What's happened
Top LIV Golf players, including DeChambeau, Rahm, and Smith, confirm their commitment to LIV for 2026, despite the PGA Tour's Returning Member Program offering a pathway back. The window closes February 2, with negotiations ongoing for future contracts and penalties for defectors.
What's behind the headline?
The current stance of LIV Golf's top players indicates a strategic choice to maintain loyalty to the breakaway circuit despite the PGA Tour's offer. DeChambeau's negotiations for a future contract suggest he remains open to leaving LIV, but his public commitment signals confidence in LIV's long-term viability. Rahm and Smith's firm statements reinforce their loyalty, which could influence other players' decisions. The upcoming deadline of February 2 will be pivotal; if players do not switch back, LIV's position as a major alternative to the PGA Tour will strengthen. The ongoing negotiations and penalties highlight the complex balance of loyalty, financial incentives, and contractual obligations shaping professional golf's future.
What the papers say
The NY Post reports DeChambeau's openness to YouTube as a viable alternative to traditional golf circuits, emphasizing his ongoing negotiations with LIV. The Scotsman highlights Koepka's return to the PGA Tour and the penalties involved, noting the strategic decisions of major winners. Both sources underscore the tension between loyalty to LIV and the PGA Tour's new pathways, illustrating a pivotal moment in professional golf's landscape.
How we got here
Since its launch, LIV Golf has positioned itself as a rival to the PGA Tour, attracting high-profile players with lucrative contracts. The PGA Tour introduced a Returning Member Program in 2026, allowing major winners from 2022-2025 to rejoin the PGA Tour with penalties. Several LIV players, including DeChambeau, Rahm, Smith, and Koepka, are eligible but have publicly committed to staying with LIV, citing loyalty and contractual commitments.
Go deeper
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Brooks Koepka is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. In October 2018, he became World Number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the 2018 CJ Cup. He won the U.S.
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The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main professional golf tours played by men in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as PGA Tour Champions