Tom McKibbin Leaves LIV Golf For Full DP World Tour Return
The Northern Irishman becomes the first of Jon Rahm's former Legion XIII teammates to quit LIV Golf, choosing a full 2027 DP World Tour card instead.
Tom McKibbin has confirmed he is leaving LIV Golf after two seasons, opting instead to play a full DP World Tour schedule in 2027.
The 23-year-old becomes the first of Jon Rahm's former Legion XIII teammates to follow the Spaniard out of the breakaway league, according to Golf Monthly. Rahm had already departed, taking the Legion XIII name with him, while Ian Poulter and Branden Grace have also announced exits, with Lucas Herbert reportedly set to join them.
McKibbin turned down a PGA Tour card he had earned at the end of 2024 to sign with Rahm's team for the 2025 LIV season instead. He never won an individual event on the circuit but banked more than $11 million through team success, Golf Monthly reported.
Away from LIV, McKibbin won the 2025 Hong Kong Open, which secured him a Masters debut this year. He was also among eight golfers who signed DP World Tour conditional release deals earlier this year, a arrangement that allowed him to play seven further European events.
Those appearances yielded top-10 finishes at the British Masters, Irish Open and the recent India Championship, results that leave him projected to finish 86th on the Race To Dubai and retain a full card for 2027.
"After two seasons with Legion XIII, I have decided not to sign with LIV Golf for its next chapter," McKibbin wrote on social media, as reported by Golf Monthly. "I will be playing a full schedule on the DP World Tour in 2027."
McKibbin added that joining LIV had been "the right decision" for him at the time and that he was grateful for what the experience had given him.
His decision arrives as the DP World Tour hardens its stance towards LIV players. Chief executive Guy Kinnings confirmed on 12 October that golfers intending to compete in LIV Golf's planned 2027 operation, known as LIV 2.0, will not be offered DP World Tour membership for that season, according to Yahoo Sports.
That position has drawn a direct legal challenge from LIV Golf itself. During a bankruptcy court hearing on 14 October, LIV attorney Rob Fitzgerald criticised the restriction, with the league's legal team describing it as an attempt to interfere with its player recruitment, Golf Digest reported via Yahoo Sports.
The dispute comes as LIV navigates a Chapter 11 restructuring launched in September, after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund signalled it would stop financing the league beyond the 2026 season. LIV has since proposed a new ownership model backed by BC Partners Credit, with financing of up to $300 million under consideration, though the plan does not guarantee the league's survival, per Yahoo Sports.
For McKibbin, the calculus pointed clearly towards Europe. With the Ryder Cup set to be staged in Ireland next year, remaining eligible for the DP World Tour carried obvious appeal alongside the practical need to choose a side under Kinnings' new rules.
McKibbin will now build his 2027 campaign around a full European schedule, having already shown with his results at the British Masters, Irish Open and India Championship that he can compete at that level outside the LIV structure.