Even if Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm want a PGA Tour return, a cool reception awaits

“There was respect and enthusiasm for Koepka. Maybe less respect for Reed, but understanding that his path was different and respect that he was willing to earn that path,” said a source familiar with the Tour’s current mood. “This will be a much more difficult path back because of the changed circumstances, and the suit by Bryson. The bar is much higher this time.”

Which suggests little appetite for reopening the Returning Member Program that renditioned Koepka, and certainly not on the terms he accepted — including a $5 million charitable contribution, forfeiture of all potential equity in the PGA Tour’s for-profit business for five years, and no eligibility for FedEx Cup bonuses this year. Koepka was out of contract and made the move of his own volition. If DeChambeau and Rahm reach out in the future, it will be perceived as desperation rather than desire, and only because the Saudis’ investment priorities changed. And if they don’t yet grasp the antipathy that exists among their former colleagues, it will become evident when they’re presented terms considerably more punitive than those offered four months ago, before the PIF cut them adrift.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 14: Jon Rahm of Legion XIII and Bryson DeChambeau of the Crushers GC after they finished their round on the 18th during day three of LIV Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club on February 14, 2026 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

The prevalent attitude was summarized to me thusly: “We have 95% of the best players in the world. We can live without the other 5% if we have to.”

Of course, Rolapp has said that he wants all of the best players competing on the PGA Tour, especially as he’s going to market seeking a lucrative new media rights agreement. It’s assumed that any decision on DeChambeau and Rahm is his to make, assumed that he’s a pragmatic corporate creature, and assumed that his ilk are devoid of emotion when it comes to business decisions. Only the latter two assumptions are accurate. Rolapp answers not only to the Tour’s investors but to its players, and apparently, the players aren’t feeling too welcoming of refugees from Phil Mickelson’s folly. Nor do they anticipate fans will be urging an amnesty for LIV guys. The stance seems to be that Rahm and DeChambeau will need the Tour more than the Tour needs them.

“Golf immortality is achieved by winning majors and PGA Tour events. You’re not going to achieve immortality by hitting golf balls over your garage,” one insider said witheringly. And how might other LIV guys be treated? “No sense of urgency,” came the reply. That’s corporate-speak for “Pound sand.”

Even if they aren’t yet reconciled to it in these early days of the unraveling, the reality for many LIV players is that Mickelson and Greg Norman convinced them they’d be saddling up on a thoroughbred, but instead they find themselves strapped to a knackered nag on a one-way trip to the glue factory.

Emon Lynch is a columnist for Golfweek and a consistent contributor to Golf Channel.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm cool reception upon PGA Tour return