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According to a report in The Times, the DP World Tour has sent a memo to its member players warning them that they could be fined and banned for participating in the LIV Golf qualifiers scheduled for December 8-10 in Abu Dhabi.
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New tension in perspective within the DP World Tour? The governing body chaired by Canadian Keith Pelley thus sent a note to each of its players asking them to submit written authorization (the deadline for which was Wednesday November 8, 2023) in order to participate in the LIV Golf qualifications scheduled for December 8 to 10 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
These qualifications of the dissident Tour created in 2022 with the financial assistance of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia are placed opposite a tournament of the DP World Tour, namely the Alfred Dunhil Championship (7-10 December).
As the Times points out, this note warns that sanctions would be taken for any player who joined the DP World Tour 2024 and nevertheless attempted to take part in this “conflict tournament”. “In accordance with the regulations and unless the exceptions indicated apply, you must request in writing authorization to play in this conflicting tournament no later than November 8, 2023, underlines the missive from the DP World Tour.
The general manager (Editor's note, Keith Pelley) will determine whether or not to grant a release and his decision will be communicated directly to the player concerned. » Remember that certain eligibility criteria to compete in these qualifications concern several DP World Tour players: winners of Majors, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players, recent winners on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
Note that the PGA Tour has authorized its members to participate in these LIV Golf qualifiers in Abu Dhabi. LIV Golf is a professional golf tour. It was founded in 2022 with the support of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
The golf tour competes with the PGA Tour (USA) and the DP World Tour (Europe) and offers significantly higher prize money. The name LIV refers to the total number of holes to be played at each tournament (54 in Roman numerals, equivalent to 3 rounds of 18 holes each), as opposed to the usual 72 holes (4 rounds of 18 holes each) on other tours .
Alternatively, 54 is the score achieved by making birdie on every hole on a par-72 course. The advent of the 2022 LIV Tour was met with criticism from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and players who enrolled on the LIV Tour were banned from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
In early June 2023, the conflict over prize money and playing rights was seemingly resolved when a merger of the LIV Tour with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour was announced.