'It Raises The Alarm Bells' - DP World Tour Pro Questions Strategic Alliance

DP World Tour player Eddie Pepperell has questioned the viability of the circuit’s strategic alliance with the PGA Tour following significant player-led changes to the latter.

The PGA Tour has introduced designated events this year, meaning more of its tournaments now attract the highest-profile players while offering increased purses. That model is set to be honed further in 2024 with some of the tournaments transitioning to limited-field, no-cut events.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Pepperrell questioned whether the DP World Tour had been compromised in those changes. He said: “I think the strategic alliance is under, not threat, but it certainly, it would make sense to put more of a microscope on it at the moment and say, ‘where is the alliance here?’ And I actually know that this latest round of changes has taken people higher up on our tour aback and that wasn’t what was expected.” 

The two organisations strengthened their strategic alliance last year amid the LIV Golf threat. It will ensure the leading 10 players on the DP World Tour Rankings at the end of the season earn PGA Tour cards. Meanwhile, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: "We will continue to collaborate on a global schedule and key commercial areas as we draw our organizations and memberships even closer together.”

However, Pepperell suggested that player power has taken matters out of Monahan’s hands. He said: “Remember this latest round of changes on the PGA Tour were player-driven. This wasn’t driven by Jay Monahan and his team. This was driven by 25 top players on the PGA Tour. Now, Jay doesn’t really have much of a choice but to really go along with them by and large if he wants to keep a few of the big players on his tour, so you can understand why they can implement it.”

Pepperell then said the changes on the PGA Tour should lead to questions on exactly how the DP World Tour fits in. He said: “Make no bones about it, it certainly raises the alarm bells. I think for us as a tour to say, ‘where is this strategic alliance? How is it going to work?’ Because, to me, now there’s another layer that’s been put in.”

Pepperell isn’t the first player to question the strategic alliance. LIV Golf player Lee Westwood has also criticised the link-up. Last September he said of the PGA Tour: “They have always been bullies. I have been telling Keith [Pelley - DP World Tour CEO] and other members of his board how this is all going to go for 12 months now. I told him that getting into bed with the PGA Tour was a mistake."

Then, before the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, he aimed another dig at the alliance, saying: “The PGA Tour is forcing the hands of its top players to play and it stops them from appearing here.”

Following the announcement of the changes coming to the PGA Tour’s designated events in 2024, another LIV Golf player, Richard Bland, wrote on Instagram: "How does this help the so called strategic alliance with the @dpworldtour? The 10 players will have zero chance of getting in these limited field events!! Making their chances of keeping their playing rights VERY difficult!! Just proves that the @pgatour have no interest in this alliance."