‘We owe them nothing’: Four-time winner delivers brutal verdict on LIV Golf stars

Marc Warren has delivered a scathing verdict on the LIV Golf players preparing to return to the DP World Tour in 2027, insisting the circuit owes them nothing after they chose to walk away in pursuit of lucrative deals.

A host of high-profile names are heading back to the European-based circuit after leaving LIV Golf, with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton among the biggest stars preparing to feature on the DP World Tour again.

They will be joined by the likes of Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter, while a number of younger European talents are also making the move back. 

Tom McKibbin, David Puig and Adrian Meronk, who recently claimed victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, are among those set to return to the circuit full-time.

The likes of Rahm, Hatton, Puig, McKibbin, Meronk and Garcia all have DP World Tour status for 2027, having fulfilled the necessary playing requirements. 

However, others, including Thomas Pieters and former PGA Tour winner Charles Howell III, who reportedly wants to compete on the circuit again, are expected to rely on a select number of invitations from the DP World Tour.

It is understood Wentworth HQ is preparing to distribute invitations to selected events to a number of LIV Golf players next season, a prospect that has not gone down well with several current members.

Six-time winner Joost Luiten has already voiced his concerns about the situation in an interview with GolfMagic, while two-time winner Eddie Pepperell has also been outspoken in his opposition to former LIV players potentially receiving opportunities ahead of those who have remained loyal to the circuit.

Warren has now also chimed in, and the Scot believes former LIV players should have to earn their place rather than expect the door to be held open for them.

The 45-year-old, a four-time European Tour winner with more than 500 appearances on the circuit, is currently competing on the HotelPlanner Tour after losing his DP World Tour card several years ago. 

Warren is bidding to secure his return to the top tier through this week's Grand Final in Mallorca, where he sits five shots behind the leader heading into the weekend.

Speaking to The Scotsman, the Scot took particular exception to the suggestion that former LIV players were now 'coming home'.

“Who is coming home out of that list? None of them as far as I am concerned,” Warren said. 

“They didn’t want the European Tour to be their home. Some of them maybe did at one point but made their feelings clear either when they left or before they left that they didn’t think much of the European Tour or DP World Tour.”

Warren believes the breakaway players were quick to criticise the circuit after accepting enormous financial offers to join LIV Golf, despite acknowledging that many other players would have taken similar opportunities.

“I hope the membership don’t forget that and I just hope the DP World Tour don’t forget that because we owe them nothing,” he added.

“They are the ones that made the decision. Okay, some are great names now but some of them have never even played in Europe and are we going to bend over backwards to give them the opportunity to play?

“Guys are out here this week at the end of a hard season. Guys are going to Tour School this week and next week. They are doing it the right way trying to get on to the DP World Tour. They should have to do the same in my opinion.”

Warren was not alone in questioning how the DP World Tour should handle the returning players, with Garcia's announcement on Thursday prompting a particularly shocking reaction from Pepperell.

The Englishman accused the 2017 Masters champion of 'elite level s***housery' after Garcia confirmed his LIV departure and revealed his intention to return to the DP World Tour in 2027, with the Ryder Cup firmly in his sights.

Record Ryder Cup points scorer Garcia, 47, announced his decision in a lengthy social media statement, writing: “This tour has been a huge part of my career from the very beginning. And I'm proud to call it home again.”

Pepperell was less than impressed, posting on X: “This has to be Sergio trolling us? Surely. Elite level shithousery, this. Or has he got dementia?”

Garcia's relationship with the established tours has been a source of controversy since his move to LIV in 2022. 

At the Wells Fargo Championship that year, the Spaniard famously told a PGA Tour rules official: “I can't wait to leave this Tour,” following an angry dispute over a lost-ball ruling.

He was subsequently fined £100,000 by the DP World Tour, alongside other LIV players, for competing in an event without the required release. 

Reports at the time also claimed Garcia had angrily criticised the European circuit and urged fellow players to take the Saudi money. 

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre appeared to allude to the incident on social media, although Garcia later disputed the allegations.

Fellow four-time DP World Tour winner David Horsey offered a more measured assessment of the situation.

The 41-year-old, who has almost 400 appearances on the circuit, believes there is a difficult balance between protecting existing members and ensuring tournaments remain commercially attractive.

“From a membership perspective, as a member you want them to earn their place. They decided to go for the money, so, if they want to come back, they should earn their place,” Horsey told The Scotsman.

However, he acknowledged that established names could benefit tournaments commercially, particularly with uncertainty surrounding the wider professional golf landscape beyond 2026.

Matthew Southgate offered a more sympathetic perspective, suggesting some of the returning LIV players had earned the right to be welcomed back through their previous contributions to European golf.

“I think a lot of the older heads who went to LIV did a lot for the tour and a lot for the game,” Southgate said.

He specifically highlighted players such as Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell, describing them as gentlemen who had worked hard on their games and achieved enough to deserve a home on the circuit.

However, Southgate also acknowledged that players who had only dipped in and out of the DP World Tour presented a different challenge, with sporting merit and commercial considerations needing to be balanced.

With Rahm, Hatton, Garcia and a host of other former LIV players preparing to feature in 2027, the debate over access, exemptions and playing opportunities looks unlikely to disappear.

For Warren, though, the principle is straightforward: those who walked away should not expect the door to be held open for them.