While Woods said he and other members of the PGA Tour Policy Board worked through various issues during the holidays, he also suggested that a plan to bring players back has been in motion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve been rolling through scenarios for a very long time,\u201d Woods said when he spoke to the media on Tuesday night<\/a> following the TGL match in South Florida. \u201cEver since our talks at the White House last February to now, there was always ways in which how do we make our sport unified again.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it total unification, some type of integration, how do we do it, where do we do it? Different tours are involved. But this is a first move, which is a great move.\u201d<\/p>\n Remember when the Tour seemed on the verge of a deal<\/a> with the Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf? PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan seemed confident. There were two White House meetings, and an alliance appeared imminent.<\/p>\n And then it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The deal blew up to the point that there have barley been talks since. CEO Brian\u00a0 Rolapp, who was hired in June, focused internally<\/a>. It is unclear if he\u2019s ever met with the PIF.<\/p>\n But for there to even be a hint of an agreement, there had to be a plan in place to start bringing LIV players back to the PGA Tour. And obviously it would start with major winners who have status. That\u2019s why Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith are part of the Tour\u2019s new and very narrow pathway.<\/p>\n Negotiations broke down for reasons beyond player pathways. It likely centered around issues that the PIF didn\u2019t like, such as the Tour\u2019s valuation of the league and compromises that it wasn\u2019t willing to make.<\/p>\n Thus, the two entities have gone their own ways. But there was always going to be some plan, even if it was stuffed in a drawer somewhere, for how to bring back and integrate former LIV players.<\/p>\n One misconception remains: one year bans. Those have been applied only to players who never have been part of the PGA Tour and played in a LIV event, including the recent Promotions tournament. That has been widely criticized, but the Tour\u2019s intention is clear: to deter LIV Golf participation from prospective new Tour memebers.<\/p>\n Those who played on the PGA Tour are clearly being treated differently. Hudson Swafford, who last played for LIV Golf in 2024, said he\u2019s not allowed to play PGA Tour events until next year. The Tour said it has reinstated former LIV golfer Pat Perez<\/a>, who turns 50 in March, but he is currently not able to compete. His return date has not been announced.<\/p>\n Woods has been part of all of these talks and is on both the Policy Board and the Enterprises Board as well as the Future Competitions Committee. He wore his corporate boardroom hat when speaking Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Given the timing\u2014LIV Golf was holding its annual preseason media gathering just a few miles way\u2014it was a shrewd move to have Woods address the issue on the back end of a TGL event. Since he wasn\u2019t playing, Woods normally would not have done those media interviews.<\/p>\n Tiger Woods met with the media after a TGL event earlier this week. | GREG LOVETT\/PALM BEACH POST \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n But Woods agreed to take a few questions on the issue, and when Tiger talks, people listen.<\/p>\n And right away he was asked about the process to bringing Koepka back. It elicited one of the longest answers you\u2019ll ever get from him.<\/p>\n It went on for six paragraphs, the end of which was:<\/p>\n \u201cThat says a lot about the PGA Tour, where we’re headed, what we have done, what we accomplished and the players who have stayed and who have supported the Tour. Having another world-class player that these guys are going to try and beat, that’s what the fans demanded. That’s what the fans wanted for our fan initiative program, and I think we’ve addressed that.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods went on to say that Koepka\u2019s return only helps the current group of PGA Tour players, many of whom now have a chance to earn equity stakes in the business. In theory, Koepka brings eyeballs and attention that translates into revenue.<\/p>\n Of course, the next step is Koepka\u2019s game. He fell off considerably in 2025, missing the cut in three majors and failing to win a LIV Golf event. But the interest will be considerable either way, and if Koepka finds his form, it will be one of golf\u2019s stories of the year.<\/p>\n Bryson DeChambeau and Augusta<\/p>\n Before the last two years, Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s record at the Masters was hardly impressive. He was the low amateur in 2016 when he tied for 21st. But starting in 2018, when he qualified as a pro for the first time, his results were poor through 2023: he missed two cuts and his best finish was a tie for 29th.<\/p>\n But in 2024, DeChambeau was the first-round leader and eventually tied for sixth. Last year, he worked his way into the final group with eventual winner Rory McIlroy. He had a frustrating final round, but still tied for fifth.<\/p>\n Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but in both of those years, DeChambeau made an early-season visit to Augusta National.<\/p>\n He did so again two weeks ago, making a Jan. 3 trip to the home of the Masters along with his caddie, Greg Bodine. DeChambeau said he used an Augusta National caddie, as is required, and his own caddie came along to chart the course and make decisions to try and hone in on victory in April.<\/p>\n \u201cI was there just for a day,\u201d DeChambeau said in an interview last week at LIV Golf\u2019s preview days. \u201cI played in October (after the club opened for the season) but that was with a friend. I wasn\u2019t there to grind. We were there to have some fun. But the golf course is in great shape.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny, little things can inspire people. This going in January thing has become a little bit of a tradition. Helpful. It\u2019s just to get my mind focused on the task at hand this year. I need to take care of the job that week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just get a better understanding of where things are and get really comfortable early on. You kind of go over the greens, see what has changed, what surfaces and the wind conditions. It\u2019s getting more comfortable and understanding different wind conditions. It\u2019s fun to be there in October and then January gets a little different wind.\u201d<\/p>\n DeChambeau endured a disappointing Masters Sunday last year, but his play at Augusta is on the rise. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images<\/p>\n DeChambeau said the conditions were chilly, which he welcomed. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be playing cold conditions because then when it get hot, (the ball) goes forever. That\u2019s the easier situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the 2025 tournament, DeChambeau lamented his iron play, which he said caught up with him in the final round when he briefly took the lead from McIlroy but fell back, shooting 75.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you always take something away from what happened and just learn from it,\u201d he said. \u201cI know my iron play has to be better than it was this past year. If I get my iron play down, it would have been a different story. It\u2019s something I\u2019ll continue to work on and I believe it is something I\u2019ll have a solution for here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Tiger](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01kfbwx0j0pvfrxsjmj4.jpg\" "\\"Tiger")
<\/p>\n![\"Bryson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01kfbxkgf9a2senez74z.jpg\" "\\"Bryson")
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![\"Vijay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01kfby97bpm0g8nrtnzq.jpg\" "\\"Vijay")
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