Marc Warren owes his career to the DP World Tour. It gave him his first full card in 2005 after he topped the Challenge Tour rankings, and he never forgot it. When LIV Golf arrived in 2022 and pulled away a string of the tour’s biggest names, Warren stayed and watched the circuit struggle through the uncertainty. Now the LIV stars are talking about a possible return to Europe, and the 45-year-old is in no mood to welcome them back.
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Speaking to The Scotsman, Warren was asked about Sergio Garcia’s return. He clearly showed he was unhappy with how easily some former members were welcomed back.
“I think a lot of people turned their backs very quickly and for no need as well,” he said in conversation with the Scotsman. “As a player, I still remember going through it all at the time, and it was disappointing. There was uncertainty involved… I hope the membership don’t forget that, and I just hope the DP World Tour don’t forget that because we owe them nothing.”
He also pointed to the players who are currently fighting to earn their place on the circuit.
“Guys are out here this week at the end of a hard season,” he added. “Guys are going to Tour School this week and next week. They are doing it the right way, trying to get onto the DP World Tour. They should have to do the same, in my opinion. They shouldn’t get anything given to them because they don’t deserve it.”
Warren’s argument is also shaped by his own experience. The 45-year-old lost his DP World Tour card a few years back. He now competes on the HotelPlanner Tour. This week, he aims for a comeback at the season-ending event in Mallorca. He’s working his way back and thinks LIV players should also earn their spot.
His frustration, however, goes beyond the decision to leave. Warren also questioned the loyalty shown by some of the players on their way out. “They didn’t want the European Tour to be their home,” he said, pointing to how some had spoken about the circuit. He admitted many players would have accepted the money. But he thinks that doesn’t excuse how they treated the Tour later. For him, that is something the membership and the Tour should not forget.
There is some history behind that resentment. When LIV emerged in 2022, the DP World Tour and its members were left dealing with the fallout. Then-CEO Keith Pelley fined 16 members £100,000 each. He also banned them from the Scottish Open and two other events. This followed their participation in LIV’s first event without permission. An arbitration panel later paused the sanctions. But the dispute left players who stayed facing months of uncertainty about their futures and the tour’s direction.
Warren is careful not to blame anyone for taking the money. His complaint is about what followed: players who, in his view, talked down the Tour to justify their move.
And now, with LIV’s future uncertain, the situation has come full circle. LIV entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in September, and several of its biggest names have yet to commit to the relaunch. That leaves another question hanging over the game: where do these players go from here?
The DP World Tour has already made its position clear. Anyone who signs with LIV for 2027 cannot hold membership. CEO Guy Kinnings insists that players must make a choice.
Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, David Puig, Tom McKibbin, and Adrian Meronk have their status set for next season. Others, like Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Thomas Pieters, Lucas Herbert, and Branden Grace, need sponsor invites to return to play.
Today’s Golfer said the Tour is talking to sponsors about invites for players who will skip LIV 2.0. No new names are confirmed yet. But those invitations come with a trade-off. Every spot given to a returning player could mean one fewer opportunity for someone else trying to earn their place. Warren is particularly concerned about this issue. Players who stay on the European circuit have to fight for those opportunities.
The returnees also have limited alternatives. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp stated there won’t be another returning-member program like Brooks Koepka’s. So, for many, the DP World Tour is the best way back.
But that said, for now Warden’s focus is the weekend in Mallorca, where his own bid for a card is still alive. The tour has yet to publish who gets the invite.