Ex-LIV Golf star edging closer to PGA Tour return after move 'didn't work out'

Laurie Canter has taken a big step closer to making history as the first LIV Golf player to join the PGA Tour.

Bath-born Canter 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. But the 34-year-old has since returned to the DP World Tour with excellent results.

Canter won the European Open in Germany in May, and had three top-10s to his name heading into this week's Irish Open. And the Englishman has made a stellar start at Royal County Down, sitting one shot behind leader Rory McIlroy at five-under-par early in his third round on Saturday.

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Canter's strong performances have thrust 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.

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. And with a strong performance on the cards in Northern Ireland, Canter is set to move into the top 10 with just a few events remaining before the DP World Tour Championship in November.

Canter made clear at The Open Championship in July that earning PGA Tour membership was his top priority 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.

"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."

LIV has covered the bill for players that have left the league and returned to the PGA Tour, helping the likes of Canter and Bernd Weisberger clear hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines. Canter said he remains a fan of LIV and believes it can co-exist with the PGA Tour.

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"The one thing I would say is having done both, I think there's room for both," Canter said. "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."

Should Canter earn a PGA Tour card, it might not be a smooth transition to the American circuit. He revealed to GolfWeek in June that the tour had informed him he may have to serve a suspension before playing his first event.

“I would have to serve a year from the time of my final LIV event,” he explained. “That would be a year after this year’s LIV Las Vegas [in February]. “I thought it was absurd. I’ve never played on the PGA Tour.”