DP World Tour member Ángel Ayora has turned down a two-year contract offer from LIV Golf to join the breakaway league.
First reported by Spanish publication Ten Golf, the 20-year-old from Spain, who is only two tournaments into his rookie season on the DP World Tour, has already made an impression. He finished 6th in last week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship and 23rd in the recently concluded ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
The 2024 Challenge Tour graduate, who now sits 4th in the Race to Dubai rankings, received an offer from Germany’s Martin Kaymer, the Cleeks GC Captain, to fill the void in the team left by Finland’s Kale Samooja. Samooja’s contract was not renewed after he failed to secure his spot for the upcoming LIV Golf season.
According to Ten Golf, Ayora considered the offer for a few days before ultimately turning it down.
LIV Golf and the DP World Tour lining up their own separate deal
Ayora, who is managed by Seve Ballesteros’ son Javier, only turned professional after the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy and quickly made his mark. He tied for 21st in his professional DP World Tour debut at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and finished tied for 12th in his Challenge Tour debut at the SDC Open.
A PGA Tour debut followed when he made the cut at the Puerto Rico Open, but it was on the Challenge Tour where he truly shone. He recorded three top-10 finishes before claiming victory at the Rosa Challenge Tour in Poland.
Round 1⃣ 62 (-10)
Round 2⃣ 65 (-7)Angel Ayora leads heading into the weekend.#RolexGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/jeRMu3wOGp
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) November 1, 2024
He ended the season with runner-up finishes at the Hangzhou Open and the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, carrying significant momentum into his maiden DP World Tour campaign.
The Cleeks team currently consists of captain Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland, and Adrian Meronk.
It remains unclear who else the Cleeks have been in discussions with, but a potential signing could come from the winner of the International Series Rankings following next week’s PIF Saudi International in Riyadh, or the champion of the LIV Golf Promotions event the following week.
Main Image: Challenge Tour X
