Sir Nick Faldo says LIV golfers seeking a return to the DP World Tour may have to “eat a bit of humble pie” before regaining eligibility for the European-based circuit.
LIV’s 2026 season ended last Sunday in Indianapolis after this week’s cancellation of the breakaway tour’s Team Championship in Michigan.
Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk are competing instead at the Husqvarna British Masters starting on Thursday.
Six-time major champion Faldo is promoting the Belfry tournament while LIV’s boss Scott O’Neil continues his quest to replace Saudi Arabian funding. He wants $350m (£258m) investment to keep the league operating next year.
“I’m hearing there are more players wanting to leave LIV than want to stay,” Faldo told BBC Sport.
“So it doesn’t sound good for them for the future.”
Hatton, McKibbin and Meronk are able to compete as DP World Tour members after accepting a deal that allowed them to play both tours without sanction this year.
For his walk on music at the Indianapolis tournament last week, Hatton chose Queen’s I Want to Break Free, interpreted as a firm signal that the Englishman wants to leave the tour that began in 2022.
Hatton has recent tournament wins that protect his DP World status. Two-time major champion Jon Rahm also has exemptions that would qualify him for the tour should he quit the previously Saudi Arabia-funded outfit.
But Faldo is clear that it should not be overly easy for LIV players to walk straight back onto the DP World Tour.
“How do they actually give them a route back?” Faldo added.
“You know, given the way they’ve disrupted – go and start again. Go back to tour school.
“Hey, you might have to eat a bit of humble pie and say, well, I want to be a proper golfer again, and so I’ve got to start back where I’m meant to be and I’ll work my way up the good old way with my skills and my scoring.”