LIV Golf promised a revolution in professional golf. The league promised guaranteed money and a fresh start. Yet here’s the contradiction: players who left for greener pastures now find themselves grinding to get back. The path that seemed like an upgrade turned out to be a detour. In fact, one former LIV golfer just made a massive leap toward redemption.

Laurie Canter delivered a moment of pure magic at the Genesis Championship in South Korea. The 35-year-old English golfer drained a stunning 100-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club. The ball rolled and rolled, tracking perfectly toward the cup. When it finally dropped, Canter’s career trajectory shifted dramatically. That single putt helped him finish tied for second at 8-under par. More importantly, it pushed him back into striking distance of a PGA Tour card. The numbers tell the story of his climb.

Canter earned $440,000 and collected 555 Race to Dubai points from his third-place finish. He now sits 14th in the Race to Dubai standings with 1,806.90 points. That matters because the top 10 non-exempt players at season’s end receive PGA Tour cards for 2026. Suddenly, the dream he chased when joining LIV Golf in 2022 feels within reach again. However, this wasn’t always looking good.

Canter’s LIV Golf journey didn’t go as planned. He joined the Cleeks team in 2022 with high expectations. Initially, things looked promising as he earned nearly $6 million during his LIV stint. However, his form deteriorated rapidly. The missed cuts piled up relentlessly. By February 2024, Canter played his final LIV event. The financial rewards couldn’t mask his declining performance on the course. Finally, a return to the DP World Tour forced Canter to prove himself all over again.

He responded brilliantly. First came victory at the 2024 European Open. Then he captured the 2025 Bahrain Championship, pocketing $425,000. These wins showed he still belonged among golf’s elite. Yet the ultimate validation, a PGA Tour card, remained just out of reach until that 100-foot putt changed everything.

The Genesis Championship wasn’t just about Canter’s heroics. American Jordan Gumberg provided another jaw-dropping moment. He holed out from 58 yards for an eagle on the 18th hole. That shot saved Gumberg’s season, lifting him from 127th to inside the top 115 in the Race to Dubai. His 2026 DP World Tour card is now secure.

Moments like these underscore how the DP World Tour’s season-long structure turns every shot, every finish, into a potential career-defining moment, with PGA Tour cards on the line for the top performers.

The DP World Tour’s role as a PGA Tour pathway

The DP World Tour has become golf’s most important proving ground. The structure creates incredible drama down the stretch. This season features a record $153 million in prize money across 42 events. The schedule includes five prestigious Rolex Series tournaments. Meanwhile, the Race to Dubai system rewards consistency and clutch performance. Players battle all season knowing the top 10 non-exempt finishers earn PGA Tour cards.

Currently, Rory McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai. Behind him, players like Marco Penge, Tyrrell Hatton, and Kristoffer Reitan occupy the top spots. Canter trails in 14th but remains very much in the hunt. The season concludes in November with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship. Everything comes down to those final events.

The 100-foot putt symbolizes more than just one great shot. It represents perseverance through a difficult detour. Canter’s ranked 79th in the world now, after reaching a peak of 42nd earlier this year. A few strong finishes in November could secure that coveted PGA Tour card. The dream that seemed lost when LIV Golf didn’t work out suddenly feels possible again.