Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

McIlroy Praises, Woosnam Warns New DP-PGA Pathway

5/14/2026

50 4

Summary

McIlroy Praises Pathway

Rory McIlroy praised the new DP World Tour-to-PGA Tour pathway at the 2026 PGA Championship.
He noted that Kristoffer Reitan earned a PGA Tour card and has about $3.69 million in career earnings.
Woosnam warned that the pathway weakens the DP World Tour, damages sponsorship and turns it into a PGA Tour feeder.
The pathway stems from a 2022 PGA Tour-DP World Tour agreement to counter LIV Golf.

Summary

PIF Ends Sponsorship

The Saudi Public Investment Fund will end its roughly $5 billion LIV Golf sponsorship.
LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil expects a new investment deal for 2027 within weeks.
Rory McIlroy said the pull-out felt like a rug pulled from under LIV players and left them blindsided.
McIlroy added that returning to the PGA Tour would require contract hurdles and could trigger sanctions.

History

Historical Context

To stop a late-season lull, the PGA Tour created the FedEx Cup in 2007, with FedEx as title sponsor and a playoff format that reduced fields from 125 to 30. The system later intersected with the 2022 LIV-Golf controversy, prompting the tour to suspend 17 players and, in June 2023, merge its commercial rights with LIV Golf under Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

1 of 3

McIlroy Praises Pathway

Rory McIlroy praised the new DP World Tour-to-PGA Tour pathway at the 2026 PGA Championship.
He noted that Kristoffer Reitan earned a PGA Tour card and has about $3.69 million in career earnings.
Woosnam warned that the pathway weakens the DP World Tour, damages sponsorship and turns it into a PGA Tour feeder.
The pathway stems from a 2022 PGA Tour-DP World Tour agreement to counter LIV Golf.

1 / 3