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By announcing that its LIV Golf Promotions event, in which the top two finishers earn LIV membership for 2026, will be held in the United States, LIV Golf officials were no doubt hoping it might make entering the tournament a more enticing proposition for tour pros. But the choice of Florida’s Black Diamond Resort to stage its qualifying event Jan. 8-11 is problematic for anyone competing who is a member of the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Champions or PGA Tour Americas.
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On Tuesday, Golf Digest confirmed news first reported by Sports Illustrated that the PGA Tour will not grant conflicting event or media rights releases to any tour member competing in the LIV Golf Promotions event. According to a PGA Tour spokesperson, because the LIV event is being played in North America, under PGA Tour regulations it is defined as an unauthorised event. As such, any tour member who competes in it is subject to disciplinary action.
Additionally, as outlined in PGA Tour regulations, any non-PGA Tour member who plays in the LIV Golf Promotions event, because of its status as an unauthorised event, would be subject to a one-year ban from playing in PGA Tour-sanctioned events. That includes playing in Monday qualifiers and receiving sponsors’ exemptions.
This news comes a day after LIV Golf revealed its plans for the third edition of its LIV Golf Promotions event. The previous two years, the event has been held in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. As such, players with PGA Tour status were allowed to play if they sought a release from the PGA Tour. But the North America clause in the PGA Tour regulations prohibits the tour from granting any releases.
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Besides the two spots on the LIV Golf circuit, the top 10 players in the LIV Golf Promotions event also earn full status on the Asian Tour’s International Series, funded by LIV Golf.
It’s been months since the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s financial backers, the Public Investment Fund, have had formal conversations about a partnership. The ensuing quiet has made some forget that without a truce, the two groups remain rivals in the still unsettled world of men’s professional golf. But if you needed a sign that the latter is very much the state of play, look no further.
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Main Image: Christian Petersen
