Ex-LIV Golf star set for awkward Rory McIlroy reunion after being given lifeline
Returning DP World Tour star Bernd Wiesberger is set for an awkward reunion with ex-Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy, after the Northern Irishman admitted he felt "betrayed" by his fellow European peers who opted to join LIV Golf.
On Thursday, Wiesberger announced he would be returning to the DP World Tour in 2024, after spending two seasons with their LIV Golf rivals. The Austrian represented Cleeks GC in the breakaway league, and narrowly avoided automatic relegation following the end of the 2023 campaign.
An impressive finish at the final event of LIV's regular season in Jeddah last month ensured Wiesberger ended the year 41st in the campaign standings, finishing just four spots above the drop zone.
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His finish saw him enter the Saudi-funded series' free agency window earlier this month, where he was free to negotiate with the 12 LIV teams to regain a spot in 2024. Wiesberger, however, has opted to make a U-turn and return to the DP World Tour on the back of his two-season sabbatical with the breakaway league.
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The Austrian has confirmed his first Tour event back will come in January at the Dubai Desert Classic. He will be joined by defending champion McIlroy, who is also heading back to Emirates Golf Club in a bid to win the Dubai-based tournament for a fourth time.
The Northern Irishman has more than made his thoughts on the LIV setup clear following its emergence last summer, prevailing as one of the rebel league's biggest critics. Not only has he taken aim at the LIV setup itself, but also at those who opted to join.
Most notably the four-time major winner honed in on his Ryder Cup teammates, which includes the returning Wiesberger. "I think it is the first time in my life that I have felt betrayal, in a way," McIlroy admitted to The Guardian last October.
"It's an unfamiliar feeling to me. You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things." McIlroy's comments came at a time when it appeared those who had chosen to make the Saudi switch had given up the chance to represent Europe on the Ryder Cup stage.
Of course, the Northern Irishman was right, with Luke Donald leading a LIV-free team to victory at Marco Simone last month. It was quite the response from the European setup, who fell to a record-breaking defeat to their American rivals at Whistling Straits two years earlier.
From the 12 Europeans who competed in Wisconsin in 2021, four opted to give up the chance to represent their continent two years later, as Wiesberger was joined by Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in making the move to the Saudi-funded league.
After appearing to cut ties with European golf, the Austrian has been handed a lifeline by Tour chief executive Keith Pelley. A statement from the DP World Tour confirmed Wiesberger had paid and served the sanctions handed to him earlier this year, and is now clear to compete.
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