Every homecoming has a guest list, and the DP World Tour’s is already starting arguments. With LIV Golf in bankruptcy court and its stars heading for the exit to avoid responsibility for the player equity, the European circuit has become the first landing spot for many of them. The real question now is who gets the seat, and one name that keeps coming up is Charles Howell III.

Weighing in on the discussion is two-time DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell, who himself is fighting for his 2027 card. He put his views in writing on his Chipping Forecast Substack.

“Firstly and most importantly, I wanted to put myself in Guy Kinnings’ shoes as best I can and try to see it from his position. Unquestionably, he is in a predicament, borne predominantly and precariously out of weakness.”

“But, in rides, Charles Howell III. Not somebody I had on my list of knights in shining armor for the DPWT. And this is the calculation that Guy and his team have to make as we move forward—who do we invite back, and what might their impact be? I’ve spoken to Guy on this very issue, back in the summer. I won’t betray any confidence on his side, but my view was pretty simple: give a few players invites who undeniably add stardust.”

“The idea that Charles Howell III is on this list, with all due respect to Charles—he’s a terrific guy—is utterly bizarre.”

Now, notably, the “list” Pepperell refers to is not an official one. The DP World Tour has not published any names or handed out cards to the players mentioned. However, on October 12, Today’s Golfer first reported that the Tour was negotiating agreements with LIV players who hold no status, offering them a set of sponsor invites on the condition that they reject LIV 2.0.

Pepperell further made his case by arguing that the choices are wrong on the Tour’s part.

“That represents a miscalculation to me, along frankly with additional names like Thomas Pieters, Branden Grace, and even Louis Oosthuizen, as much as I admire his swing. None of these players are going to put enough bums on seats or in front of TVs to materially improve the balance sheet in 2027, period. I hate to sound certain about it, but I just can’t see how it can be.”

The reaction gains perspective once the rule change is clearer. On October 12, CEO Guy Kinnings told BBC Sport that the DP World Tour would refuse 2027 membership to anyone who signs up for LIV 2.0. He released a statement saying players need to make a choice. That statement also meant that conditional releases, which nine players, including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, held this year, were gone.

Players with no status, such as Joaquin Niemann and Thomas Pieters, now have two routes. They can either go through Q-School or sign agreements for a set number of sponsor invitations, available only to those who stay out of LIV 2.0. Today’s Golfer reported that some of those invites could run into double figures but would not cover the Rolex Series. Moreover, the membership application deadline was November 16, and Europe’s 2027 Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor can only come from members.

The center of the discussion is not only the choice of players but also how it will impact the tour. As analysts and Pepperell have pointed out, none of the names currently reported is an obvious draw at the level needed to make a difference. So why make the call? Well, that’s a question that remains unanswered.

To put things into perspective, here’s what the DP World Tour is currently facing. The European Tour Group’s operating loss more than doubled in 2025, rising from £27.6 million to £64.5 million, despite it being a Ryder Cup year, when revenue is supposed to rise. Moreover, broadcast income fell from $109.6 million to $75.3 million, which the accounts blame on ongoing uncertainty over the future structure of the men’s professional game.

Through all of this, what kept the books afloat was the PGA Tour’s £58.8 million annual investment payment, which covered roughly 91% of that loss. The payment is only guaranteed until the end of 2027. Money in Sports analysts further argue that the PGA Tour built its alliance with the DP World Tour largely to counter LIV, a threat that has now faded, and that its stake in European Tour Productions is due to rise from 15% to 40% by the end of 2027.

With the Tour relying on that investment, the question of which players deserve invitations becomes even more important. If the reported names are unlikely to move viewer numbers, sponsorship, or ticket sales significantly, the Tour must weigh those potential benefits against the financial and competitive implications of taking spots away from its members.

As for why Howell’s name stands at the center of the backlash, not just from Pepperell, it comes down to where he comes from.

He was part of LIV’s first wave, announced on July 20, 2022, after more than two decades on the PGA Tour, where he had made 609 starts, won only three times and earned over $42 million.

When he joined the rival league, he said that “money was not a factor” and was suspended by the PGA Tour. On LIV, he won the league’s Mayakoba event in 2023 and was part of the Crushers GC side that took that year’s team title. His best finish in LIV’s 2026 season was a tie for eighth in Korea, and he ranked 510th in the world.

As for his European record, well, that’s thin too. Before this year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, he had played just one DP World Tour event outside the majors and WGCs in 26 years. Moreover, he missed the cut there at five under. Without status or a ranking, any start for him would require an invite, and an invite means a spot taken from a member.

Pepperell is not the only one questioning the gap between the choice and its potential impact.

Writer Kevin Van Valkenburg said on a podcast that it was “utterly insane” for the Tour to entertain Howell as a draw. He further added that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton sit in a different category because they paid their fines and played their required events, while Westwood and Poulter get grace for decades of royalty.

Six-time winner Justin Lewis has been blunter in his take. He said:

“Four years ago they didn’t give a s*** about the DP World Tour.”

He further argued that all the players who gave up their membership should lose their exemptions and prove themselves at Q-School like everyone else.

The other three names Pepperell mentioned also have strong résumés but face the same question.

Thomas Pieters has six DP World Tour wins, the last in Abu Dhabi in 2020, so his ties to the circuit run deep. Branden Grace won in Portland at the 2022 LIV Golf event. Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion, announced on October 21 that he was returning to Europe. Golf Digest also noted that he made only two major cuts in five years from 2021 onward and recorded three top-three finishes.

For now, the list remains unofficial, and the debate is far from settled. The bigger question is whether the players being considered can offer enough to justify the invitations, particularly when the Tour is under financial pressure and its members are competing for limited opportunities. Until the DP World Tour makes its position clear, who gets a seat at the table remains an open question.