07 June 2023 , 19:27
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LIV Golf players have been updated on their Ryder Cup status and their DP World Tour membership, after the breakaway league joined forces with the DP World and PGA Tours.
The world of golf was left in shock on Tuesday after the PGA Tour confirmed they had teamed up with their long-time rivals LIV Golf, along with the DP World Tour. The tours have been at war since the formation of the breakaway league last June.
One year on though the two rival sides have finally called a truce, to seemingly bring professional golf's dramatic civil war to an end.
Following the announcement of the merge, a host of questions have been asked as to where the game now stands. One of the biggest was the Ryder Cup eligibility of LIV Golf players. Just last month a number of Europe's biggest stars appeared to have ended their Ryder Cup careers after resigning from the DP World Tour due to their LIV allegiances.
Keith Pelley has addressed the future of LIV Golf players in Europe (Getty Images)Most notably three of the continent's biggest Ryder Cup players in Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter ended their association with the iconic matchplay tournament. Amid the agreement though it seems that Poulter and co may have been handed a lifeline to make a return.
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DP World Tour boss Keith Pelley however was quick to play down their chances. Penning a letter to LIV Golf players, Pelley said: "Assumptions have been made in some quarters that European players who have resigned from the Tour will now be able to be apart of this year's Ryder Cup... It is not that straightforward."
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will be hoping to return to the Ryder Cup (Getty Images)The Tour boss went on to remind players that to be eligible to compete for Team Europe they must be a European, and a DP World Tour member. He went on: "To meet the second criterion [DP World Tour member] they would have to ask for reinstatement and there would have to be proof of an exceptional circumstance to allow it."
Playing down any chance of those that moved away making Luke Donald's team in Rome, Pelley went on: "I stress again, it would be difficult and highly unlikely that that would happen." The CEO also confirmed that to regain membership, resigned players needed to make this point by May 1, a deadline which was missed.