Brooks Koepka accepted an offer to rejoin the PGA tour after leaving to join LIV golf in 2022.
Koepka won his fifth major in PGA major in 2023, as he was allowed to still compete in these majors despite being signed to another organisation, as do a lot of the other LIV athletes.
He decided to leave the Saudi Arabian company after stating that he needs to prioritise the “needs of his family.”
This rejoining of the PGA was permitted due to the new “Returning Members Programme”. Which has very specific criteria, only matching four of the players on the LIV tour.
The criteria was:
- Must’ve been away from the PGA for 2+ years
- 2022-2025 Major Winner (PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Open and The Masters
- Played in LIV/Unauthorised events
The application window is between January 12th– February 2nd and it only applies to the 2026 season.
The programme, however, has many restrictions and requirements.
Players will be added to the field for events, in which they participate, but their participation has no bearing on any other players
For the 2026 season the players are banned from earning any bonus money from the FedEx cup. (Which will be in excess of millions of dollars.)
The players also have to forfeit their player equity shares for the next five years. The PGA themselves have estimated that prize purse to be anywhere between 50 to 85 million dollars.
The players get no automatic entry into the big money signature events.
It has been stated that this is not an open-door policy from the PGA, this is a one time offer that these players have to take during this window.
Isaac Rowsell, a scratch golfer and huge fan of the sport spoke on why the players may accept this deal.
“There’s just nothing quite like the PGA, you can win all the money you want but I just don’t feel like winning tournaments in LIV carries anywhere near the same amount of weight as it would do in the PGA.”
Harry Shaw, a golf coach, also commented as to why he believes players would consider this deal.
“The PGA run the golfing world, obviously you get invited to the events, such as the Ryder Cup and the majors, and it brings more sponsorships, exposure and TV Time. The pros are trying to make the decision at the moment, do I want a lot of money and little bit of social media fame or do I want a golf legacy and to be the best in the world.”
Since the founding of LIV golf, they have tried to challenge the typical golf norms and etiquette.
Encouraging the use of alcohol and heckling of players, shortening the days so the players have more free time and enjoy the golf more.
Shaw also commented on whether the prestige of the PGA would be enough on its own to ‘bully’ the players into a return to the organisation.
“No, I’m a very big fan of LIV golf I think it makes it more entertaining and appealing to younger golfers. I do think the PGA are a little bit old-school, which is why the LIV events have happened in the first place. But pro golfers will consider their legacy, and the PGA is the only place to gain that.”
John Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith have since rejected the returning player offer, slamming the door shut on ever returning to the PGA. Committing their future to LIV.
The trio snubbing this offer is massive for LIV in the long term and has earned the players newer long term deals with the company.
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