The DP World Tour has said that golfers who sign up for LIV Golf’s proposed 2027 competition will not be allowed to hold membership of the European circuit next season, forcing affected players to choose between the two routes before deadlines in late October and mid-November. The change matters directly to Europe’s Ryder Cup pool because DP World Tour membership is required for eligibility.
Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour chief executive, said players had to make a choice and indicated that the circuit would apply its rules and regulations to prospective members. The stance represents a tougher position than the conditional-release arrangements that enabled certain prominent golfers to play both the DP World Tour and LIV in recent seasons.
BBC Sport reported that the tour will not accept membership applications from players intending to join the competition being described as LIV 2.0. Sky Sports and Golf Monthly reported the same policy, with both identifying the Ryder Cup consequence for European players who may otherwise retain status on the DP World Tour.
What has changed for 2027
In 2026, the DP World Tour granted conditional releases to a group of players, allowing them to retain membership while playing on LIV. The new position removes that dual-tour option for a player who intends to take part in LIV’s proposed 2027 relaunch.
The policy is not limited to players already competing on LIV. The BBC said invitation agreements would be available only to players who were not part of future LIV. It also identified qualifying school as a possible route for players without current DP World Tour status, without specifying in that report whether LIV participation would affect that route.
About 15 LIV players have status under one of the DP World Tour’s membership categories, according to the BBC. The group includes Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Victor Perez and Tom McKibbin. That status creates eligibility to compete under the existing framework, but it will not preserve membership in 2027 if a player elects to join LIV’s new model.
The tour has also been reported to be treating disclosure as material. BBC Sport said that a player who stated an intention not to play LIV but subsequently did so could have DP World Tour membership terminated. That means the decision is not merely about entering one schedule rather than another; the reported terms require players to declare their future intentions accurately.
Why the Ryder Cup issue is immediate
Only DP World Tour members can play for Europe in the Ryder Cup. The practical consequence is therefore clear: a player who chooses LIV Golf’s proposed 2027 competition over DP World Tour membership would not be eligible for Europe under the stated membership rule.
That is an eligibility issue, not a prediction about the final European team. The policy concerns eligibility rather than identifying which players will ultimately represent Europe. But the policy narrows the available routes for golfers who want to preserve a Ryder Cup opportunity while considering LIV’s new offer.
The calendar gives the decision added urgency. LIV needs players to sign up by 25 October under its court-supervised restructuring process, BBC Sport reported. The DP World Tour deadline for 2027 membership is 16 November. The LIV deadline comes 22 days earlier, so players considering both possibilities will need to resolve their LIV position before the DP World Tour’s stated registration cut-off.
LIV’s uncertain relaunch adds to the choice
LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September after the withdrawal of backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, according to the BBC. The league subsequently announced a possible $300m financing commitment from BC Partners Credit as it seeks to build a 2027 season.
Its eventual field remains unresolved. BBC Sport reported that Rahm has said he will not continue playing on LIV under the proposed new terms, although the reports do not establish every affected player’s decision. BBC Sport said Richard Bland was the only player then to have publicly stated a desire to play in the proposed new LIV competition, while Victor Perez had indicated the previous month that he hoped the league would have a future.
The DP World Tour’s decision does not settle LIV’s restructuring or determine who will sign. It does, however, make the competitive trade-off much more explicit for players with European ambitions: accepting LIV’s proposed 2027 model would mean giving up DP World Tour membership and, with it, Ryder Cup eligibility.