The decision of the DP World Tour to ban LIV Golf professionals from their tournaments in 2027 it was a victory for those who wanted to see the end of LIV. And the European circuit will benefit from an influx of LIV stars as a result of that decision.
But not everyone on the DP World/PGA Tour side of golf’s civil war is happy with the outcome.
Joost Luiten is one of those people. In a new interview with Today’s Golferthe 40-year-old, six-time DP World Tour winner unloaded on the LIV Golf pros who hope to return to the DP World Tour, and on the DP World Tour itself.
Joost Luiten on the LIV decision of DP World Tour: “Why give them invitations?”
Like LIV Golf continues its bankruptcy proceedingsmany of its players have obtained a return of the DP World Tour in 2027. With its recent decision, the DP World Tour has made it simple for them (provided that they have paid exceptional fines). All they have to do is no sign up with LIV 2.0.
The path back to the PGA Tour for former LIV pros is much more difficult: serve a one-year ban and then qualify as someone else.
In his comments to Ben Parsons of Today’s GolferLuiten made it clear that he thinks the DP World Tour makes it too easy for LIV pros to return to European golf. In a strongly worded letter, Luiten argued that the players who left for LIV showed that they “did not give as much as…” on the DP World Tour and therefore should not be invited back with open arms.
“(The DP World Tour) should make it harder for the guys to come back. Four years ago they didn’t give as – on the DP World Tour. They decided to go after the money. And now, suddenly, the money is gone and they want to come back and act like nothing happened,” said Luiten. Today’s Golfer. “I don’t think that’s fair.”
Luiten’s biggest issue with returning LIV players is that they will be taking spots from other DP World Tour players who have been loyal to the tour throughout.
“Why give invitations? If I asked for an invitation if I’m not in a tournament, I’m not going to get it because everything goes to the LIV guys. There’s only a certain amount of invitations,” said Luiten. “The invitations should be for the young talents coming and not the guys who took the piss against this tour and now they want to come back and get invitations. I’m not a big fan of it.”
The way Luiten sees it, former LIV pros hoping to play on the DP World Tour will have to earn their way back into tournaments the hard way.
“There should be a rule that if you give up your membership, you also lose all your exemption rights. So you must remain a member if you ever want to return to this tour,” explained Luiten. “Many of the boys gave up their membership and now they come back as if nothing had happened and then they become a member again and get all the rights they had before they left.”
So he suggested that the first stop for LIV players should be DP World Tour Q School.
“If they think they’re that good, they show up at Q School and beat the guys. That’s how every other guy who wants to play on this tour has to go,” Luiten said.
His opinion is in stark contrast to that of the seven-time Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy. At this week’s India DP World Championship, McIlroy threw his full support behind the LIV ban from the DP World Tour.
“As I said, the DP World Tour is well within their rights to change the rules and regulations,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “This is the way to protect their business and to make the tour as strong as possible.”
But Rory went even further than that earlier in an interview at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, where he argued that former LIV pros should not only be invited to the DP World Tour, but also to the PGA Tour.
“I think a rising tide lifts all boats,” McIlroy said. “And I think having some of these players come back is beneficial for the tour business.”
After all, McIlroy’s place on the DP World Tour is safe and secure, given his high ranking. So he’s not worried about a few LIV players coming back.
However, for players like Luiten, who is ranked 67th in the Race to Dubai ranking and at the back of his career, the return of LIV stars to the DP World Tour represents a direct threat to his livelihood.
