Professional golf’s divide shifted again this week as questions returned about whether more LIV Golf players could follow Brooks Koepka back to the PGA Tour. Koepka left LIV Golf in December 2025 with 1 year remaining on his contract and returned to the PGA Tour in January through the Returning Member Program.
Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith were also eligible for the program, but all 3 declined the opportunity during its January-February window.
At the Tour Championship on August 25, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said there are no current plans to revive the Returning Member Program. He did not say the door was permanently closed, adding that the Tour has not made decisions about future pathways and that interested players would first need to be free of LIV contractual commitments and ongoing obligations.
Koepka breaks ranks and returns home
Brooks Koepka stunned professional golf fans in December 2025 when he walked away from LIV Golf a full year early. He wanted more time with family and a fresh new start back home in America.
The PGA Tour quietly built a brand-new special program called the Returning Member Program. Koepka finally became the first LIV golfer ever to use this fresh pathway home.
Rory McIlroy and several other prominent tour players publicly supported Koepka’s surprising decision to come back home. Still, many longtime tour loyalists felt genuinely uneasy watching their former rival get welcomed back so quickly.
Rolapp says there are no current plans for a repeat program
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said at the Tour Championship on August 25 that there are currently no plans to revive the Returning Member Program that Brooks Koepka used earlier this year.
Rolapp said the Tour’s approach to LIV players or anyone seeking membership would be guided by 3 principles: meritocracy, adherence to PGA Tour rules, and enforcement through accountability and discipline. He also said any LIV player seeking a return would first need to show that he is free of contractual commitments and continuing obligations.
Rolapp did not rule out every possible future pathway. He said the Tour has not made decisions about what could happen next, making Koepka’s return a one-time 2026 pathway that is not currently being reopened, rather than a door that has been permanently closed.
Rahm, Smith, and DeChambeau now face different paths
Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith all qualified for the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program in January and declined it. At the time, Rahm said he was focused on LIV and his team, DeChambeau pointed to his contract through 2026, and Smith said he was comfortable with his decision to join LIV.
Their situations are no longer identical. Smith said on August 5 that he would “100%” return to the PGA Tour if LIV Golf does not survive, while also saying he was contracted through the end of 2027 and hoped the league would continue.
DeChambeau’s LIV contract expired after the Indianapolis season finale on August 23, leaving his plans for 2027 unresolved. The 3 players, therefore, should no longer be described collectively as simply staying put under unchanged circumstances.
Koepka paid a steep price for his PGA Tour return
Brooks Koepka’s return came with significant conditions under the PGA Tour’s one-time 2026 Returning Member Program. He agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, with the recipients determined through a process established jointly by Koepka and the Tour.
Koepka is ineligible for Player Equity Program grants for 5 years, from 2026 through 2030. The PGA Tour estimated that he could miss approximately $50 million-$85 million in potential equity earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the Tour’s growth, rather than stating that amount as a guaranteed loss.
Koepka also cannot receive sponsor exemptions into 2026 Signature Events, which carry $20 million purses, and must qualify through existing pathways. He is also ineligible for a payment from the 2026 FedExCup Bonus Program.
Asian Tour alliance reshapes LIV’s former pathway
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Asian Tour announced a new multi-year partnership in July that will run through at least 2029 and provide new commercial and playing opportunities across the 3 circuits.
Beginning with the 2027 season, leading Asian Tour players will gain pathways to the DP World Tour or HotelPlanner Tour, with final details still to be announced. The DP World Tour will also resume co-sanctioning selected Asian Tour events in 2027. The agreement marks a significant shift after the Asian Tour’s previous relationship with LIV Golf and its International Series.
LIV’s funding situation has also moved on since the partnership was announced. As of August 26, the league had a non-binding term sheet with a prospective lead investor for 2027, following the end of PIF funding, although the transaction had not yet been finalized.
Saudi funding has ended as LIV seeks replacement capital
LIV Golf relied heavily on Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund after launching in 2022, with PIF investing more than $5 billion in the league. That financial backing ended with the conclusion of the 2026 LIV season.
LIV is now moving toward a multi-investor model. The league announced in August that a prospective lead investor had signed an agreement approved by its board and that players could become majority equity holders, but the transaction had not been finalized as of August 28.
The transition remains uncertain. LIV announced on August 26 that it was laying off the majority of its workforce while it works toward a proposed new version of the league for 2027.
Little-known fact: LIV retained investment bank Ducera Partners to help identify long-term strategic investors, while Gene Davis serves as chairman of LIV’s Independent Directors Committee.
DeChambeau’s LIV deal has expired, and his next move is open
Bryson DeChambeau’s future remains unresolved after the end of LIV Golf’s 2026 season. His original LIV contract expired following the Indianapolis finale on August 23, so he should no longer be described as having a deal that “expires soon.”
Earlier reporting said DeChambeau held meetings with unnamed organizations during the Masters week about a possible LIV departure. That reporting did not establish that those particular meetings were specifically with PGA Tour officials.
DeChambeau has not publicly announced a PGA Tour return. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said on August 25 that there are no current plans to revive the Returning Member Program and that any interested player would first need to be free of LIV contractual commitments and continuing obligations.
What comes next for LIV Golf
LIV Golf now finds itself at a genuine crossroads after suffering several damaging setbacks within just a few short months. Its biggest stars remain committed for now, but uncertainty keeps piling up quickly around them.
The league still hopes fresh investment and a reshaped team structure can help stabilize things heading into next season. Whether fans and sponsors continue to believe in that particular vision remains an open and pressing question.
For now, the PGA Tour holds nearly all the leverage in this ongoing standoff between the two rival circuits. LIV Golf must prove it can survive on its own terms, without endless Saudi backing forever.
Little-known fact: The name LIV comes from the Roman numeral for 54, a nod to the tour’s shortened three-round format.
TL;DR
- Brooks Koepka became the first LIV golfer to return to the PGA Tour under a new one-time program.
- CEO Brian Rolapp confirmed there are no current plans to repeat that Returning Member Program for others.
- Rahm, DeChambeau, and Smith all turned down the same offer and chose to remain with LIV Golf.
- Koepka’s return cost him a $5 million donation and up to $85 million in forfeited equity.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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