DP World Tour 'Has A Huge Opportunity' Now: Nick Faldo

Six-time Major winner Nick Faldo believes the DP World Tour has "a huge opportunity" ahead with the LIV Golf League evolving into a "pretty weak" version from next year and the PGA Tour reportedly set to encourage its members to travel outside of the United States from 2028.

In years gone by, the European circuit has been forced to fight with both the PGA Tour and LIV for players during the heart of the summer before coming into its own via stronger events during the fall.

However, LIV's struggles - which have been widely documented throughout 2026 - have offered up fresh hope the DP World Tour could close the gap on the legacy US circuit from next year.

In addition, the Wentworth-based tour has vowed to resume fining its members who play in competing LIV events in order to further tighten the screw on the team-centric league.

That may well force the likes of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to pick between the DP World Tour and LIV Golf League moving forward - a choice Faldo believes is simple and one that also benefits the pro game more widely.

Speaking ahead of the Husqvarna British Masters, the tournament host said: "It looks like, from the outside, there are more players trying to leave LIV than trying to go to it now.

"Obviously losing the funding, I don't honestly know what's going to happen, but my goodness, the so-called 2.0 is going to be pretty weak if it carries on, so I doubt it. Who knows.

"But it's good for many of the players. It sounds like Rahm and Tyrrell want out and want to come over and come back to playing.

"Once they sort out how they feed their way back into the Tour, it's going to strengthen world golf again. That's probably the most important thing."

With the DP World Tour possibly returning to a position of greater strength, there was more potential good news this week after it was reported the PGA Tour is working with Guy Kinnings and co. to roll out a 'global series' from as early as 2028.

Per James Corrigan of The Telegraph, the DP World Tour's run from September through to the end of January could feature nine high-profile tournaments which the game's biggest male stars are actively encouraged to compete in.

Not only would it benefit the golfers, bridging the five-month gap between PGA Tour Championship Series campaigns, but it would also offer positives to the DP World Tour in elevating already excellent competitions.

Speaking prior to the Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy admitted the Telegraph's report was "close to the mark" and reiterated his desire to see that gap in the golfing calendar boosted in favor of the DP World Tour.

McIlroy said: "There was a report yesterday where they were just talking about -- which some of it is close to the mark but not quite there, but yeah, just try and expand on -- I think if the PGA Tour is going to play from February through to August, DP World Tour have five months where, with the help of the PGA Tour and maybe some others, can really shine and really shine a spotlight on international golf and put on some of the biggest sort of international events in golf."

Regardless, for the time being, the DP World Tour has a clear shot at building momentum throughout the rest of this year with only the FedEx Cup Fall offering up any kind of legitimate competition for western audiences in the men's game.

And, according to Faldo, his former home circuit - on which he claimed 30 titles - must take its opportunity with both hands in order to prove to prospective members what might be possible in the near future.

The former World No.1 said: "They are discussing the US schedule. All we know is the DP World Tour has a huge opportunity for the rest of the year.

"It's kind of ridiculous that the season ends in America next week. It's August, you know. In my day, it ended like two weeks before Christmas, sort of thing.

"So, yes, they have a huge opportunity through Europe, Middle East and Asia to keep playing all the way through.

"So I think that's what obviously the tours are discussing. I'm not involved in any of that. But I hope the better players travel the world, like we used to, back in the day.

"We always started in Australia in the early season, or might have been America to Australia, and then we'd go through Europe, or rather back to America.

"Then we'd go through Europe doing the Majors, backwards and forwards, and end of the year, we'd do something in Asia, Japan, South Africa. That was my old schedule. Yeah, I hope a few guys travel the world and do their stuff."