English professional golfer Laurie Canter earned a coveted PGA Tour card for the 2026 season after finishing seventh on the 2025 DP World Tour Race to Dubai rankings. He became the first former LIV golfer to secure such status through the European circuit. However, he opted against joining the PGA Tour full-time and agreed to rejoin LIV Golf’s Majesticks GC for the 2026 season. But why?

The Englishman claimed that the offer was simply good enough to restrain him from letting go. Talking about re-joining LIV Golf, he said, “You’re weighing up all these things: where am I going to play my best golf and how do I feel I can do that and be compensated in the best way that I can, but it is also the lifestyle.” 

“The PGA Tour schedule is still probably the pinnacle of tour golf but, truthfully, I enjoy playing in Europe and I’m still passionate about playing events on the DP World Tour.”

Laurie Canter broke into the world’s top 100 in 2021 and soon shifted to LIV Golf. The shift earned him around $5 million. With newfound success, he moved to Dubai with his family earlier this year. Unfortunately, he was later removed from the limited roster for LIV Golf. But the Englishman bounced back with two wins on the DP World Tour in just nine months. 

“If you’re going out to play on the PGA Tour and you can live in America, that’s obviously achievable but, at this point, I don’t want a life like that,” Canter continued in his conversation with The Times. “My family is happy and settled where they are. I have two daughters [aged three and one]. Travelling back and forth to America 30 weeks of the year isn’t sustainable.”

“The tour has to do what’s best for itself, but as to whether I’m having my cake and eating it, I feel like I’m doing the opposite. I’m not leaving the DP World Tour," he went on. "I’m playing LIV instead of playing on the PGA Tour. I will have to start paying fines myself [LIV will no longer subsidise them in 2026] and I’m not over the moon to drop £1million to stay a member, but I want to be involved.”

But the coming years hold a different meaning in his struggle for success.

Laurie Canter Has Renewed His Goals for the Next Five Years

Reflecting on that period, he conceded he still carries a “chip on my shoulder” over how his performances unfolded. While guidance from players such as Lee Westwood and an impromptu short-game lesson from Phil Mickelson contributed to his development, consistency proved elusive. Ultimately, he lost his place in the league when LIV reshaped its roster, a process that saw him replaced by Anthony Kim, who was returning to professional golf after a 12-year absence.

Now back with LIV, Canter believes that setback has sharpened his focus. He claimed, “I feel like I’m going in with something to prove, which is good, and I want to be a great member of the team. If you look at the sponsors, the traction, it’s all growing. It’s slow, but it’s coming.”

Laurie Canter returned to compete in the 2025 Masters but missed the cut. Now, he aims to play the best golf ever in the coming five years, taking him beyond the age of 40. 

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik