DP World Tour prepared to fine LIV golfers again in 2027

Any members of the LIV Golf league hoping to balance out a pared-down 2027 schedule with more DP World Tour events were in for a surprise.

The DP World Tour has begun notifying current LIV golfers that, beyond the 2026 season, it will resume imposing heavy-handed fines and tournament suspensions as part of its conflicting events rule, according to a source briefed on the matter. The source spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

In February, eight LIV golfers were given conditional releases to participate in DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) events without incurring fines or suspensions. Typically, participating in LIV tournaments would have been considered a violation of the conflicting events policy, but the players struck a deal in which they agreed to pay all previously incurred fines and participate in extra DP World Tour tournaments in exchange for the ability to play 2026 LIV events freely. Those players included Tyrrell Hatton, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie. Jon Rahm was not included on the initial list of players but struck his own deal with the DPWT in May.

Now, the DP World Tour is communicating to many of those same players that it is highly unlikely conditional releases will be granted beyond 2026 and advising them not to base future scheduling decisions on that possibility.

At the time of its February announcement, the DPWT noted the LIV players would provide “additional value” to the circuit’s events, but it also noted “the releases apply for the 2026 season only and they are not precedent-setting.” That inclusion is now relevant as the tour appears to have changed its tune amid recent events.

LIV CEO Scott O’Neil is touting a 2.0 model that will lower purses and the number of tournaments each year, but is offering players the opportunity to be equity holders in the reimagined league. That’s a problem for the DP World Tour, the source explained, because it would incentivize players to focus on LIV first and not be full participants in the DP World Tour. Outside of Smylie, the affected players are European-born and will have Ryder Cup ambitions in 2027. The DP World Tour controls the European Ryder Cup team and runs the tournament when it is in Europe, in next year’s case, Ireland’s Adare Manor.

The DP World Tour declined to comment for this story.

Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have also, within the last 18 months, paid their outstanding fines.

LIV players have been told this information at a pivotal moment, as they will soon be asked to confirm their loyalty to LIV for the 2027 season, according to a separate source briefed on the matter, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly.