LIV Golf founding member takes big step towards joining PGA Tour with huge fines paid
Laurie Canter is making a strong bid for PGA Tour membership after the 34-year-old decided to depart the LIV Golf breakaway league earlier this year following its launch in 2022
Canter has enjoyed an impressive season on the DP World Tour (Image: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Laurie Canter is on the brink of making history as the first LIV Golf player to join the PGA Tour. The Bath-born golfer was a founding member of the breakaway tour when it launched in 2022, and he played two LIV events at the start of this season as a reserve player.
However, the 34-year-old has since returned to the DP World Tour with impressive results.
Canter clinched victory at the European Open in Germany in May, and had three top-10 finishes under his belt heading into this week’s Irish Open. The Englishman has made an exceptional start at Royal County Down, sitting just one shot behind leader Rory McIlroy at five-under-par early in his third round on Saturday.
His strong performances have propelled him towards the top end of the Race to Dubai rankings, with the top-10 players at the end of the season earning full PGA Tour membership.
Currently, Canter sits 16th in the rankings, but five of the players above him in the season-long order of merit already hold PGA Tour cards. With a promising performance on the horizon in Northern Ireland, Canter is poised to move into the top 10 with just a few events remaining before the DP World Tour Championship in November.
Laurie Canter has been in fine form at the Irish Open (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
At The Open Championship in July, Canter made it clear that earning PGA Tour membership was his main goal after leaving LIV Golf.
“That would be awesome, wouldn’t it? To play on the PGA TOUR is something I would love to do at some point,” Canter said. “Still, we’ve got such a long way to go. with the second half of the year.”
Canter has revealed that winning a big tournament has changed his goals, saying: “A lot of big-point tournaments. I kind of, to be honest, before I won, was just a little bit trying to play as well as I could out of my category, make sure I was all right for next year. It’s kind of slightly moved the goalposts for me. I’ve got something to aim for, and that would be great.”
Canter, who has played on the LIV tour, has had his fines paid by the league after returning to the PGA Tour. He expressed his admiration for LIV, stating: “The one thing I would say is having done both, I think there’s room for both,” and “I like both formats. Can I say that? Are you allowed to say that these days, like you actually like both things? I really do. I’m firmly on the middle of the fence because I actually like both.”
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However, Canter’s transition to the PGA Tour may not be seamless, as he may have to serve a suspension before playing his first event. He explained: “I would have to serve a year from the time of my final LIV event,” which he finds “absurd” given that he has never played on the PGA Tour before.
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