Report: Ex-LIV Golf pro will give up PGA Tour card in favour of return to breakaway

Laurie Canter has reportedly decided to give up a PGA Tour card so he can rejoin the LIV Golf League, according to a report. 

The 36-year-old Englishman played in the very first LIV Golf event at Centurion Club in June 2022 and amassed 18 further appearances on the breakaway tour. 

After narrowly missing out on a full-time position with LIV at their qualifying school event in December 2023, Canter returned to the DP World Tour. 

His career went from strength to strength and he won the European Open last June and the Bahrain Championship this February.

He also broke into the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time. 

That achievement saw Canter qualify for the coveted Players Championship in March at TPC Sawgrass. 

It represented a landmark moment as he became the first former LIV Golf player to qualify for and play in a non-major, non-co-sanctioned PGA Tour event. 

Canter looked set to tee it up on the PGA Tour next season after securing one of 10 cards on offer via the Race to Dubai on the DP World Tour.

In the immediate aftermath of the DP World Tour Championship, where he finished in a tie for second, Canter celebrated the achievement. 

"I gave it a good run and I'm proud to finish in the top 10 in the Race to Dubai," he shared on Instagram. 

But according to Sports Business Journal, Canter has agreed to give up the card so he can rejoin LIV Golf for the 2026 campaign. 

England's Daniel Brown would then get the duel playing privileges should Canter join LIV Golf before 1 January 2025.  

It is not clear which team Canter would be joining, but the most likely destination is the Majesticks outfit, of which he previously filled in as a reserve.

If that materialised, then Canter would be taking the space of the relegated former Open champion Henrik Stenson. 

The Majesticks is currently made up of European Ryder Cup legends Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Sam Horsfield is also in the team. 

Stenson was among the first wave of players to be recruited by LIV Golf in 2022 and was even stripped of the European Ryder Cup captaincy as a result.

He was relegated this season but has reportedly settled fines of more than £1m so he can rejoin the DP World Tour next season.  

But Stenson will face difficulty getting into Europe's top events, according to Telegraph Sport. 

It appears officials Wentworth HQ are still bitter about the Swede's decision to join LIV when he already agreed to be the 2023 Ryder Cup captain.

LIV Golf made their first official signing ahead of the 2026 season earlier in the week. 

Three-time DP World Tour winner Victor Perez, who was in danger of losing his PGA Tour card, has joined Martin Kaymer's Cleeks outfit. 

LIV's season begins next February in Riyadh. 

Brown keen to avoid repeat of McKibbin situation

As mentioned, should Laurie Canter decide to re-join LIV Golf then England's Daniel Brown would be in line to take the 10th and final PGA Tour card.

Brown had an excellent season on the DP World Tour and broke into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. 

He also won his second DP World Tour title at the BMW International Open in Germany and finished inside the top 20 in the Race to Dubai standings.

A proud, but crestfallen Brown summed up his disappointment at being the bubble boy after the DP World Tour Championship. 

"When all is said and done I never actually thought ever in my life that I would reach this level," he shared on Instagram. 

He would like Canter to make up his mind before 1 January 2026.

Last year, Tom McKibbin secured one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer but ultimately decided to ignore Rory McIlroy's advice and joined LIV.

By the time he did so, it was too late for Jordan Smith to be bumped up. 

Smith, thankfully, got his card this year.