ATLANTA – PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday there are no current plans to resurrect the Returning Member Program that earlier this year saw ex-LIV player Brooks Koepka reincorporated into the Tour.
Koepka was one of four players who was offered the deal – Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were the others – but the only former LIV player who accepted the new terms and conditions, which included a $5 million fine, no sponsor exemptions into the signature events, and zero equity grants in the Tour for five years. Despite the fanfare surrounding his return, Koepka never played his way into any of the top-tier events, posted just a single top-10 and finished 94th in the FedExCup standings, failing to qualify for the playoffs but remaining fully exempt on Tour next season by virtue of his 2023 PGA Championship victory.
Rolapp said at the time that the program was not precedent-setting, and he reiterated that stance again Tuesday at East Lake.
“There’s no current plans for a Returning Member Program like you saw earlier this year,” he said.
That could have significant ramifications for the players who rejected the original deal.
LIV just wrapped up a turbulent fifth season, and its short- and long-term future is in serious doubt as it works to finalize a deal with a new lead investor. Rahm is contracted for at least the next year, but he has been tightlipped about his prospects with the league; DeChambeau, meanwhile, has an expiring contract with LIV but has expressed support of the proposed new direction.
“Anyone who is interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations they might have in that legacy model,” Rolapp said.
Without a direct pathway to the PGA Tour, Rahm and others could be faced with the prospect of playing a full season on the DP World Tour in 2027 if they decide to leave LIV. But even that route could be fraught with challenges – as the Tour determines the eligibility criteria for its new competitive model debuting in 2028, it’s unclear how many spots into the lucrative championship series will be available via the season-long Race to Dubai standings. Patrick Reed’s one-year suspension for playing unauthorized LIV events ends next month, and he is also in line to elevate his playing status on Tour next year by currently sitting No. 1 in the Race to Dubai standings. (He’d otherwise be exempt on Tour through the past-champion category.)
Though he made clear that no decisions have been made about LIV pathways, Rolapp outlined three reasons that at least seemed to suggest LIV players would need to look elsewhere for their playing opportunities in 2027: That the Tour is built on a meritocracy; the Tour is a member organization that has rules; and accountability and discipline are essential to the integrity of the Tour.
“Rules matter,” Rolapp said. “I’ve been very public that I want to do what’s best for the PGA Tour, and that’s still my guiding principle.”
