Bernd Wiesberger will be back on the DP World Tour at the Dubai Desert Classic after two years with LIV Golf.
The Austrian was one of the first drivers to join the track, but he had a mostly bad time. In his two seasons, he only finished in the top ten once.
At the end of the 2023 season, the player, who played for Cleeks GC, was ranked 41st in the world. That was high enough for him to either try to get a new deal with Martin Kaymer, who is team captain, or find a new LIV Golf team, just like his friend Graeme McDowell. He decided to end his time on the LIV Golf Tour instead, and in November he announced that he would be returning to the DP World Tour.
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Wiesberger didn’t quit the DP World Tour after it won its lawsuit against LIV Golfers last April like many other players did. This meant that he continued to get fined for playing on the circuit. Afterwards, it was said that LIV Golf had paid a record $1.9 million fine to make his return to the Tour easier. He has won eight times on this tour, with the most recent victory coming at the 2021 Made In Himmerland.
Wiesberger played for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup that same year. The 38-year-old will feel like he still has a lot to show when he comes back.
Wiesberger could not have picked a bigger event to start his return to the DP World Tour. It’s one of the biggest events on the schedule, and it’s the first of five high-level Rolex Series events in 2024.
So, the prize pool is $9 million, and he will be going up against some of the best golfers in the world, like Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Brian Harman. This is also Wiesberger’s first time back on the DP World Tour since last year’s event, where he tied for 20th place.
Wiesberger made a lot of money with LIV Golf—$2.7 million in 2023 alone—but his career has taken a hit in other ways since he joined the tour.
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He was ranked in the top 100 in the world before the first event in June 2022. But because he hasn’t had many chances to get world rating points, he is now ranked 563rd in the world. He will be eager to change this this week.
Also, Wiesberger missed out on all four Majors last year, the first time since 2011 that he hadn’t done so. He will be hoping that now that he has a better chance to move up the rankings, he’ll be back on one or more of the big events soon.
