The PGA Tour has opened the door to the return of Major champions Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith from LIV Golf after accepting Brooks Koepka back on to the American circuit with immediate effect.
Five-time major champion Koepka will make his PGA Tour comeback at the end of this month under a new ‘returning member programme’, following his departure from the LIV Golf League at the end of the 2025 season.
The PGA Tour’s previous rules dictated that he would not be eligible to play on it again until August, a year after his last LIV appearance. However, the 35-year-old American will now line up at the Farmers Insurance Open, which is being played at Torrey Pines in California at the end of January, after being offered an earlier route back on to the PGA Tour.
Koepka has agreed to make a $5m charitable donation as part of his return, and will also forego any payment from the FedExCup bonus scheme during the 2026 season and will be ineligible for the Tour’s player equity programme for the next five years. The latter could amount to between $50-85m in lost earnings, depending on Koepka’s tournament results during that period and the growth of the tour. The player equity programme sees 213 PGA Tour players sharing various amounts from $1.3bn in equity grants.
“When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited to announce that I am returning,” said Koepka in a statement released on social media. “I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake. I also understand that there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”
Only players who have been away from the PGA Tour for at least two years and have won a Major championship or The Players Championship between 2022-25 are eligible under the terms of the newly announced Player Return Initiatve. That opens the way for Rahm, DeChambeau and Smith – all of whom have won majors in the last four years – to return from LIV. However, the PGA Tour statement said that pathway back would close on February 2, with no indication as to whether the offer would be available to other LIV golfers at a later date.
In an open letter to fans, PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp outlined that programme would be only open for the 2026 campaign and was in “response to a unique set of circumstances”.
“This is a one-time, defined window and does not set a precedent for future situations,” said Rolapp. “Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”
He finished by saying: “We will continue to aggressively pursue anything that enhances the fan experience and makes the PGA TOUR stronger. This is part of our commitment to fans, who expect the world’s best players to compete on the PGA TOUR week in and week out.
Following Rolapp’s comments, LIV Golf released a statement from an unnamed source in which it said it “championed an open ecosystem and freedom, for all”. The statement went on: “LIV Golf’s vision remains unchanged – to grow the game of golf globally. And as that vision gains momentum across the broader golf landscape, the capacity to deliver on it continues to strengthen by expanding pathways and opportunity beyond any single institution or interest. As the world’s golf league, LIV Golf continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging, and lucrative environments in which to pursue greatness on a global scale.”