LIV Golf star Paul Casey to make DP World Tour comeback with Porsche loophole
Paul Casey will play on the DP World Tour for the first time this month since defecting to LIV Golf in 2022.
The former Ryder Cup star has not played on the Wentworth-based circuit since the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2022, joining the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway tour soon after. Casey resigned his DP World Tour membership in 2023 after he was punished for joining LIV, but he will make his first appearance on the tour next week.
Casey will tee it up at the Porsche Singapore Classic on March 21 after receiving a sponsor exemption. Casey has played just twice outside of his appearances on LIV Golf in the past two years, with both appearances coming on the Asian Tour.
The event is not part of the Open Qualifying Series, meaning he cannot play his way into the field at Royal Troon with a strong performance Laguna National Golf Resort Club. But it is a rare opportunity for the former world number three to earn Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
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LIV events are not sanctioned by the OWGR and Casey has plummeted to 729 in the world after turning his back on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour two years ago. The 46-year-old has been invited to play in the event due to his relationship with Porsche, with Casey serving as a brand ambassador for the German sportscar manufacturer since 2020, with the company's logo appearing on his bag.
Casey will be joined in the field by world number 37 Shane Lowry, who will jet off to Singapore after playing in The Players at TPC Sawgrass this weekend. Former LIV Golf member Bernd Wiesberger will also tee it up at Laguna National after rejoining the DP World Tour this season, with LIV forking out to clear the fines he accrued for playing on the breakaway tour.
Paul Casey will return to the DP World Tour next week (Getty Images)The other players to receive a sponsor's invite to the event are Taichi Kho of Hong Kong and Thailand's Amarin Kraivixien and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
LIV Golf is in the midst of its first break of the season, with a three-week gap until the action resumes in Miami on April 5. Casey has made a solid start to the season, finishing 11th in the season opener in Mayakoba before tying for fifth in Las Vegas. He also finished tied for second in LIV Golf Hong Kong on Sunday, losing out to Abraham Ancer in a playoff.
It remains to be seen if Casey will try to earn a place in The Open Championship through the qualifying tournaments this summer. But he does have slim hopes of playing in the PGA Championship at Valhalla in May.
He received a special invitation to play in 2023 after an injury ruled him out of the previous year after a strong performance in 2021 earned him a place in the field. But Casey was unable to play at Oak Hill last year, again due to injury, and he will be hopeful that the invitation is offered once again by PGA of America chairman Seth Waugh.
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