Pablo Larrazabal says the DP World Tour has to welcome LIV pros back, arguing that some players who fear their return are being “very selfish.” The 42-year-old Spaniard, who has won nine DP World Tour titles and sits 152nd in the Race to Dubai standings, said the circuit would be stronger if top names from LIV were allowed to play regularly again.
Larrazabal said the impact would not just be symbolic. If he finished fifth in a tournament and LIV players were added, he said he would probably slide to 15th and lose around $30,000 to $40,000 from his pocket. But he said that trade-off is part of elite sport, and that better fields would help everyone in the long run.
“You want to be the best. [Some of the] best are on LIV and we have to welcome them back,” Larrazabal said in an interview with Today’s Golfer. He also quoted Rory McIlroy as saying, “play better,” and added that players performing at his level now should expect to be on smaller tours. “We have to welcome Sergio Garcia. Lee Westwood, [former] number one in the world,” he said.
His comments come as LIV Golf’s future is in doubt after the PIF decided to pull funding, fueling speculation that some of its stars, including Bryson DeChambeau, may try to return to the PGA Tour. Some reports have also suggested that 15 to 20 LIV pros could begin playing DP World Tour events more regularly.
Larrazabal said the European circuit would benefit if seven or 10 LIV players were present week in, week out, bringing more sponsors, better venues and stronger tournaments. He said prize money could climb from the current range of $2.5 million or $2.7 million to $4 million or $5 million if star players returned. “They need us, we need them,” he said, calling for the tour to let in Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. For Larrazabal, the argument is not about nostalgia. It is about who raises the standard, and who gets left behind when the best players are back in the same field on Sunday afternoon.
