LIV Golf has accused the DP World Tour of trying to interfere with its talks with players. The claim came in a US bankruptcy court on Wednesday, three days after the European tour said golfers who sign for LIV in 2027 cannot also hold DP World Tour membership.
The DP World Tour LIV Golf dispute has landed at a tense moment. LIV needs players to commit by 25 October, and some of the golfers trying to come back to Europe are facing public criticism from those who never left.
What LIV Golf told the court
LIV’s lawyer, Rob Fitzgerald, spoke at a hearing in New Jersey on 14 October.
He works for Gibson Dunn and represents LIV in the case.
He said LIV was “quite concerned” about the European tour’s position.
His sharpest line was about timing.
He said the timing struck LIV as a clear attempt to interfere with its process with its players and possibly its wider reorganisation.
Fitzgerald also pointed to competition law.
He said the policy raised many of the same anti-competitive concerns LIV has raised before about rival leagues trying to box out and punish players who join it.
He added that LIV was reserving all rights and remedies over the statements.
The judge, Michael B. Kaplan, did not take a side. He did say
the comments he had read “do raise concerns.”
The DP World Tour declined to comment on what Fitzgerald said.
A reminder of the setting: LIV is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
CEO Scott O’Neil has until 25 October to reach a “critical mass” of player sign-ups to get an investment deal with BC Partners over the line.
LIV’s lawyers told the court the league will know by the end of the month whether it moves forward or winds down.
What the DP World Tour actually decided
The decision came from chief executive Guy Kinnings.
He told BBC Sport that players who take part in LIV Golf 2.0 won’t be allowed to play on the European circuit.
His message was short.
“Players need to make a choice,” he said.
He also said the rules apply to everyone.
The tour has regulations to protect itself, and players unwilling to follow them should not be seeking to join.
Until now, the tour took a softer line than the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour suspended players who joined the Saudi-backed league. The DP World Tour let some members keep playing, though they had to accept fines, suspensions or other conditions.
That has now changed.
Officials will ask players to say which tours they plan to play in 2027. The tour will no longer approve memberships or grant special exemptions to players who also intend to play LIV.
Anyone who hides a LIV commitment and later plays in the league could have their membership terminated.
The deadlines matter here.
Players must apply for DP World Tour membership by 16 November, and the deadline to commit to LIV Golf 2.0 is 25 October.
One report from The Telegraph, carried by Yahoo, gave a different date.
It said Hatton and others have until 1 November to sign up.
The dates have not been reconciled in the reports I found, so check with the tour before relying on either.
Why the Ryder Cup is at the centre of it
For several European stars, this is about more than prize money.
Players must be DP World Tour members to be eligible for Europe’s team.
The next Ryder Cup is in Ireland in 2027.
Tyrrell Hatton is the best-known example.
The tour had granted conditional releases in part so players like Jon Rahm and Hatton could stay eligible.
Both agreed earlier this year to pay outstanding fines in exchange for European Tour eligibility, but those deals covered only the 2026 season.
Others are in a similar spot.
Adrian Meronk, Thomas Detry and Victor Perez still belong to LIV but also have DP World Tour membership.
More than a dozen LIV players had status on both tours.
The Ryder Cup clock is also running.
Qualifying points can be earned through designated DP World Tour and PGA Tour events until 22 August 2027.
A player without membership cannot collect them.
Rahm has already made his choice.
He announced through his lawyer that he will not take part, calling the proposed terms “unacceptable.”
His separation agreement becomes final if Judge Kaplan approves it on 5 November.
Critics push back on LIV players seeking a way back
Not everyone in Europe is happy to see the door open. Joost Luiten, a six-time DP World Tour winner, spoke to Today’s Golfer and did not hold back.
His main point is about fairness.
He said the tour should make it harder to return, that the players chose money, and that now the money is gone they want to act as if nothing happened.
He called it wrong.
Invites are his biggest worry.
Luiten fears returning players will take spots from members who stayed loyal to the tour.
He said that if he asks for an invite, he does not expect to get one, because they will all go to the LIV players.
He also has a rule change in mind.
He wants players who gave up their membership to lose their exemption rights, so they would have to stay members to come back later.
He believes returning players should go through Q School like any other hopeful.
He is not alone.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley wrote on X that players who stayed loyal should come before LIV players returning.
Rory McIlroy backed the tour’s stance.
He said the period of trying to double dip and do both is over.
There is a gap between the two tours that critics often mention.
The route back to the PGA Tour is harder: serve a one-year ban, then qualify like anyone else.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has not said when, if or how defectors might return.
What it means for the future of pro golf
The next two weeks will settle a lot. If LIV reaches its sign-up target, it will run a new, player-focused format.
That format would have 75-player events.
If it falls short, the league could shut down.
The DP World Tour’s move makes that sign-up job harder.
Some observers have called it a death knell for LIV, because O’Neil’s plan relied on players adding events on other circuits.
Sources at the league say they still expect enough commitments.
O’Neil has tried to sound friendly.
He has said LIV wants to “complete not compete” with the established tours.
But the relationship has been rough.
That comment upset DP World Tour officials, who felt LIV had tried to poach tournaments and sponsors.
Several outcomes look possible from here:
- LIV 2.0 goes ahead with fewer big names, and its players are shut out of Europe.
- LIV winds down, and many players apply to the DP World Tour by the November deadline.
- LIV challenges the policy in court, which
one report said could take a legal turn depending on how sign-ups go.
Whatever happens, the DP World Tour LIV Golf split is no longer a quiet one. The tour is asking players to pick a side, and pro golf may be closer to one set of rules than it has been since 2022.
Golf.com has said the move will likely push the sport toward the unified world LIV once fractured.
That is a view from one outlet, and nothing is decided yet.
Fans of the Ryder Cup will watch the Hatton situation most closely. He has weeks, not months, to choose between LIV 2.0 and a place on Europe’s team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did LIV Golf accuse the DP World Tour of?
LIV’s lawyer told a US bankruptcy court that the tour’s 2027 membership stance was
a clear attempt to interfere with its process with its players.
He also raised anti-competitive concerns. The DP World Tour declined to comment.
Can LIV players still play on the DP World Tour in 2027?
Not if they sign for LIV Golf 2.0.
Players can return if they have paid outstanding fines and do not sign with LIV 2.0.
Players who disclose their plans and then break their word risk losing membership.
Why does this affect the Ryder Cup?
Only DP World Tour members are eligible for Europe’s team. A player who commits to LIV 2.0 and loses membership would miss the chance to earn qualifying points for the 2027 match in Ireland.
Both sides now have a short window to act. LIV’s deadline falls on 25 October, and the DP World Tour’s membership deadline follows in November. The next hearing updates and sign-up news will show which way golf’s long split goes.
Sources: Golf Monthly, Golf.com, Golf.com (Luiten), Today’s Golfer
