Faldo says returning LIV players should 'eat humble pie' before DP World Tour comeback

Six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo says players from the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour who want to return to the DP World Tour should be prepared to "eat a bit of humble pie" and prove themselves again rather than walk straight back in.

LIV's 2026 season effectively ended last Sunday in Indianapolis after this week's Team Championship in Michigan was cancelled. LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil is still seeking around $350m in new investment to keep the league running next year.

Players looking to leave

Faldo said he understood more players wanted to leave LIV than stay, suggesting an uncertain future for the breakaway league. Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk currently play on both LIV and the DP World Tour, having been allowed to compete on both without sanction this year.

Hatton's choice of walk-on music at his final LIV event - Queen's "I Want to Break Free" - was widely read as a signal of his desire to leave. His recent tournament wins already protect his DP World Tour status, while two-time major winner Jon Rahm holds exemptions that would allow him to qualify for the tour should he depart LIV.

No easy route back

Faldo argued any pathway back should not be too straightforward, suggesting departing players go through tour qualifying school rather than being reinstated automatically. He recalled having to go through Monday qualifying himself decades ago.

The DP World Tour's tournament committee met on Tuesday to discuss how to handle potential returnees. Unlike the US PGA Tour, which imposed blanket one-year bans on LIV members, the European tour is taking a more measured approach, balancing the appeal of attracting big names against protecting members who stayed loyal.

Other players whose status could be debated include Chile's Joaquin Niemann, along with experienced Europeans Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.