The past few days have sent shockwaves through the golf world. First, Brooks Koepka announced he was returning to the PGA Tour after parting ways with LIV Golf after almost four years. That move has long been dominating the headlines. Now, that in turn puts Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith in the spotlight. The PGA Tour quickly responded with a Returning Member Program. Amid this, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil was unflinching in his criticism of the DP World Tour.

In a recent update, a golf enthusiast X handle shared how, “Scott O’Neil continues to dismiss the DP World Tour.”

The post read, “Think about that being even possible [20 years ago], that there would be players from 26 countries good enough to play at an elite level globally, and there is no elite platform outside the US.”

On January 14, Scott O’Neil addressed a media session in Florida. He talked about a few rising concerns. He particularly picked up three agendas. First, he reflected on why he let Brooks Koepka go. Then he talked about the ongoing rumors surrounding Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. The CEO further added how the Saudi-backed league is looking forward to increasing its prize purse and how more format changes might make their way in 2026.

In that same press meet, O’Neil directly addressed their rift with the DP World Tour. “The DP World Tour, we’ve had some friction with them, and it’s been a bit costly financially for us, and yet our players, they’re not restricted from playing DP World Tour events. We encourage them to play,” said the CEO.

He further highlighted how he believes that LIV Golf has long been trying to make sure that the sport is witnessing growth with the prowess that their golfers bring to the greens. In 2026, LIV also introduced a major change in its play format. They decided to switch to the traditional 72-hole structure from the 54-hole playing format. This further gave rise to speculation regarding how LIV golfers might finally get recognition under the OWGR. However, a final verdict regarding the same is still pending as OWGR has not yet granted them the opportunity.

Talking about Koepka’s departure from LIV, the LIV Golf CEO stated, “I believe in free agency—call me old-fashioned. I believe in open pathways, I believe that people should be where they want to be, and I believe that our 57 players actually have the opportunity to play PGA Tour events. They’re not restricted by us. Like if they said tomorrow, ‘Hey, The Players is open’, our guys can go play, because that’s what we’ve believed since day one, and we continue to believe that.”

While Koepka’s return has sparked a buzz in the golf world, Cam Smith, speaking from Australia, made it clear he stands by his decision to join LIV Golf. Smith also shared how he plans to remain there for the foreseeable future.

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LIV Golf ceased to comply with the DP World Tour fines since 2025

Till mid 2025, the Saudi-backed league paid the fines imposed by the DP World Tour on their team players. As far as the DP World Tour rule goes, a player from the unauthorized league has to pay a hefty penalty to continue being a DP World member. And till now, it was the LIV who abided by the same. However, with some rapid changes coming in, the Saudi-backed league refused to comply with the same since mid 2025. 

Now, such a decision had a large impact on the golfer’s career. It was because of the fines being paid from time to time that players like Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk, Jon Rahm, and Tom McKibbin were able to play the Ryder Cup. But once these fines didn’t keep coming in, Ryder Cup eligibility of the star golfers was in jeopardy. Until now, the LIV has reportedly paid fines worth 15 million euros. Unfortunately, a hefty sum of fines is still left to be cleared.

And this is exactly what led to Rahm and Hatton challenging the decision of the DP World Tour. Refusing to pay the fines, the two golfers appealed against the ruling. Such an action froze the suspension rule for a temporary period, allowing Rahm to play in last year’s Ryder Cup. But as per the DP World Tour’s statement, they are quite clear on making the players clear their pending dues. Thus, with things looking pretty complicated, fans are now eager to find out what happens next.