PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday there are no plans to reopen the returning member program that allowed Brooks Koepka to rejoin the tour earlier this year. Speaking ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Rolapp was asked directly whether the program could return for players like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.
“No, there are currently no current plans for a returning member program like you saw earlier this year,” Rolapp said.
Koepka used the one-time window in January to leave LIV Golf and rejoin the PGA Tour. The deal required him to make a $5 million charity donation, accept a five-year freeze on equity earnings, and forgo FedEx Cup bonus money. DeChambeau and Rahm did not take the option at the time. With no new program in place, Rolapp’s comments leave no clear pathway back for LIV players beyond whatever standard eligibility routes already exist on Tour.
Rolapp laid out three reasons the Tour won’t offer a shortcut back for LIV players going forward. “One, the PGA Tour is built on meritocracy. Every player has to earn their place based on their performance and their success.” He continued: “The PGA Tour is a membership organization. It has rules. Those rules exist for a lot of reasons, for fair, competitive reasons. Rules matter.” He added a third point: “Rules only matter if they’re enforced. So accountability and discipline are essential to any organization and certainly for the integrity of the tour and for the game.”
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler addressed the same question last week ahead of the BMW Championship. McIlroy questioned whether LIV’s stars would add value if they came back. “I would argue, have they brought value to LIV?” McIlroy said. “I think the PGA Tour’s in a really good spot.” He added that any path back would be “a tough, tough road,” though he acknowledged some players would “eventually” return.
Scheffler offered a more open view, saying the Tour’s top LIV players “would provide a lot of value” and that he enjoys competing against them. He said he expects penalties to be part of any return but left the specifics to Tour leadership. “What those are, I’ll let Rolapp and all those guys figure it out,” Scheffler said.
The comments come as LIV Golf’s future remains uncertain following the loss of its Saudi financial backing. Rahm secured a DP World Tour membership in May to preserve his Ryder Cup eligibility. DeChambeau’s LIV contract runs through the end of this year, and he has reportedly sought a new deal worth close to $500 million to stay with the league, though that remains speculation. DeChambeau closed out LIV Indianapolis over the weekend saying he was “proud” of what the league has accomplished.
The Tour’s board has also approved a new competitive model introducing relegation and promotion starting in 2028. A minimum of 90 players will hold spots in a top-tier Championship Series, with the rest required to win their way up from a Challenger Series below it.
