The DP World Tour forcing golfers to choose between the European circuit and LIV Golf for the 2027 season was something few saw coming. Now, with players facing a tough decision about their futures, Abraham Ancer looks to have made up his mind.
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“Abraham Ancer will not be competing on LIV 2.0, per sources. Ancer’s contract expired after this season, and he plans to play on the DP World Tour in 2027,” SBJ’s Josh Carpenter wrote on X. “Ancer made the decision not to renew this spring. He made his debut with the league at its second event in 2022.”
Ancer’s decision comes as a surprise given he was one of the first few players to join the rebel league. The Mexican International was one of the handful of under-35 players at that time to commit to LIV. Before joining LIV Golf, he won the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on the PGA Tour.
Then he claimed his first individual LIV Golf title in Hong Kong in 2024. He also had a solid 2026 season, finishing 11th on LIV Golf’s money list and earning more than $5.6 million from 12 tournaments.
However, the DP World Tour’s new stance left players with a clear choice. CEO Guy Kinnings confirmed that golfers who sign with LIV Golf 2.0 in 2027 will not be allowed to become members of the DP World Tour, effectively jeopardizing any hopes of pros paying fines to DPWT and being eligible for the Ryder Cup.
“Players need to make a choice,” Kinnings said on BBC Sport. “We have rules and regulations, which are there to protect our Tour and which our members must all abide by. Players who are not willing to comply with our rules and regulations should not be seeking to join our Tour.”
Ancer has now made his choice. His move to LIV Golf also came with a sponsorship setback. In June 2022, St. Louis-based digital consultancy Perficient ended its sponsorship agreement with Ancer after he joined the Saudi-backed golf league.
The new rules have prompted several golfers to reconsider their futures. Jon Rahm, Adrian Meronk, and David Puig have confirmed that they will not join LIV Golf’s planned new version, LIV 2.0, if it goes ahead in 2027.
Meanwhile, Richard Bland, Victor Perez, and Cameron Tringale have committed to staying with the league. LIV Golf players have until October 25 to make their final decisions, while the DP World Tour requires membership applications by November 16.
Financial uncertainty could be another reason behind players reconsidering their options. LIV Golf is facing an uncertain future after losing financial support from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. In September, the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a process that allows a struggling organization to restructure its finances while trying to continue operating.
However, BC Partners has offered to invest more than $300 million to help LIV Golf restart in 2027, provided certain conditions are met. Despite the potential investment, the league still faces challenges as it prepares for next season.
With Ancer deciding not to renew his LIV Golf contract, he is now set to return to the DP World Tour in 2027 after recovering from injury.
Abraham Ancer’s injury concern
In an Instagram post on August 28, 2026, Abraham Ancer revealed that he had been dealing with severe back pain for several years while continuing to play golf. He will undergo surgery for it.
“For the last few years, I’ve been playing through back pain and trying to find ways to manage it, hoping I could keep playing and make it work,” Ancer said. “With the help of Christian (my PT) and my team, I was able to produce solid seasons and delay this decision as long as I did. Deep down I knew it wasn’t going to be sustainable for the long term.
While I made every effort to avoid it, it became apparent that surgery was the only option. As much as I love playing and would like to keep going the rest of the year, I made the difficult decision to step away and take care of myself. It wasn’t an easy choice, but I know it’s the right one for my long-term health.”
Despite dealing with a back injury, Abraham Ancer tried to put up strong performances throughout the 2026 season. However, his performances were not always consistent. Ancer finished 43rd in Virginia and tied for 39th in Singapore.
Now, while he is recovering from his back surgery, it will be interesting to see how well he performs on the DP World Tour next year.