The new PGA Tour season officially kicked off Thursday with the Sony Open, but the biggest news of the week came Monday when the PGA Tour announced its Returning Member Program and, even bigger, that Brooks had already accepted Koepka this month and will return to the Tour.
In short, the offer is simple: The PGA Tour will offer major winners or Players Championship winners the opportunity to rejoin the PGA Tour since 2022, with some penalties and conditions. That criterion reduces the list to just four LIV Golf players: Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Koepka.
Koepka, we already know, has accepted. The others have until February 2, 2026 to decide.
So, will anyone take it? That trio said no during LIV press conferences earlier this week, though their tone left room for skepticism.
This was an important topic GOLF’s Subpar Podcast this week, with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz speaking out. Stoltz also asked Knost the important question that everyone is now wondering: Do you think anyone else will turn around and join the PGA Tour?
“Yes,” Knost said. “I think at least one. That’s just my honest opinion. I don’t know anything about it. I talked to Jon Rahm about it a little bit. Obviously he’s not going to say anything to me about it. He’s focused on LIV right now. But I think it should definitely give him some food for thought.”
“The PGA Tour is basically forcing their hand – if you want to get back, do it now,” Stoltz added. “I’m very curious to see what happens. It’s also a huge blow for LIV. They lose one of their big boys and he can come back right away. And now the distraction element for these guys who will be asked: ‘What do you think of Brooks? Are you considering coming back?’ I think [the PGA Tour] made the right decision.”
Knost said it’s already a big loss for LIV and it could get worse.
“I think it just absolutely destroys them,” he said. “On the other hand, the only thing is this could piss off LIV. The PIF? Infinite money. They could say, you know what, you’re going to do this to us, okay, we’ll open up our checkbook, tell us the number of the top guys, whatever you want, come over here and we can shoot back and play this money game all you want and you’re going to lose. I don’t know if they’ll go that route, but I’m just saying that could be an option.”
For more information about the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program and to listen to the interview with Subpar guest Kip Henley, click here to listen or watch the podcast YouTube below.
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