LIV Golf ‘concerned’ by DP World Tour’s ‘interference attempt’

Dubai: LIV Golf has accused the DP World Tour of making a "clear attempt to interfere" with its restructuring plans after the European circuit announced it would deny membership to players competing on the breakaway tour next season.

At a court hearing on Wednesday, LIV's legal representative said the organisation was "quite concerned" about the rival tour's position.

Rob Fitzgerald, an attorney from Gibson Dunn representing LIV, also told the court that a decision on whether the league could continue in a 'LIV 2.0' format would be made by the end of October.

"We're continuing to monitor this situation very closely and we're quite concerned by it frankly," said Fitzgerald of the DP World Tour's position.

"The timing in particular strikes us as a clear attempt to interfere with our process with our players and potentially our reorganisation writ large.

"It also raises a lot of the same anti-competitive concerns that LIV has expressed previously regarding the way competing leagues have sought to box out and punish market participants, namely these players, from participating in LIV and really only LIV."

In previous seasons, conditional releases had allowed several high-profile players, including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, to participate in events on both the DP World Tour and LIV.

"Player freedom is the reason LIV Golf was created, and it's the foundation of LIV Golf 2.0, a league built around its players," Fitzgerald added during the hearing.

"LIV has been vocal in its belief in free agency and that the best players should have greater flexibility to compete across the ecosystem. It's unfortunate that another tour is taking an opposite view and pressuring our players with false choice."

Judge Michael B. Kaplan, who is overseeing the proceedings in the New Jersey Bankruptcy Court, responded: "The comments I have read do raise concerns."

When Kaplan sought further details about the timeline for establishing LIV 2.0, Fitzgerald identified two key requirements: finalising the league's structure, including investment from BC Partners, and securing enough players to establish a viable competition.

The deadline for signing the required number of players is October 25.

"We are working hard around the clock both on the player front and on the structural front," added Fitzgerald.