Erik Van Rooyen said on Thursday that players who left for LIV Golf cannot simply walk back onto the PGA Tour. The South African golfer insists that former members must earn their spots through the standard qualifying process. During the Austin Championship, he started with a 64 that had no bogeys when he made those comments. While his ball-striking drew attention, his stance on tour rules sparked a bigger debate about fairness.
Van Rooyen believes the path back depends entirely on a player’s current status. “I think it’s completely status dependent, right? Like Jon Rahm has no reason to go back to Q-School,” van Rooyen said Thursday. He argues that top stars might have other ways to return, but the rest must pay their dues. This view opposes the idea of a quick fix for the sport.
A Strict View on Meritocracy
The 36-year-old pointed to his own career struggles to make his case. He started the 2026 season with nine straight missed cuts before finding his form again. Van Rooyen noted that if he had left for a different tour, he would lose his privileges. Returning would require him to work his way back up. “I have nothing against players that went to LIV, nothing personal at all,” van Rooyen said. “But that’s just how things work, right? So shouldn’t we just follow the rules?”
This demand places him against those who want a fast track for ex-LIV players. The PGA Tour faces a tough choice as the rival league collapses. Some stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton might need to rebuild their status from scratch. Van Rooyen’s position ensures that the field remains competitive for everyone who stayed loyal.
The European Tour’s Own Battle
The conversation extends beyond the United States. Peter Baker, a three-time European Tour winner, wants the DP World Tour to stop sending ten players to the PGA Tour every year. Baker told Golf Monthly that the current setup is flawed. “I certainly wouldn’t be sending 10 of our best players over to America every year to play there, I think that needs to be looked at,” he said, according to Yahoo. He believes the European circuit should be its own strong entity again.
Baker admitted the DP World Tour has struggled since LIV arrived. “It has been in a tricky spot for a while I think with LIV,” he said. However, he sees a chance for the tour to grow now that the Saudi-backed league is fading. He wants the best players to stay home and support the European schedule rather than chasing money in America.
Old Guard Fights for Course Integrity
Van Rooyen is advocating changes to entry rules, while 91‑year‑old Gary Player is advocating the game itself. The Golfer’s Journal was informed by Player that the golf ball needs an immediate rollback. He warned that modern power is destroying course design. “The game is changing against my better wishes,” Player said, according to Yahoo Sports. He claims pros now hit drivers and eight-irons into par-5s, making old courses obsolete.
Player predicts the problem will get worse before it gets better. He stated, “Wait until the Michael Jordans and Shaq O’Neals come out and play golf. We haven’t scratched the surface.” He estimates that at least a trillion dollars is being wasted globally on course modifications to handle longer drives. The delay in implementing a ball rollback until 2030 has frustrated traditionalists who want immediate action.
Van Rooyen’s stance on Q-School remains clear as the Austin Championship continues. He wants the standards to apply fairly to everyone, regardless of where they played last year.
