Pieters, Howell III Leave LIV Golf for DP World Tour Bid

Thomas Pieters and Charles Howell III have become the latest players to walk away from LIV Golf, with separate reports Thursday saying neither will sign on for the league's planned 2.0 relaunch in 2027.

Why are Pieters and Howell III leaving LIV Golf?

Flushing It Golf first reported that Pieters would skip LIV 2.0, and Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter followed with word that Howell III was also departing. Both players are said to be targeting the DP World Tour instead, a path forced by the tour's recent rule change barring LIV golfers from its 2027 events unless they leave the rival league.

LIV Golf is working against its own deadline. A bankruptcy court filing Wednesday said the league expects to decide by the end of the month whether to launch LIV 2.0 or wind down entirely, and Golf Monthly reported an Oct. 25 cutoff for players to tell commissioner Scott O'Neil whether they are in or out.

Do Pieters and Howell III have status to play the DP World Tour?

Neither does, which complicates their plans. Pieters, a Belgian who joined LIV in February 2023, won six times on the DP World Tour before leaving, most recently at the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and made his only Ryder Cup appearance in 2016. Howell III, who signed with LIV at its 2022 launch, has barely played the European tour; his starts since 2020 have been limited to the U.S. Open, the Masters, two WGC events and this year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he missed the cut. He is currently 510th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Leaving LIV Golf does not hand back the status either player gave up to join it.

Without status, both players would need to reach the DP World Tour through Qualifying School or sponsor invitations. Leaving LIV Golf does not hand back the status either player gave up to join it in the first place.

The moves have not gone unchallenged. DP World Tour regular Joost Luiten criticized LIV players seeking a return, telling Today's Golfer that "the money is gone and they want to come back" as if nothing happened. Pieters and Howell III join Jon Rahm, David Puig, Abraham Ancer and Adrian Meronk among confirmed LIV departures in recent weeks, with Rahm's exit coming in court testimony before the DP World Tour's ban was even announced.

In the same Wednesday filing, LIV Golf rejected the existing contracts of 19 players, Bryson DeChambeau among them, freeing him to negotiate with other tours for 2027 — though it does not rule out DeChambeau returning if LIV 2.0 goes forward.