4 minSports
DP World Tour Bars LIV Golf Players as League's Bankruptcy Deepens
The DP World Tour has closed its doors to LIV Golf players, ending years of conditional access as the Saudi-backed league navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy and an uncertain restructuring plan.
The DP World Tour has barred LIV Golf players from its events, ending a period in which the Saudi-backed league's members could compete on the former European Tour under specific conditions. The announcement marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing divide within professional golf and comes as LIV Golf navigates a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in New Jersey.
In a statement, the DP World Tour framed the decision as a matter of enforcing its own rules. «Players need to make a choice,» the tour said. «As we have said for many years, we have rules and regulations which are there to protect our tour and which our members must all abide by. Players who are not willing to comply with our rules and regulations should not be seeking to join our tour.»
Previously, LIV golfers could appear on the DP World Tour if they were in good standing and paid fines for playing in LIV events that conflicted with the tour's calendar. Those fines were covered by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund until 2025. The PIF halted its funding in April, redirecting money toward domestic projects and managing financial pressures from the regional war with Iran. Following that decision, PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan resigned from LIV's board.
LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. Between 2021 and 2026, the league spent an estimated $5 billion to $8 billion. Bankruptcy filings show the league owes millions of dollars in unpaid compensation to top players, including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Cam Smith.
The league's future now hinges on a proposed restructuring plan known as «LIV 2.0.» The proposal would see London-based private equity firm BC Partners, which has financial ties to player agency GSE Worldwide, fund a 2027 relaunch. It would also give players majority ownership of the league. But the plan is already facing resistance. Rahm has called the terms of «2.0» «unacceptable» and said he will not participate. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were among the most prominent LIV names to compete in DP World Tour events.
The operational toll of the bankruptcy is visible beyond the boardroom. LIV has laid off most of its operational staff, left event contractors waiting for payment and faces a lawsuit from the Premier Golf League alleging breach of confidence and conspiracy. Shortly after the PIF pulled its funding, LIV CEO Scott O'Neil said the league's calendar would not be altered, but that did not hold. The originally scheduled championship weekend was cancelled and the event was played a week earlier.
The player exodus has been underway for months. Brooks Koepka became the first major name to leave LIV, departing late last year and returning to the PGA Tour. Patrick Reed followed shortly after. Their exits, combined with the DP World Tour's decision, leave LIV players with fewer competitive avenues as the league's restructuring efforts continue.
For the DP World Tour, the move restores a clearer boundary between its membership and the rival circuit. For LIV, it removes a pathway that had allowed its players to maintain a presence in traditional European events while the league's financial and legal troubles mount. The coming months will determine whether the «LIV 2.0» plan can secure enough player buy-in and financing to keep the circuit alive, or whether the bankruptcy process will force a more fundamental unwinding of the project.
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