Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour\u2019s CEO, said the tour is considering creating additional pathways to reinstate LIV players amid the upstart league\u2019s uncertain future.<\/p>\n
Brooks Koepka has already been welcomed back to the PGA Tour<\/a>, and Patrick Reed is on his way.<\/a> But according to Rolapp, there could be an opportunity for more LIV golfers to return, especially those who could be beneficial to the tour from a business perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about it,\u201d Rolapp said Monday on \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show\u201d<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ll react when we have an opportunity to react. But right now, we\u2019re focused on making the PGA Tour better. I\u2019ve said it publicly, and I\u2019ll say it again: I\u2019m interested in whatever makes the PGA Tour better. That\u2019s what my job is. That\u2019s what I\u2019m interested in doing, and that has no limits.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, The Athletic, along with other outlets, reported<\/a> that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is preparing to pull its funding of LIV Golf, with executives looking for \u201clife rafts\u201d out of the company. According to multiple golf industry sources, including LIV sources briefed on events, LIV Golf has been thrown into tumult after being blindsided by the PIF\u2019s change in strategy<\/a>. All the while, the league is attempting to push forward, projecting unabashed confidence despite only having funding through the remainder of the 2026 season<\/a>. The sources remained anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.<\/p>\n All the while, the PGA Tour has been gathering updates on LIV\u2019s fluctuating status. According to Rolapp, who left his role as the NFL\u2019s COO to join the PGA Tour as CEO last summer, the recent LIV Golf developments have prompted the PGA Tour to consider opening more paths for LIV players to return to the tour.<\/p>\n Much of the motivation to bring back LIV players is related to the PGA Tour\u2019s media rights deal, which expires at the end of 2030. The Strategic Sports Group, the private equity consortium that injected $1.5 billion into the tour, wants a return on its investment, and maximizing the value of the tour\u2019s U.S. broadcast package is crucial to realizing those gains.<\/p>\n There is precedent for this: The tour brought back Koepka, a five-time major champion, after he notified the PGA Tour of his desire to return. His LIV Golf contract expired at the end of the 2025 season. In response, the PGA Tour created a \u201cReturning Member Program,\u201d which allowed Koepka to re-join the tour, along with other major champions from 2022-2025 \u2014 Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith \u2014 if they so choose. However, that offer was time-sensitive. Rolapp only extended the players a three-week window to decide, and none of the other eligible players accepted the deal, which also came with financial penalties.<\/p>\n