The PGA Tour is not currently considering a program that would allow LIV Golf players to return to the US-based circuit, according to PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp. His comments came one week after LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New Jersey.
Rolapp said accountability and discipline were important to the operation of any sports league. “We are not currently contemplating a returning-member program like the one you saw in January,” he said, adding that the PGA Tour had been focused on what was best for the organisation.
He also described the PGA Tour as being built on meritocracy. “Every player, whether they are a member or want to become one, must earn their place,” Rolapp said.
The position follows Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour in January. The five-time major champion left LIV Golf in December and used a limited-time returning-member program to rejoin the tour. His return came with a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, which ABC News Australia said represented an estimated loss of US$50 million to US$85 million depending on his performance and tour growth.
LIV Golf’s bankruptcy filing has cast uncertainty over the playing futures of several prominent players. Major champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were listed as the two largest unsecured creditors, with each owed more than US$5 million, according to the source.
The bankruptcy petition identifies Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as the owner of 100 per cent of LIV Golf’s equity. LIV Golf hopes to leave bankruptcy protection by early 2027, while the PGA Tour’s current position leaves no new general return program under consideration.