1/12/26
After being on LIV Golf since its inception in June 2022, Brooks Koepka announced that he was leaving for the PGA Tour last month. Today, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and the PGA Tour have announced that Brooks Koepka will be eligible to play in PGA Tour events. The PGA Tour has also announced a Returning Member Program, allowing other players on LIV Golf to return to the Tour. Koepka announced in a statement on X that he will be playing in both the Farmers Insurance Open and the WM Phoenix Open.
According to a document shared to players and agents, posted to X by Josh Carpenter, the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program is “open to players who have participated in Unauthorized Tournaments, have not been a member for a minimum of two (2) years
and have won THE PLAYERS, Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and/or The Open in the years 2022-2025.” The application window is between today, January 12, and February 2, and it applies to the 2026 season only. Rolapp said, “this is a one-time defined window and does not set a precedent for future situations.” Players can’t say they will come back to the PGA Tour for future seasons and play on LIV until then. The program will allow those players to be eligible to play in PGA Tour events, with the tournaments they participate in adding spots to the field, rather than those players taking away spots from other PGA Tour players.
According to the PGA Tour Returning Member Program document shared with players and agents, “players are also required to play in a minimum of 15 cosponsored and approved tournaments in the 2026 season.” Players are eligible for The Players, but to play in signature events, they must qualify via the Aon Next 10, Aon Swing 5, OWGR top 30, or a full-field event win. Players can’t get sponsor exemptions to signature events.
This window of opportunity applies to a limited number of players on LIV Golf, with the window ending two days before LIV Golf’s first event of the 2026 season. Cam Smith (winner of the 2022 Players and Open Championship), Jon Rahm (winner of the 2023 Masters), and Bryson DeChambeau (winner of the 2024 U.S. Open) are the players eligible for the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program. Currently, Cam Smith is the captain of Ripper GC, Jon Rahm is the captain of Legion XIII, and Bryson DeChambeau is the captain of Crushers GC, all on LIV Golf.
The PGA Tour’s new philosophy of extending an olive branch to some of the top players in the world, hoping they have buyer’s remorse, is Brian Rolapp’s biggest first move. Rolapp has been working behind the scenes and is making a big splash. Jon Rahm has been voicing his frustrations with LIV, particularly with their 54-hole format. LIV Golf is moving to a traditional 72-hole format starting this season. Bryson DeChambeau has been the biggest torchbearer for LIV Golf and would be a shock to leave. Cam Smith, after a career year in 2022, has had a rough couple of years. In 2025, Smith missed the cut at all four majors, but he has been pleased with playing routinely in his home country of Australia, with LIV’s flagship tournament of LIV Adelaide.
There isn’t any telling whether DeChambeau, Rahm, and/or Smith will jump ship and head back to the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour must have an inclination that at least one of the three players will head back. Otherwise, they wouldn’t publicly create this path for them. For other players to come back, there’s still no indication when they would be eligible to play or if they would face further discipline.
The PGA Tour continues to make gains while LIV feels like it’s on life support. Whatever plans of a “merger” seem to have broken down once again. LIV Golf needs to make large strides in 2026, with what feels like a make-or-break year for them.
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