PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp stated Tuesday the tour is not currently considering a program to allow LIV Golf players to return, similar to the one offered to Brooks Koepka and others earlier this year. This decision comes as LIV Golf navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and a shift away from funding by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund.
Rolapp explained the PGA Tour is focused on what is best for the organization and is leaning into a meritocratic system where players earn their place. Koepka was granted a return through the “returning member program,” requiring a $5 million charitable donation and a five-year exclusion from player equity grants and signature event eligibility unless qualified through play. He did not qualify for any signature events or the PGA Tour postseason.
Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith were also offered a similar path, but Rahm’s status is now uncertain due to the LIV Golf bankruptcy filing. “There's a long legal process they have to go through before a lot of things fall into place,” Rahm said Tuesday while competing in the BMW PGA Championship. “I really can't give you an answer right now.”
Rolapp emphasized the PGA Tour aims to be the ultimate destination in golf with its new two-tier system. He acknowledged the need to address “scar tissue” resulting from players pursuing Saudi riches, stating in June, “We do have to account for whatever lingering discipline is left, or rules that have been broken.”
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