DP World Tour CEO: LIV Spent $7 Billion To 'Destroy' Tour

DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings has rejected LIV Golf's recent framing of itself as a cooperative partner to established tours, telling The Scotsman that the Saudi-backed league spent billions trying to undermine his circuit.

What did Kinnings say about LIV's spending?

Kinnings told The Scotsman's Martin Dempster that LIV spent more than $7 billion, with one of its stated aims being "to destroy the DP World Tour." He said he has heard similar accounts from numerous long-time contacts within the game, which he said makes the tour's defensive stance an easy one to justify.

What happens to players who sign with LIV in 2027?

Under the DP World Tour's 2027 membership policy, golfers who join LIV Golf's relaunched team league will not be permitted to also play select DP World Tour events. Kinnings said the tour, which has operated for more than 50 years, has a duty to protect its members, staff and suppliers — all of whom he said it pays on time, unlike LIV, whose bankruptcy filings showed unpaid vendors despite large payouts to executives and lawyers.

Why does the DP World Tour feel confident heading into 2027?

Kinnings pointed to more than $1 billion in contracted sponsorship dollars and a shifted PGA Tour calendar, now concentrated from February through August, that leaves the DP World Tour months of the year largely to itself. He also expects an influx of returning talent, including Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, David Puig and Tom McKibbin, with other former LIV players eligible for sponsor invites to fill out fields during the PGA Tour season.

LIV calls its approach "accretive." The DP World Tour's CEO calls it an attempt at sabotage.

How are LIV players reacting?

At an event in Abu Dhabi this week, Jon Rahm said LIV's shift away from a team format made the league less distinctive and was never much of a consideration for his own return. Victor Perez told Today's Golfer that the DP World Tour's 2027 deadline has pushed several players toward early decisions, while Lee Westwood said on the Chipping Forecast podcast that he remains unsigned with either tour and currently has no status at all.

LIV has not confirmed its full 2027 roster, with Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Joaquin Niemann among the players still undecided.