Could The DP World Tour Benefit From LIV Golf Louisiana's Postponement?

Albert Einstein once said: "In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity." He obviously wasn't talking about golf at the time, but the quote is particularly relevant today as it relates to a couple of the biggest pro tours in the sport.

LIV Golf Louisiana was postponed on Tuesday, with the reasons given for the decision by the PIF-backed circuit including an attempt to avoid the "peak summer heat" and the "crowded global sports calendar" while ensuring the Bayou Oaks course is in "championship condition our fans and players expect" when it comes to game time.

The timing for LIV is far from ideal with plenty of discussion already surrounding its long-term financial viability in the wave of a report from The Financial Times which stated the Saudi PIF is set to withdraw its support.

But away from the league's problems and focussing exclusively on the players who take part, the enforced change presents them with a gaping hole in their schedule.

Once LIV Golf Andalucia ends on June 7, there is a one-week gap until the US Open at Shinnecock Hills (June 18-21) and then another four weeks pass by before The Open Championship occurs at Royal Birkdale (July 16-19).

LIV Golf Louisiana was set for June 25-28 and would have provided pros with some competitive reps in between the third and final Majors of the season. Instead, some players might now go almost six weeks without playing a tournament.

And even for the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, following a Major with another Major after three full weeks off is unlikely to be their ideal preparation method.

However, referring back to the aforementioned Einstein quote, there is one party which could stand to greatly benefit from LIV's mini-crisis - the DP World Tour.

The European circuit is about to begin its European Swing before seamlessly continuing on with its Closing Swing.

Towards the end of the former and start of the latter, there are three events which sit neatly between the pair of national Open Championships - the Italian Open, the BMW International Open and the Genesis Scottish Open.

Because the first two are exclusively sanctioned by the DP World Tour, officials could invite almost anyone they want to tee it up without concern about eligibility on other tours.

Therefore, there is a good chance that multiple LIV pros will pay a rare visit to Europe, with the BMW International Open in Germany the most likely setting given its date in the calendar (July 2-5).

In addition, the BMW International Open is often believed to pay appearance fees to pros and has attracted a number of big-name Americans in the past. Should DeChambeau rock up there, for example, the two-time Major winner would add to his previous start in Germany which arrived at the European Open in 2018.

The matter becomes a bit more complicated with the Genesis Scottish Open because it is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour, and current LIV golfers are ineligible to play the historic US circuit's tournaments.

However, should players like Tyrrell Hatton, David Puig and Laurie Canter wish to tee it up at The Renaissance Club, they would be able to as they hold DP World Tour membership after settling fines and agreeing to fresh terms set down by the Wentworth-based circuit earlier this year.

On the flip side, there is one large two-time Major-winning Spanish caveat - Jon Rahm.

The former World No.1 did not accept the DP World Tour's latest conditions and remains in a legal battle with the European circuit over fines which stand at almost $3 million.

Consequently, Rahm is currently unable to play any DP World Tour events until something changes in his situation, and that leaves him in a very difficult position indeed.

LIV players sometimes head over to the Asian Tour to supplement their schedules, but this won't be possible during the period in which LIV Golf Louisiana used to sit. The final Asian Tour event before its three-month mid-season break is the International Series Morocco (June 11-14) - one week before the US Open.

So with no LIV events and no Asian Tour competitions to play in as Major season reaches its conclusion, and with the PGA Tour out of the question, it is the DP World Tour or nothing for (most of) those golfers from the team-based circuit.