News & Tours

Former Ryder Cupper who jumped to LIV Golf gets approval to return to DP World Tour

November 23, 2023
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David Cannon

Bernd Wiesberger, who made 20 starts on the breakaway LIV Golf circuit over two years, including playing in the inaugural LIV Golf event in London in 2022, is returning to the DP World Tour for the 2024 season.

Tour officials released a statement on Thursday stating that Wiesberger’s application for membership had been approved and 38-year-old Austrian would compete under Category 11 (top 40 in career earnings) this season. An eight-time tour DP World Tour winner and member of Europe's 2021 Ryder Cup team, Wiesberger is the highest profile golf to compete on the LIV circuit and return to either the DP World Tour or PGA Tour.

Wiesberger ended up 41st in the LIV Golf season-long points list in 2023, playing 13 times with no finish better than a T-11 at the event in Saudi Arabia in October. In turn, his contract was no renewed by the Cleeks GC, making him a free agent in the nascent golf league and spurring his interest in returning to the DP World Tour, where he had played the previous 12 seasons.

According to the DP World Tour, Wiesberger lost his membership in 2023 after failing to comply with the tour’s minimum counting event regulation; he had competed in only two tournaments, both in January.

“He subsequently expressed his desire to play a full DP World Tour schedule in 2024 and has fulfilled all sanctions— both financial and tournament suspensions—that were imposed upon him for breaches of the Tour’s conflicting event regulation across 2022 and 2023.”

Wiesberger took to social media to announce his return to the DP World Tour, noting that he had never formerly resigned his membership and expected to start playing again in January when the tour competes in Dubai.

“I am happy to announce that my focus for next year will entirely be on the DP World Tour. “

Wiesberger was 90th in the Official World Golf Ranking when he jumped to LIV Golf in 2022. He currently ranks 510th. His first DP World Tour win came in 2012 with his most recent in 2021 at the Made in HimmerLand. He has earned €15,647,591.07 in his DP World Tour career.