Ian Poulter is firing shots at the DP World Tour, claiming they’re deliberately trying to bench some LIV golfers from the Ryder Cup. The Ryder rebel has been part of LIV since 2022, racking up fines for teeing it up in those events. Whatever chance he had of being Europe’s captain or playing in the team ended with that. But his spite with the league continues on plenty of accounts, including the one he cannot stop highlighting.

In a Q&A session on Instagram, Poulter wrote, “I actually don’t think they want me or us back, to be honest. I’ve tried, but they haven’t responded. But I’m not joining LIV in the hope of being a Ryder Cup captain one day. Two LIV players have already played a Ryder Cup after joining LIV [Hatton and Rahm], so I don’t understand the difference. So, time will tell, but it’s disappointing on so many levels.”

Just like Poulter, Jon Rahm, and Tyrrell Hatton jumped to LIV and racked up fines. The only difference is that they got to play the 2025 Ryder Cup despite not paying those fines. That was because the two pros had dragged the league to court over it, and with their case pending, it seemed unreasonable to stop them from teeing up at Bethpage.

Since last September, however, Hatton’s case has somewhat been resolved. He was one of the 8 LIV pros to take up DPWT’s latest solution to retain their cards. Rahm, meanwhile, is still stuck after he rejected that offer. That means there’s a fair chance he won’t get to play the match next season, just like Poulter.

Poulter joined LIV in 2022 and racked up fines worth a reported $1.1 million. His last Ryder Cup was in 2021, when Europe got absolutely thrashed 19-9. Certainly not fond memories, but Poulter had the experience of playing in 6 Ryder Cups, so shouldn’t that be counted?

However, the pro resigned from his DPWT membership in 2023 and then missed his final deadline to pay the fines and reapply for the membership last November. His fellow LIV pro, Henrick Stenson, did the opposite. Stenson, if you remember, is the same pro who was removed from his Ryder Cup captaincy in 2023 for joining LIV.

Meanwhile, according to Today’s Golfer, Poulter never reached out to DPWT to recover his card, a fact that Poulter confirmed in a recent Q&A. His second deadline to do the same would be next November. Until then, he has zero chance to play at the Ryder Cup.

Poulter has often talked about the “frustrating” tension. In another statement from 2024, Poulter even said the Ryder Cup needs Jon and Hatton and not him. He shared a similar sentiment when talking about the 2023 edition: “I’m not needed; they didn’t need me last time [2023 Ryder Cup]—some people said that we weren’t needed.”

And although this time Poulter praised Luke Donald and his captaincy, he agreed that it doesn’t look like the Europeans want to change the “team dynamic.” There are, however, indications that Donald is trying to tackle the issues posed by LIV pros.

Luke Donald says he is ready to find a solution for the LIV pros’ problem.

“I think every time I’ve been captain, there’s always been challenges to overcome. It’s never a smooth road. There are always bumps in the road. Obviously, my plan and my hope are that Jon is available for that team. I’ll have to have that conversation soon and see where his head is,” said Luke Donald after he was announced as Team Europe’s captain for the third time in a row early this month.

Jon Rahm, as we stated above, is still in deep waters with the DP World Tour. Having refused to pay the fines, the league offered him and other pros a chance to retain their cards by playing 6 DP World Tour events in a year, increased from the base of 4. DPWT, however, gets to decide the extra two events the pros will get to play in. Rahm has refused to play their way, hence throwing a wrench in any attempt to salvage the situation.

Meanwhile, Donald seemed sympathetic to this.

So really, even if Poulter claims LIV pros are being ostracized by the DP World Tour, those same LIV pros are poised to be the solution to Europe’s Ryder Cup woes.