European golf in rude health but sponsor demands solutions to fractured game

This close relationship between the tours on either side of the Atlantic mutually strengthens their positions while Saudi Arabia-funded LIV tries to make inroads against the golfing establishment.

Kinnings had no comment on their move from 54 to 72 holes next season. “It is entirely a decision they should make for the best for them,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect them to comment on what we do.”

But a solution still needs to be found if the likes of Rahm and Hatton are able to retain the DPWT membership required for them to remain eligible for Ryder Cup teams.

Both are appealing against fines and suspensions imposed since their switches to LIV in 2024.

Kinnings agrees it needs sorting out.

“It does,” he said. “That’s a matter that’s in the hands of the lawyers and so for me it would be wrong to be commenting any further about that. But that’s in process.”

Van Otterdijk wonders whether both players could be tempted to return to the establishment tours when their LIV contracts run out.

“Those guys may decide, look, we’ve made our money on the LIV tour,” he speculated. “We’d like to go back to do other tours.

“How exactly that’ll happen, I don’t know. That’ll be be the other interesting bit. Do they come back via the European tour, for example?

“As it currently stands, there is a roadblock back to the PGA Tour. They can’t come back to that tour.

“But I would foresee that Guy might look at this and say, well come back via the European tour, earn one of the 10 cards and make your way back that way. That maybe be a good way of doing it, and that would suit us.”

While publicly Kinnings is understandably cautious and circumspect about the future, the backers who lend their name to his tour are more outspoken. Money talks and DP World are putting plenty of it into the game.

They are convinced golf is approaching a crunch time. The splintered nature of men’s professional golf cannot continue, even when someone as transcendently charismatic as McIlroy is reigning supreme.

Van Otterdijk brokered the latest deal which offers Kinnings’ organisation a significant measure of security. But the DP World sponsorship boss wants more and is demanding unity.

“I think it’s the only solution,” he said. “They all see the need and the benefit of it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to get it the way they want it.

“And that’s the issue, that’s where concessions and conciliations will need to be made. We’ve been very clear to all three parties that we’ve had discussions with.

“Listen to the fans and listen to the sponsors because without those two groups, you don’t have a product and the players don’t have any money to play for.

“So, I’m sure they will. Three different parties have a view to the same outcome, but they have three different ways of getting there.

“That’s the challenge, right? That’s the challenge to overcome.”