DP World Tour responds to new offer from LIV Golf

The DP World Tour has rejected a proposal from LIV Golf that would have wiped out the sanctions imposed on players on the breakaway league.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton – two LIV converts and Ryder Cup hopefuls – both have outstanding fines for playing in the Saudi-backed events without permission from their old circuit.

In playing on LIV, the duo are in violation of Wentworth HQ’s conflicting events policy which requires a release to play elsewhere. The Tour’s right to hand out suspensions and fines as penalties was upheld in a sports arbitration case last April.

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Regardless, Rahm and Hatton are indeed eligible to play on the DP World Tour in the coming weeks under appeal, having started legal proceedings against their former domain. The Legion XIII teammates effectively have a stay of execution until the appeal against the severity of their punishment is heard by an independent panel at an unknown date.

Such complications have only highlighted the ongoing division still rife in the corridors of power in men’s professional golf. Yet in a surprising twist, it has emerged that LIV did met with DP World Tour officials last month in a bid to find a resolution to this particular saga.

Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig first reported that LIV were willing to cough up fines totalling up to £10million to eliminate restrictions on their players returning to the DP World Tour.

It is understood that LIV were willing to make changes to their schedule to avoid clashes with big Tour events, as well as an exemption category for DP World Tour players into the International Series events on the Asian Tour.

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However, having turned down the approach, DP World Tour bosses are adamant they will not compromise on their rules.

A Tour spokesperson told bunkered.co.uk: “We met with them and listened to their proposal but did not accept it, as our view remains that the focus should continue to be on all stakeholders working together to reach an overall solution that benefits our sport.”

The DP World Tour’s “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour is notable here. The partnership, first struck in 2021, ensured that the American circuit were regularly updated on the talks with LIV and why the offer was rejected.

In the meantime, negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund – LIV’s Saudi backers – are still ongoing and further meetings were held between the two parties in New York last week.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.