Keith Pelley (R), the commissioner of the DP World Tour, speaks with Jay Monahan (L), the commissioner of the PGA Tour, at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship. | Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
The DP World Tour has taken a much different stance than the PGA Tour as it relates to LIV Golf’s promotions event in December.
The DP World Tour has fired some shots.
In a memo sent to players Wednesday, DP World Tour members could face fines and suspensions should they enter next month’s LIV Golf Promotions Event, per The Times.
Yet, this notice also included a provision in which players could seek release from the tour, should they choose to play:
“If you take up membership for the 2024 season and wish to play in any tournament other than the Alfred Dunhill Championship (and which is therefore a conflicting tournament as defined in the regulations), then, in accordance with the regulations and unless the stated exceptions applies, you must apply in writing for a release to play in that conflicting tournament by no later than 8 November 2023,” the memo read.
“Chief executive [Keith Pelley] will determine whether or not to grant a release, and his decision will be communicated directly to the applicable player.”
Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images
DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley speaks at the 2023 ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.
Consequently, DP World Tour members were given less than 24 hours to submit a written notice.
Their viewpoint starkly differs from the PGA Tour’s stance, mainly because of the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, scheduled for Dec. 8-11 in South Africa.
This tournament should not be mistaken with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which takes place at St. Andrews every year in October. Matthew Fitzpatrick won that rain-shortened event last month.
In spite of that, the LIV Golf Promotions event, scheduled from Dec. 8-10, will be held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. The top three finishers there will receive entry into LIV Golf events throughout 2024.
Nevertheless, the PGA Tour will allow its members to enter this LIV Golf event, per a report from Sports Illustrated on Monday.
PGA Tour leadership does not see this as an official LIV Golf event but rather as an ‘unauthorized tournament.’
“Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event, it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series,” a PGA Tour spokesman said to Sports Illustrated.
Whether PGA Tour players sign up remains to be seen. No DP World Tour player has expressed interest in playing as of this writing, but that could change—although they do not have much time to do so, and if they do, it could come at a steep price.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
