How did LIV golfers perform in their DP World return?

The DP World Tour successfully concluded with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, scheduled from January 19 to 22 in the UAE. Interestingly, the tournament featured LIV golfers alongside European Tour players amid their legitimate battle.

Several golfers from the Saudi-backed series were allowed to compete in the Abu Dhabi field by the organizers. The list includes English golfer Ian Poulter, Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood, and Henrik Stenson, who was earlier named the captain of the 2023 European Ryder Cup.

After joining LIV Golf, players were barred from competing on the PGA Tour and the DP Tour. However, because golfers filed a lawsuit against the DP World Tour, they were allowed to compete on the European circuit until their case was resolved.

In the recently concluded championship, Victor Perez lifted the trophy after a dramatic finale. While Henrik Stenson finished T20, Lee Westwood finished in a four-way tie for 56th, and Ian Poulter finished 60th alongside John Catlin and Dan Bradbury.

Bernd Wiesberger secured the 50th position, while Adrian Otaegui finished in T28 alongside other European Tour players and Richard Bland finished in T10.

Ahead of the tournament, Lee Westwood reflected on his concerns about the future of the DP World Tour, as Shane Lowry was the only golfer ranked within the top 20 who played in the tournament.

"I’m not sure where the Tour is now," Westwood said. "If you’d have told me that I’d be playing in a $9m tournament on Tour, I’d struggle to believe you, but then if you told me there’d only be one member of the world’s top 20 in the field, I’d think you were mad."

"No disrespect to whoever he is but the 15th highest-ranked player on the Challenge Tour has got in this week," he added. "And this is a short field, as is next week, which is another $9m event. I’ve never known it go down so far, even when it was nowhere near this money."

Interestingly, the DP Tour and PGA Tour events run concurrently. However, the American Tour featured some of the best golfers in the world, while the European Tour field concluded with most of the rising stars.

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LIV golfers are set to compete at the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic

The LIV golfers will compete in the upcoming Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which begins on January 26 and will run through January 29. The championship will take place at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai this weekend.

Despite the ongoing legal battle between LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, the tournament organizers allowed several players from the Saudi-backed series to play on their tour.

Most of the players who played in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will join the Desert Classic field alongside other LIV golfers.

Here is the list of all LIV Golf players who will compete at the Dessert Classic:

• Lee Westwood
• Henrik Stenson
• Patrick Reed
• Ian Poulter
• Abraham Ancer
• Bernd Wiesberger
• Adrian Otaegui
• Sam Horsfield
• Pablo Larrazábal
• Richard Bland
• Shaun Norris
• Hennie Du Plessis