For potential LIV returnees, PGA Tour CEO doesn't yet have answers

Ever since he took over, Rolapp has been consistent in his belief that he wants to do what’s best for the PGA Tour. But he acknowledges that while he isn’t scarred from golf’s great fracturing, many of his members are. That’s something he has to take into account should LIV fold and players seek a way back.

“There’s a reality that we have a membership,” Rolapp told Eisen. “Anything we do to make the PGA Tour better, we need to balance that with the interest of our current golfers.”

This week at LIV Virginia, Rahm noted that he doesn’t see a way out of his contract with LIV and that it isn’t currently at the forefront of his mind as the rebel league tries to secure funding for life beyond 2026. DeChambeau spoke with several outlets, including ESPN and Sports Illustrated, and admitted his team has spoken to the PGA Tour, but he wouldn’t divulge the nature of those conversations. The two-time U.S. Open champion said that he has a plan should a path back to the PGA Tour not work out.

“I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said. His YouTube channel has 2.7 million subscribers. “I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”

DeChambeau, whose contract with LIV ends after 2026, later told Skratch that he knows a potential path back to the PGA Tour will only materialize if the membership gives it the OK.

“I think there’s a way to solve any problem. It’s really about if the membership wants me back and if they just want me back. That’s what it’s about,” DeChambeau told Skratch. “I don’t even think it’s [PGA Tour CEO] Brian Rolapp or anybody like one of the top executives, it’s really if the players want me back and if not, then I understand that.”

DeChambeau also told Skratch that the PGA Tour’s policy governing players’ creation of social media content at tournaments was one of the biggest issues preventing his Tour comeback. While that policy reportedly is being tweaked, it’s clear that DeChambeau’s interests and the PGA Tour’s might not align.

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Jon Rahm of Legion XIII celebrates with CEO of LIV Golf, Scott O'Neil after winning the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec

For Rolapp, his job is to put together the best Tour — one that includes the world’s best golfers who are committed to the vision and plan he and the PGA Tour are putting together as they begin their for-profit era. What that vision looks like won’t be for everyone.

“The PGA Tour may not be for everybody,” Rolapp told Eisen, speaking broadly about hypothetically reintegrating LIV players. “What we are building, I’m really excited about, our members are excited about, our fans are excited about. It may not excite some people. … We ultimately want people who are really excited about what we are building. I think, over time, we’ll just see how that plays out.”

While LIV’s future and the future of its players are up in the air, what is clear is that the Returning Members Program that was offered to Koepka — the one that DeChambeau, Rahm and Cam Smith turned down — isn’t coming back. That door is closed. The path Reed took back via the DP World Tour could be open for players who, like Reed, resigned their membership on the way out and didn’t break any PGA Tour regulations. For others who did not, they’ll be at the mercy of Rolapp and the membership. Whether or not they choose to open additional doors in the future will be decided when the time comes.

“We were clear that when it comes to the [Returning Member Program], that was a particular program for that specific time that has gone away,” Rolapp said. “We’ll react when we have to react, depending on the circumstances. For us, it’s business as usual until the dust settles.”

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