LIV says it’s playing nice. DP World Tour’s CEO believes otherwise | News

As LIV Golf attempts to salvage its golf league for 2027 and beyond, one notable line of rhetoric keeps coming up: that they’re just here to play nice.

“It’s complete, not compete,” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said back in August. He used the phrase again in a SBJ op-ed, and then in a letter to fans.

Bryson DeChambeau — who, if he signs on, would be the face of LIV 2.0 — echoed that sentiment in a podcast appearance last week.

“It’s not combative. We’re not trying to compete against the Tour. We want to be accretive,” DeChambeau told Raj Shamani.

But Guy Kinnings is having none of it.

The DP World Tour’s CEO has led his own league through a tense coexistence with the breakaway Saudi-funded league these last four years. But now, with LIV on the ropes, Kinnings has made it clear that he has no interest in further cooperation with a league he believes sought DPWT sabotage from the beginning.

Kinnings first made his feelings known in an interview some weeks ago, where he outlined the ways in which LIV attempted to steal sponsors, courses and even tournaments away from the old-world circuit. The DPWT also made it clear that players have a choice to make; if they sign up for LIV 2.0, they won’t be welcome to pick and choose DPWT events to play in between. And this week, in an interview with the Scotsman, he reiterated that LIV is and has always been a competitor.

“…we also have to protect the tour against an entity who spent, so we are told, over $7 billion, with one of their aims being to ‘destroy the DP World Tour’,” Kinnings told Martin Dempster. “I have heard that from so many different people they talked to, who I have known for over 30 years within the game and who I trust implicitly.

“Clearly when you are faced with statements like that, and then people ask why we are doing what we are doing with our membership and invite policy for 2027, then I think the answer becomes pretty obvious.”

Kinnings continued with what seemed like a shot at LIV, whose bankruptcy filings revealed millions in payouts to lawyers and executives even as vendors and contractors remain unpaid.

“Myself and everyone at the DP World Tour have a duty to our members to protect our Tour. We are proud of that and are proud that we treat everyone who works for the Tour, whether that be staff, suppliers, contractors, everyone, with respect and dignity. We pay them and pay them on time. We look out for everyone,” Kinnings said.

“Our Tour that has been in existence for over 50 years and it stands for everything that is good, right and proper in the game is worth fighting for and that is precisely what we have done and what we will continue to do.”

“Ruffled some feathers”

The tours each stand at respective inflection points.

Kinnings didn’t shy away from the headwinds facing the DPWT — which he said exists “against the backdrop of a crippling global pandemic, two global conflicts which remain ongoing (in territories – Europe and the Middle East – which host the majority of our tournaments), and a media rights collapse” — but also cited sturdy sponsorship dollars, which add up to more than $1 billion in contracted dollars, all told. And 2027 seems likely to bring an influx of talent and star power back from LIV, from top pros like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to Ryder Cup stars like Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter to young talents like David Puig and Tom McKibbin and more. Other ex-LIV pros will be eligible for sponsor invites, Kinnings added, with many of those concentrated in some of the tour’s less competitive events during the heart of the PGA Tour season.

Kinnings cited the PGA Tour’s shift in schedule as an opportunity; with the U.S.-based circuit dodging football season and focusing on February through August, the DPWT has several months in which it can take center stage.

LIV’s future is uncertain at best. An optimistic view of its future would cite DeChambeau’s podcast appearance; he’s among golf’s biggest stars and said the league is “going to be done right” and that it’s “going to be a league hopefully that exists forever.” The league has also said it won’t reveal player commitments one by one; perhaps it has a few cards up its sleeve to be announced later this week. We still don’t have confirmed plans from Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson or Joaquin Niemann.

But most of what we’ve seen and heard points to a bleak future. Some of LIV’s most vocal supporters have preemptively bowed out, and on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, Rahm was notably dismissive of its plans for 2027 and beyond.

“Too many unknowns at the time and there are still quite a few,” he said. “But seemed like it was going away from team golf and some of the things that made LIV, LIV. It just became more of a regular tour. So yeah, it wasn’t really ever much of a consideration, to be honest.”

It’s clear that Kinnings’ move caused a stir, too: Victor Perez told Today’s Golfer that LIV players recognize their window of welcome on other tours may not last forever.

“So obviously the potential ban for the LIV players in 2027, I think has definitely ruffled some feathers and made a lot of the guys make early decisions,” he said.

Lee Westwood, who faces a suspension should he return to the DP World Tour, described his own limbo on the Chipping Forecast.

“Deadlines have come and gone, and I’ve heard nothing, whether I have to sign or I don’t have to sign. I haven’t signed 2.0. I haven’t signed anything. This [Restructuring Support Agreement between LIV Golf and BC Partners] everybody talks about, I haven’t signed that. So literally, I’m unemployed.”

Kinnings has made one thing clear: players can choose employment under LIV, or they can seek a path back to the DP World Tour. But they can’t do both.

You can read his entire Scotsman interview here.