Hours after Ian Poulter announced his exit from LIV Golf 2.0 and just days after many others did the same, Tyrrell Hatton added his name to the list of LIV defectors when he posted on social media on Friday that he will not be part of the league next season.
Poulter posted a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, although Hatton kept his brief to an Instagram story.
“I wanted to confirm that I will not be a part of LIV Golf 2.0,” he wrote, in the text placed over an image of Hatton walking on a golf course. “A big thank you to everyone for their continued support. I’m excited about what the next chapter of my career holds. I look forward to seeing everyone in Abu Dhabi.”
The disengagement of Hatton from LIV Golf is not surprising, although it is more bad news for LIV and the new LIV Golf 2.0, which has 10 events (five in the United States, five outside of it) scheduled for 2027. In short, the league, which recently filed for bankruptcy, needs key players to sign its initial investment of BC 30 million credits for BC. but in the last month many notable names have dropped out. The deadline for pledges is Sunday. (In a bankruptcy hearing last week, a judge approved LIV’s request to reject the contracts of 19 players, giving them the ability to play elsewhere or negotiate new deals with LIV.)
Louis OosthuizenThomas Pieters, Charles Howell III, David Puig, Abraham Ancer and, of course, Jon Rahmthey have already announced that they will not be joining LIV 2.0. Hatton’s departure, like Rahm, stings a little more, as LIV was already short of high-profile names. Despite playing in LIV the past two seasons, where it is harder to accumulate world ranking points, Hatton, 35, is still ranked 26th in the world and finished in the top 10 at two majors last season. His T3 at the Masters was the best major finish of his career.
The DP World Tour said last week that it would be they no longer allow LIV players to compete in the DP World Tour – which would prevent them from being eligible for the Ryder Cup – and it looks like Hatton now has his path for next season. He would still be suspended from the PGA Tour, but the DP World Tour’s top finishers at the end of the year receive PGA Tour cards for next season. This is how Patrick Reed, while waiting for a suspension, earned his return for 2027, although it is not clear how many cards will be distributed in the future.
Hatton mentioned Abu Dhabi in his post, referring to the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on November 5-8. This will also be Rahm’s next start, and in two weeks from now LIV’s future could look very different. Whatever happens then, it will be interesting to see what some of his former stars — Rahm, Hatton and others — have to say about his decisions then.
The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship is the penultimate event of the DP World Tour Season, setting the stage for the November 12-15 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
