LIV returnees should 'eat humble pie' - Faldo

Sir Nick Faldo has suggested that LIV golfers who wish to return to the DP World Tour may need to swallow some humility before regaining their eligibility on the European-based circuit. LIV's 2026 season concluded on Sunday in Indianapolis, following the cancellation of their Team Championship in Michigan this week. Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, and Adrian Meronk are now participating in the Husqvarna British Masters, which begins on Thursday.

Six-time major champion Faldo is promoting the Belfry tournament while LIV's boss, Scott O'Neil, continues his efforts to secure $350m (£258m) in investment to keep the league operating next year.

Faldo suggested that there are more players seeking to leave LIV than those wishing to stay, indicating that it doesn't look good for their future in the league. Hatton, McKibbin, and Meronk are able to compete on the DP World Tour due to a deal that allowed them to play both tours without sanction this year. However, Faldo stated that it shouldn't be easy for LIV players to simply return to the DP World Tour.

He emphasized that the players must demonstrate that they've learned from their previous disruption and want to return to golf the "proper way," working their way up through qualifying and earning their place. Faldo continued, "You know, given the way they've disrupted - go and start again. Go back to tour school. Hey, you might have to eat a bit of humble pie and say, well, I want to be a proper golfer again, and so I've got to start back where I'm meant to be and I'll work my way up the good old way with my skills and my scoring."

The topic of how to treat potential returnees is a key concern for the DP World Tour, which imposed blanket one-year bans on members who competed on LIV. The European organization aims to balance welcoming big names back while protecting the loyalty of its existing membership. Faldo acknowledged that negotiating the terms for former LIV players would be challenging, but he believed that all golfers should start from the bottom and "climb the ladder" through qualifying.