For potential LIV comebacks, the PGA Tour CEO has no answers

Brian Rolapp welcomed Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour in January. A few weeks later, the PGA Tour offered Patrick Reed a different path from LIV Golf.

Rolapp, the PGA Tour CEO who has been on the job for less than a year, opened the door for two defectors to walk back to their old tour after doling out a harsh financial penalty to Koepka and a one-year suspension to Reed. Welcoming back Koepka, who didn't burn any bridges when he left for LIV, and asking Reed to play his way back via the DP World Tour — a feat Reed quickly accomplished — was an easy sell for a new CEO to his membership. The following may be more difficult.

With the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund officially withdrawing its financial backing of LIV Golf after the 2026 season, questions about how Rolapp will handle the potential reintegration of players like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm have understandably started to swirl. Where Koepka didn't ruffle any feathers on his way out, DeChambeau was the lead plaintiff in an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, while Rahm's 2023 exit brought the slow-moving unification process to a virtual halt. These two may be hard to sell to Rolapp if he has to. But that day has not yet come.

On Friday, Rolapp continued The Rich Eisen Show and admitted that the PGA Tour has had conversations with other players trying to get an idea of ​​what the future may hold for them.

“I think it's natural that there are a lot of people trying to figure out what their future might look like,” said Rolapp. However, the PGA Tour is not focused on what the path back for LIV players could look like if the league folds. Not yet.

“The good news is that there is no need [balance management’s wants vs. membership’s desires right now],” said Rolapp, “I know what you know. I know what I read. I know what I see. LIV talked about sponsorship until the end of their season. I think they are working hard to figure out what life is after that. The truth is that all their boys are under contract. As long as they are not under contract, it is not an issue to worry about. So we don't spend much time thinking about it to be honest. We spend most of our time talking about our future and how we can make the Tour better.”

Since taking over, Rolapp has been steadfast in his belief that he wants to do the best on the PGA Tour. But he admits that while he doesn't have any golf fractures, many of his limbs are scarred. That's what he has to consider when LIV folds and players are looking for a way back.

“It's true that we have membership,” Rolapp told Eisen. “Whatever we do to make the PGA Tour better, we need to balance that with the interest of our current players.”

ESPN again Sports Illustratedand acknowledged that his team has spoken with the PGA Tour, but could not disclose the nature of those discussions. The two-time US Open champion said he has a plan if his return to the PGA Tour doesn't work out.

“I think, in my opinion, I would like to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe 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 expires after 2026, later said Skratch that you know a possible path back to the PGA Tour will only be seen if the membership gives you the OK.

Skratch. “I don't even think so [PGA Tour CEO] Brian Rolapp or anyone like one of the top executives, actually if the players want me back and if not, 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 return to the tour. While that policy is reportedly being tweaked, it's clear that DeChambeau's and the PGA Tour's interests may not align.

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 might not be for everyone,” Rolapp told Eisen, speaking more about the reunion of 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 those who didn't, they will be at the mercy of Rolapp and membership. Whether or not they choose to open more doors in the future will be decided when the time comes.

“We were clear that when it comes to [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.”