LIV Golf arrived with an open letter from then-CEO and commissioner Greg Norman in early 2022.
“We consider ourselves a start-up,’’ Norman said in the letter prior to LIV Golf’s launch. “We may start with a modest number of players, but we won’t stay that way for long. I fully understand some players may choose not to play with us right away. But after we get going, I believe many of those who aren’t with us now will be with us later. I want to thank you for your patience, but know, it will be worth your while.’’
Stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka jumped to the Saudi-backed league and the professional golf world splintered. LIV Golf’s arrival and its ability to lure top talent put the PGA Tour on the back foot at the start of golf’s civil conflict as it worked to keep the remaining stars on its side of the aisle.
Cam Smith left for LIV after winning the 2022 Open Championship, and then the flood slowed to a drip. Jon Rahm’s defection late in 2023 was the last big blow delivered by LIV.
LIV arrived and fashioned itself as a disruptor. Like all start-ups, the idea was to be nimble, move fast and break things — with pro golf’s existing structure at the top of the list.
But on Monday, the PGA Tour turned the tables on LIV with an open letter of its own announcing that Koepka, who left LIV on Dec. 23, will return through a newly created, limited pathway called the Returning Members Program. Koepka will incur a significant financial penalty for defecting to LIV, one that he has no problem accepting.
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In a letter to members, new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp outlined a three-week amnesty window that the PGA Tour is opening for Koepka and any other players who won a major or the Players between 2022 and 2025. That limits the offer to DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith, the players who, like Koepka, hold value to the PGA Tour should they return. The window, which closes Feb. 2, is an offer that might not materialize again once the deadline expires.
“This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations. Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again,” Rolapp wrote.
For the first time since LIV arrived and upended the golf world, the PGA Tour is giving LIV a taste of its own medicine by opening the door to an existential poaching threat.
It is unclear whether any of the three players eligible for the pathway back are interested in leaving the breakaway league for the tour they once called home. DeChambeau’s contract with LIV ends at the end of 2026. He has said that while he believes in what LIV is doing, Koepka’s exit threw a wrench into his renegotiation efforts. Smith has said he enjoys the team aspect of LIV and that the league makes an annual stop in his home country, Australia. LIV contracts aren’t public, so we don’t know whether any of them would prohibit them from leaving without incurring a stiff financial penalty.
The Returning Members Program and the ticking clock it created is the PGA Tour going on the offensive, trying to see if it can deliver an even bigger blow to LIV, with Koepka already back in the fold.
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The obvious question now is: What’s next for LIV now that it’s the one being disrupted? What does the breakaway league do if someone else takes Rolapp’s olive branch back? What is its response to being the hunted?
These are questions the breakaway league has never faced. The response, whatever it is, will be fascinating and telling.
Losing Koepka back to the PGA Tour is a symbolic loss for LIV, if nothing else. The league has built its reputation on star power — on being the home of top-level, major winners like Rahm, Johnson, DeChambeau, Koepka and Mickelson. Now one of its biggest names has defected back, and the PGA Tour is trying to see if others will follow.
Koepka’s exit won’t stop LIV. Even if Rahm or DeChambeau follows, the league will likely forge onward. It has a financial backer with deep pockets, has built an international roster and has found success in markets like Australia.
But professional golf is about star power. LIV has always understood this. There are limited needle-movers, and all were seemingly entrenched on their sides before Koepka’s move back to the PGA Tour. At the very least, the PGA Tour just amplified DeChambeau’s leverage in his negotiations with LIV. At most, they can deal a significant blow to LIV’s identity should one or more players follow Koepka.
LIV’s new season starts Feb. 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, two days after Rolapp’s limited-time offer expires. LIV is full steam ahead even without Koepka, but it will start 2026 in an unfamiliar position after the PGA Tour disrupted the disruptor.
