On one hand, many LIV golfers are turning to the DP World Tour after CEO Guy Kinnings announced a ban on those who continue to back the breakaway league. This has led many golfers to leave the rebel league and return to the DP World Tour. Meanwhile, 10 professionals have reportedly lost their cards today. The list includes established winners, a PGA Tour regular, and a rookie whose first season fell short of expectations.
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As Jamie Kennedy, Golf Digest’s Director of Digital Content, highlighted on X, the list reflects contrasting career situations rather than a single story of declining form.
The 2026 Genesis Championship, held at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in South Korea from October 22 to 25, 2026, is the final regular-season event for players fighting to retain their status. The DP World Tour has reduced the full-card retention cutoff in the Race to Dubai from the top 110 to the top 100, with players finishing 101st to 110th receiving conditional status.
Here’s the list of golfers who lost their card today, after the second round at the Genesis Championship.
Elvis Smylie
The 2024 BMW Australian PGA champion endured an injury-disrupted season after suffering a rib stress fracture. He returned in September after missing several months, but his rounds of 78-69 total at the Genesis Championship left him five over par and outside the cut. Despite winning on his LIV Golf debut in February, Smylie could not secure his full DP World Tour status.
Thorbjørn Olesen
Olesen’s European setback comes amid a difficult season on the PGA Tour. He made 15 starts in the United States and, at the time of reporting, ranked 171st in the FedExCup Fall standings, leaving his prospects across both tours uncertain.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
The South African played 24 PGA Tour events in 2026 and ranked 95th in the FedExCup Fall standings. Although losing his European full card, he remained inside the reported PGA Tour retention line, giving him a stronger immediate position than several others on this list.
Harry Hall
Hall also made 24 PGA Tour starts, but his 56th-place position in the FedExCup Fall standings offered considerably greater security. His European card loss highlights how a player can lose full membership on one tour while remaining well placed on another.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
The four-time DP World Tour winner entered the week 108th in the Race to Dubai and needed a strong finish. After opening with a 75, he withdrew during Friday’s second round with a back injury. Having regained his card through Qualifying School in 2022 and 2023, the Thai veteran now faces another attempt to earn it back.
“First of all, I just have to apologise. I really let them (the fans) down. There’s not many times in my life that I have disappointed people, especially my family and all the fans,” he said after losing the card.
Matthieu Pavon
Pavon played 22 PGA Tour events and recorded four top-25 finishes. However, his 135th position in the FedExCup Fall standings left him outside the reported conditional-status line, making his next season uncertain on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dylan Frittelli
Frittelli won the 2024 Bahrain Championship, finishing ahead of Zander Lombard and Jesper Svensson. Yet that victory could not guarantee continued full playing rights, and the South African now faces a change in his European tour status.
Cameron Adam
The 23-year-old Scot earned his 2026 card through the Global Amateur Pathway. His rookie campaign included a tie for ninth at the Magical Kenya Open, but a 76–71 finish at the Genesis Championship left him five over par and outside the cut.
Pablo Larrazábal
The nine-time DP World Tour winner arrived ranked 165th and needed a runner-up finish or better to have a chance of retaining his card. His 73–73 total ended that hope. After 17 missed cuts this season, Larrazábal faces Qualifying School for the first time in almost two decades.
Ross Fisher
Fisher entered the championship 120th in the Race to Dubai, needing at least an eighth-place finish to have a chance of survival. His 71–75 total ended his bid. The five-time tour winner, who played his 500th DP World Tour event in January, had already relied on a Career Money List exemption in 2026.
These ten players now face different routes toward securing playing opportunities for 2027, whether through conditional status, other tours, or Qualifying School.