World Tour events from 2027 and would affect their Ryder Cup eligibility. Hatton and the other players who received conditional releases for 2026 have not yet stated how they will proceed under the new membership terms.