At the moment, the 54 LIV Golf pros are preparing for the final event of the disruptive league, the LIV Golf Team Championship in Dallas. Two weeks before this $25 million event, a total of 10 pros will be teeing up at the DP World Tour event, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. However, the DP World Tour has fined those who were members of the league and played in LIV Golf events on the same weekend. Even Jon Rahm has been fined, although he has appealed the sanctions, as he was unwilling to pay them.

So, the DP World Tour doesn’t allow players with unpaid fines, but how will Rahm and his fellow LIV pros participate in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship? Flushing It Golf reported on X that European league members like Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm, Branden Grace, and others have appealed the fines, so they are currently on hold. As for non-members like Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch, Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and others have paid their fines and are eligible to play.

But someone like Ian Poulter, who is now a former member of the DP World Tour, has not paid the fines and was not allowed even a sponsor exemption. Rahm and Hatton entered the field through categories 1 and 2, which are the winners of the Race to Dubai Rankings and Majors, and winners of Rolex Series tournaments and WGCs from 2020-2024, respectively. Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig got in via the top 10 of the 2023 Asian Tour Order of Merit, while the rest were invited by the tournament organizers and Johann Rupert.

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Although fourteen LIV Golf pros will be allowed to tee up at the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship through various pathways, this does not mean that the DP World Tour has eased its stance toward the disruptive league. The European league rejected one crucial offer from LIV Golf, showing its position on allowing LIV pros back into its events.

What was LIV Golf’s offer to the DP World Tour?

Before Jon Rahm was adamant about not paying the fines levied on him and questioning the sanctions imposed on other LIV Golf pros, the league itself tried to ease the situation by striking a deal with the DP World Tour. Back in August, a source told Sports Illustrated that the breakaway circuit had reached out to the European circuit, asking it to drop the sanctions and fines against its players and allow them to participate in events.

LIV Golf also suggested an adjusted schedule to accommodate players in major events like the BMW PGA Championship, ensuring that their events wouldn’t conflict with each other. In return, LIV Golf would grant the top 10 DP World Tour players entry into 10 International Series events, each offering a $2 million purse. However, the DP World Tour declined the offer, and a spokesperson told SI, “Our view remains that the focus should continue to be on all stakeholders working together to reach an overall solution that benefits our sport.”

That clearly indicates that the DP World Tour does not want any partnership with LIV Golf and will not change its rules for any deal. For now, 14 golfers have been given entry into the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. But will this become a recurring theme in future events? That remains to be seen.