PGA Tour CEO shares scathing comments about returning players as LIV Golf Saudi sponsorship fades
LIV Golf has announced new board appointments in what it calls “a transition from a foundation launch stage to a multi-partner investment model.” The announcement confirms multiple reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) will pull the plug on its sponsorship of the renegade league, raising many questions, including what’s next for the players.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp shared his thoughts on what the answer might be, and while his comments seem to have gone unnoticed, he made it clear that the path for players looking to return to the Tour could be painful.
Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA Tour, speaks to the media prior to THE PLAYERS Championship 2026 at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday afternoon that the PIF will no longer sponsor LIV Golf, adding that its players will be notified of the news on Thursday. With the potential destruction of a circuit that includes PIF worth more than $1 trillion understandably grabbing everyone’s attention, Rolapp’s comments in the report were easy to understand, but very telling.
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“There were rules, and they were broken,” Rolapp told the Journal. “With laws comes accountability.”
The report went on to explain that Rolapp said the conditions for Brooks Koepka’s return to the Tour are different because he no longer had a contract with LIV Golf. It was also noted that “Koepka’s approach will not be taken as an example if others want to do the same.”
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp speaks to members of the media at a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour in early 2026 subject to certain requirements and penalties within the Returning Member Program. It was only accessible to previous members of the Tour who had won The Players or a major tournament between 2022 and 2025, coached by Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau. None of the three followed Koepka, perhaps because they were still under contract with LIV.
DeChambeau’s situation is more complicated as he was among a group of players who filed a defamation suit against the PGA Tour after joining the Saudi-backed circuit.
PGA TOUR PLAYERS HAVE A COMMON RELIANCE ON THE GOLD TRUMP GUARANTEE AT DORAL.
Bryson DeChambeau hits the second green during the first day of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on April 16, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Rolapp said the Tour is “interested in having the best players who can help our tour,” a category DeChambeau will undoubtedly fit into. Not only is he a two-time US Open winner, but he is also among the most popular golfers in the World, especially among the young people the Tour is always trying to tap into.
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The likes of DeChambeau, Rahm, Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton will immediately add value and raise the profile of the PGA Tour if (if) they seek reinstatement, but the details involved in their return will remain a mystery to follow until the path is officially laid.
