The fines imposed by the DP World Tour by decree for playing in LIV Golf tournaments without the corresponding permission have become a thing of the past. They ended on 31 December 2025, the same day that LIV turned off the tap and announced that it would no longer pay another dollar in fines for its players, as it had been doing in almost all cases since the Saudi league was created back in 2022. So, what happens now? How will the relationship between the DP World Tour and those LIV Golf players who want to remain members of its circuit, play its tournaments, and aspire to qualify for the Ryder Cup be?
The first to speak on this matter was Jon Rahm. The Barrika native hinted in the lead-up to the Riyadh LIV event, just eight days ago, that the European circuit was conducting individual negotiations. Well, according to Ten Golf, this is absolutely confirmed news. Collective punishments are over. The DP World Tour is negotiating individually with each player about their future on the European circuit. You give me, and I give you.
Rahm desvela (sin querer) un asunto de las multas que puede traer cola
The next to speak on the matter was Elvis Smylie. The Australian golfer said this Tuesday that “I want to highlight the great work that Scott O’Neil has done negotiating with the DP World Tour and finding a solution for LIV players who want to continue playing there. I have been given that opportunity, and I am excited to continue on that circuit. There are protocols and steps to follow, and LIV continues to work with the DP World Tour, but we are very confident that we are heading in a positive direction.”
Smylie’s words are not entirely correct. Scott O’Neil and LIV Golf have nothing to do with this matter. The negotiations, as already stated, are between the DP World Tour and each of the players individually. It is also not true that a solution has already been found. To be more precise, we could say that the path to solving it has been found. For now, there is work to be done, among other things because, logically, individual negotiations take more time than a collective one. According to a spokesperson for the DP World Tour to Ten Golf: “We continue to maintain a dialogue with the involved members, individually, to explore and discuss options.”
What are those options? This is where we enter the realm of speculation, albeit with data. Everything points, from what this medium has been able to gather here and there, that the agreement with each player consists of establishing a commitment. Instead of imposing fines for playing in LIV Golf, it is being negotiated that each player competes in a series of DP World Tour tournaments each season. That is why Smylie spoke today in his press conference about having a commitment to the European circuit.
However, each player is negotiating their particular agreement. The tournaments are not the same for everyone, neither in quantity nor in name. If the commitment acquired with the DP World Tour in this negotiation is not fulfilled, then a sanction would indeed be established.
Let’s consider a fictitious specific case to understand it better. The DP World Tour could agree with Jon Rahm that there is no problem with him playing in LIV Golf as long as he ensures his presence always in the Open de España, Wentworth, some other Rolex Series, Abu Dhabi, and the Dubai Final, provided he has qualified, of course. We insist, this is speculation, it does not mean that these are exactly the terms being discussed, but they are not far off. Tyrrell Hatton would probably be asked to play the British Masters, among others, Smylie the ones in Australia, Puig the one in Spain and some more, and of course, each specific case is different. It is very possible that the demands on a Ryder Cup player are somewhat less than for others who do not compete in it.
In short, the era of fines is a thing of the past, and now we enter the era of individual agreements. The problem, as often happens in these cases, is that it will be rare for them to publicise when deals are closed, as being individual could generate comparative grievances, so once again, we will be in a very cryptic situation that will generate even more mistrust among the players themselves. If the agreements were made public, perhaps everything would be easier, but that is almost like believing in fairy tales.
