Ian Poulter is the latest to jump ship from LIV Golf as things get worse for the breakaway golf league.

The league hoped to rebuild in 2027 after the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew support last season. Events were canceled, and the tour went bankrupt, but CEO Scott O’Neil had high hopes he could make “LIV 2.0” work.  

Instead, players left in waves, with Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia, and many others departing. LIV currently has just four players, and now one of its biggest supporters, Poulter, is out. 

Poulter sacrificed his status as a Ryder Cup legend by joining LIV. Now he’s returning to the DP World Tour, hoping to reintegrate himself into the team. Giving up his place on the Ryder Cup team was never part of his plan. 

What Ian Poulter said about the Ryder Cup after joining LIV Golf

Many of Europe’s Ryder Cup legends, like Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Poulter, tarnished their legacies somewhat by joining LIV Golf. In the end, it benefited Team Europe, which then appointed Luke Donald as captain and ushered in the next generation that won the next two Ryder Cups, leaving the older guard behind. 

For Poulter, losing his place on the European team was always a possibility, but in his first LIV Golf press conference, he said he hoped it wouldn’t affect him in that competition.

When asked if he thought he was putting his Ryder Cup status in jeopardy by joining LIV, he said, “We don’t know, James. I’m interested as you are to see how it plays out. I’d like to think it wouldn’t; all the golf that I’ve played around the world in all the different countries and different tours that I’ve played on, I don’t see why this should be any different.”

He was then asked if he weighed up that risk during his decision to join LIV Golf, and he replied, “Well of course, but it’s an unknown risk, right. We don’t know how DP World Tour are going to view it, so yeah, it’s obviously a factor.”

In the end, it damaged Poulter’s Ryder Cup legacy immensely and kept him away from the team during Europe’s two iconic wins in 2023 and 2025. He has significant work to do to rebuild the bridges he burned and get back into the system for Adare Manor next year.