Why is the DP World Tour taking a month off?

As players battle to secure a Ryder Cup spot, the DP World Tour does not have any tournaments until the middle of August.

The last event on the European circuit was the co-sanctioned Barracuda Championship last weekend, and it will not return before August 17.

Northern Ireland will host the ISPS HANDA World Invitational after almost a month off, leaving just three events for Europeans to secure Ryder Cup points on home soil.

But the decision seems to have been made by those in the hunt for a place in the biennial battle in Rome this September.

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Steve Todd, the Deputy Communications Director of the DP World Tour, told Golfshake why there is a hiatus on the schedule at such a crucial time of the season.

Todd said: “The reason for the break is that it was something the players requested via the Tournament Committee last year – to build breaks into the season.

“There was one around The Masters, and then again after the final Major of the season following a busy period.”

Qualification for the Italy showdown ends after the Omega European Masters on September 3, so the decision to take a break has been called into question.

Ryder Cup veteran and former world number one Lee Westwood has led the argument against taking time off.

In his Telegraph column, he said: “There are six weeks left in the race to make the Europe team, but only three events on the DP World Tour.

“In my opinion, it is a crying shame there are no tournaments on the circuit for the next three weeks.

“It is the middle of the summer! Fans will be itching to watch golf after the Open and I can assure you, players will be twiddling their thumbs, desperate to tee it up in competition.”

European captain Luke Donald will have three automatic qualifiers from both the Europe and Worlds points list before selecting six players.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.