Through Reed, the PGA Tour has shown a pathway back for LIV players thinking of defecting.
There was never any real doubt that the PGA Tour would welcome back LIV Golf’s alpha dogs like Brooks Koepka with Rose Bowl parade-level celebrations. What’s interesting is that the Tour has also just outlined a pathway back for the rest of the LIV field, and that could have a dramatic impact on the suddenly reignited rivalry between the two golf tours.
Tucked deep inside a letter to PGA Tour membership on the occasion of Patrick Reed’s return, there’s a significant line meant for any LIV player who might be thinking of defecting. In the letter, Tour chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis and chief player officer Jason Gore note that Reed is eligible to rejoin the Tour one year after playing in his most recent unauthorized (i.e. LIV) event.
The final LIV event ended Aug. 24, 2025, and thus Reed is eligible to begin playing in PGA Tour events on Aug. 25, 2026. Three other former LIV players also have begun the process of working their way back toward the Tour: Kevin Na, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford
The specifics of how, why and when each player will be eligible to play on the Tour are buried in layers of bureaucrat-ese, but here’s the key line: “To be clear, reinstatement terms are not negotiated or modified on a player‑by‑player basis.”
The implicit message is this: The rules have changed. Look carefully at the dates for the return of Reed and the rest. Note that there’s a one-year cooling-down period. And then think very, very carefully if you want to play in that LIV Golf tournament in Riyadh that starts February 4, 2026 … as opposed to the one that ended in Michigan on August 24, 2025.
The PGA Tour is striking a markedly different tone with LIV Golf now under new CEO Brian Rolapp than under his predecessor Jay Monahan. Where Monahan once went so far as to invoke 9/11 in his criticism of players who defected to LIV, Rolapp’s Tour now uses the phrase “welcoming back” — a marked difference in both tone and strategy.
But, of course, one can smile while pressing their advantage. The PGA Tour is now approaching the LIV Golf situation like an aggressive poker player, except instead of money — where LIV still rules by orders of magnitude — the Tour is leaning hard into its dominance in the areas of tradition, pathways to the majors, and competitive environments.
Barring a late shock, there won’t be any more stunning LIV defections. Gore and Dennis noted in their letter to players that outside of Koepka, the Tour doesn’t expect any more of LIV’s big guns — that would be Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith — to return before their window closes on Feb. 2.
Smith appears more than satisfied with the way LIV is flourishing in his native Australia. DeChambeau stands to become one of the richest athletes in history with his newfound leverage. Rahm’s motivations for staying with LIV may be team-related, or they may be contract-related. He didn’t seem overly enthusiastic during LIV’s recent season-opening press conference. Perhaps that’s reading too much into his body language. Perhaps not.
The departures of Reed and Koepka don’t signal the end of LIV Golf; even if DeChambeau and Rahm pulled up stakes, the circuit would continue for the short term. LIV has quietly pivoted to a long-game strategy, focusing on international markets over American ones.
At the same time, LIV is intercepting promising young players, like Northern Ireland prodigy Tom McKibbin and 2025 NCAA champion Michael La Sasso, before they can make names for themselves on the PGA Tour.
Plenty of players have indicated they’re quite happy on the LIV tour, expressing much more public enthusiasm than Rahm and DeChambeau have. Not everyone hews to the Tour’s brand of tradition and management style. And LIV has also introduced a series of new competition formats designed specifically to gain the approval of the Official World Golf Rankings — announced, coincidentally enough, right when Reed tendered his public resignation from the league.
If LIV players will have a direct, rankings-dictated pathway to the majors, the allure of a life-changing paycheck is that much more compelling to young players and journeymen. But for now, LIV players who are considering a route back to the PGA Tour know what will be required … and they know the clock is ticking to make a decision for 2026.
Category: General Sports
