Robopz retweeted
Eugenio Chacarra moves to the top of the Race to Dubai following his win, while Daniel Hillier all but secures his PGA TOUR dual-membership status after finishing runner-up in India 💪
Meanwhile, Sebastian Söderberg is less than one ranking point outside the top 100 as he heads to Korea for the final regular event of the season, looking to climb inside the cut-off and retain full playing rights for 2027.
LIV Players Staying/Leaving LIV 2.0
Updated 10/19/2026 - Noon
Not much since last update... except based on his comments in India, Meronk has been moved to Speculated Gone vs Announced Leaving. Still likely he leaves, but until he firmly states he is, he'll remain orange.
Q-School 2nd Stage entry deadline is today. We won't be seeing those today, but hopefully later in the week. Will be interesting to see if any new LIV names appear, beyond Masaveu, La Sasso, Ballester and Asaji who all advanced thru 1st stage.
A few updates on the "Potential 2027 DPWT Status for LIV Golf Players" chart as well. Mostly additions and corrections to potential future status and the notes section...
Yep... very busy week ahead... and not just on the golf course...
Deadline for LIV clarity looms…. Chacarra with win in India takes over Race to Dubai lead… Rose welcomes LIV golfers back…Stray Shots digs deep into LIV bankruptcy. For the Daily Drive
open.substack.com/pub/thedai…
About the DPWT non-member Sponsor Exemption program... what we know and don't...
We know... DPWT is offering a number of SE starts to select LIV non DPWT members. Rolex events excluded.
We don't know... "officially" to who or how many starts will be available. (But its easy to know some players, like Niemann)
But how many players can be accommodated in this program? I don't know exactly, but I did discover a few things... They can offer it to a LOT of players, I'm just not sure how many they actually will...
Some Data: Going thru next year's schedule, I have identified 220 SEs across 26 events that potentially could be on offer. This EXCLUDES any invites reserved for home country or home tour players.
Out of that 220, it appears to me DPWT could make 140-160 of these available to this program. And that's with never using up the full unrestricted SE allocation for any event.
Which means... there's enough SEs in play here to give 9-10 players 15 guaranterd starts each... or 15 SEs to 3-4 players, plus 10 each to 10-11 more players.
Bottom line: Depending on how aggressive DPWT wants to get with this program... they can accommodate a lot more LIV guys than I though. Coupled with standard 2027 DPWT exemptions LIV guys will already eligible for... it's possible DPWT could accommodate between 40-50% of LIVs 2026 roster...
LIV players Tom McKibbin and Thomas Detry secure 2027 Category 10 DPWT membership should they choose to accept it. Their good finishes in India moved them up to #83 and #87 in the Race to Dubai standings respectively. Both are entered in next week's final full field event of the season, the Genesis Championship in South Korea.
Elvis Smylie at #170 is in serious '27 DPWT status trouble. He needs a monster week in the Genesis to secure top-100/125/145 status. He's exempt into Final Stage Q-school as a final backstop to membership if needed.
LIV player updated DPWT status below...
LIV players Tom McKibbin and Thomas Detry secure 2027 Category 10 DPWT membership should they choose to accept it. Their good finishes in India moved them up to #83 and #87 in the Race to Dubai standings respectively. Both are entered in next week's final full field event of the season, the Genesis Championship in South Korea.
Elvis Smylie at #170 is in serious '27 DPWT status trouble. He needs a monster week in the Genesis to secure top-100/125/145 status. He's exempt into Final Stage Q-school as a final backstop to membership if needed.
LIV player updated DPWT status below...
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Updated 10-17-26 PM
Here's the latest update on Leaving/Staying status thru midday today. Brendan Steel added to Committed list...
Also included is a companion listing of the tentative DPWT Status for LIV players should they choose to leave LIV in 2027.
Robopz retweeted
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Updated 10-16-26 AM
Clarification First: The Orange color "Speculated Gone" indications are NOT predictions of who I believe are leaving. They are indicated due to what I consider reputable online accounts reporting x player is likely gone. I've also included a few from some non-public sources I have.
However: Even assuming those reports are accurate in identifying players who want to leave and/or planning an exit... there appears to be far many more looking to exit LIV than there are places for them to go (primarily the DPWT). So while my "orange" count has gone up to 24, I see virtually no way that many could be leaving in addition to the 6 we already know about.
Moving on... I've fixed a few errors and typos, and modified this graphic with a dark background to hopefully assist in readability and better define the team breakouts. Also if anyone has some good intel (with links), or if you spot errors or omissions, feel free to comment or DM.
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Thought I would take a stab a creating an update chart of who's announced staying or leaving LIV... along with those who have been strongly speculated as leaving.
As of now... I have it
2 commits to staying (green)
5 announced leaving (red)
22 Speculated leaving (orange)
NOTE: I'm not seeing how all of the 22 being speculated leaving actually can or will... I'm not sure I see anywhere better for a bunch of them to go? But who knows? 🤷♂️
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Updated 10-16-26 AM
Clarification First: The Orange color "Speculated Gone" indications are NOT predictions of who I believe are leaving. They are indicated due to what I consider reputable online accounts reporting x player is likely gone. I've also included a few from some non-public sources I have.
However: Even assuming those reports are accurate in identifying players who want to leave and/or planning an exit... there appears to be far many more looking to exit LIV than there are places for them to go (primarily the DPWT). So while my "orange" count has gone up to 24, I see virtually no way that many could be leaving in addition to the 6 we already know about.
Moving on... I've fixed a few errors and typos, and modified this graphic with a dark background to hopefully assist in readability and better define the team breakouts. Also if anyone has some good intel (with links), or if you spot errors or omissions, feel free to comment or DM.
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Thought I would take a stab a creating an update chart of who's announced staying or leaving LIV... along with those who have been strongly speculated as leaving.
As of now... I have it
2 commits to staying (green)
5 announced leaving (red)
22 Speculated leaving (orange)
NOTE: I'm not seeing how all of the 22 being speculated leaving actually can or will... I'm not sure I see anywhere better for a bunch of them to go? But who knows? 🤷♂️
Tentative Exemption Status for 2027 PGA Tour - Going into Bermuda Butterfield
Here's an "all in one" glance at current exemption status for the 2027 PGA Tour. With the changes coming in 2028, it's VERY important to have good status for 2027.
Players entered in Butterfield Bermuda Championship are noted in RED position numbers. Bermuda field is coming in 21-22 range, compared to 26 last year.
Generally all players with a color background (except yellow) are in good shape for 2027.
• BLUE = Exempt for everything including all SIGS. Most are major exempt as well.
• GREEN (top-70) and TAN (wins or other exempt criteria for 2027) are exempt for everything except SIGS. Many have major exemptions.
• YELLOW are Medicals with significant medical starts in 2027 are shown. (there are more with only a few starts so they are not indicated)
• All players without a color background are not yet full exempt for next year (although down thru ~#80 are pretty safe)
NOTABLES with no safety net, thus at risk of not making FULL EXEMPT STATUS (Top-100) include:
90 - Billy Horschel
94 - Jason Day
*108 - Lucas Glover
*113 - Rasmus Hojgaard
*128 - Joel Dahmen
150 - Matt Kuchar
168 - Webb Simpson
* (In Bermuda)
This LIV war is getting entirely outta hand... #Brysonfire...😏
xitter.cf/CollinGrossWx/status/2…
Footage from KTLA of a firefighting helicopter dropping water on the huge flames of the #BrysonFire north of Malibu, California.
In 2 hours it has burned 101.5 acres and continues to spread, prompting evacuations. #CAwx
LIV 1.0 players Leaving/Staying for LIV 2.0
Thought I would take a stab a creating an update chart of who's announced staying or leaving LIV... along with those who have been strongly speculated as leaving.
As of now... I have it
2 commits to staying (green)
5 announced leaving (red)
22 Speculated leaving (orange)
NOTE: I'm not seeing how all of the 22 being speculated leaving actually can or will... I'm not sure I see anywhere better for a bunch of them to go? But who knows? 🤷♂️
OWGR allocating partial points the way they did (top-10 places & ties) vs just going 70% across the board, was better for the LIV players who played well and wouldn't have mattered much to those who didn't.
BTW... here's simulated points if all LIV 49 places +ties had gotten full points (week after LIV Indy)... Westwood would been 296th instead of #356... Didn't matter much... (and no LIV player missed out on a major, even if they had been given full points)
👀
LIV makes no secret of its disdain for DPWT bans, raising anti-competitive claims in U.S. bankruptcy court. … Will Zalatoris is again stymied by back problems and will have spinal fusion surgery, missing 2027. For the Daily Drive
open.substack.com/pub/thedai…
Robopz retweeted
The “Player freedom!” crowd conveniently leaves out that LIV owned players’ NIL and intellectual property, required them to play every event and barred them from competing in tournaments that conflicted with LIV
But sure, they are independent contractors
I dunno which sponsors... you'd have to ask Ben Cowen, the DP World Tour’s chief tournament and operations officer. He's the one who said it in this Golf Digest article from September 18th... You might want to read the entire article... enlightening...
golfdigest.com/story/dp-worl…
Robopz retweeted
LIV has never understood that its product — which requires players to compete in every event — is competing and interfering with other leagues. Other tours have every right to protect themselves by enforcing rules and restricting players from playing in competing events.
LIV attorney Ryan Fitzgerald brings up the DP World Tour saying it won't allow LIV players next year.
"We're continuing to monitor this situation very closely, and we're quite concerned by it, frankly," Fitzgerald said. "We're reserving all rights and remedies and respect to these statements that are made."
"Frankly, the timing in particular strikes us as a clear attempt to interfere with our process, with our players, and potentially our reorganization writ large."
"And it also raises a lot of the same anti-competitive concerns that LIV has expressed previously regarding the way competing leagues have sought to box out and punish market participants—namely these players—from participating and LIV and really only LIV."
"Player freedom is the reason LIV Golf was created, and it's the foundation of LIV Golf 2.0. ... It's unfortunate that another tour is taking an opposite view and pressuring our players with a false choice. And again, we're reserving all rights in this respect."