Robert TheodorsonOn Monday the PGA Tour announced that former LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka would be welcomed back to the tour immediately, and with arms wide open. The loss of short-term equity in the league and a donation to a charitable cause was clearly worth it to the former Smash GC captain to rejoin his beloved tour and be closer to his native Florida.
Koepka’s return took place under a new PGA Tour policy entitled the “Returning Member Program”. The policy is a not so subtle direct lifeline to three big-name stars who left the PGA Tour to join LIV between 2022 – 2025.
Who is the PGA Tour Targeting and Why?
If you didn’t know what the common denominator between Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cam Smith was, it is the fact that they all won major championships during that four-year time frame.
While Koepka was technically the first LIV golfer to win a major championship (2023 PGA Championship) as a representative of the league, he was not the only one to do so during that time frame.
Cam Smith won The Open at St. Andrews in 2022 while still a member of the PGA Tour. That win, paired with winning The Players Championship in the same year is what eventually convinced LIV to open the checkbook for the Australian superstar and offer several times over what Smith was likely initially offered before St. Andrews.
Jon Rahm joined LIV in similar fashion to Smith after winning The Masters in 2023 and winning another Ryder Cup for Team Europe that same summer. For his efforts, Rahm was awarded what was likely the biggest payday in pro golf history and given an ownership stake in his own club, Legion XIII, who won the LIV Team Championship last season.
While Rahm was intended to be the face of the LIV Golf league, something extraordinary happened after his signing in 2024 when Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, defeating Rory McIlroy in incredible fashion.
Since that time DeChambeau has had some close calls with sealing the deal on winning a third major championship while securing Top 10 finishes in the 2024 Masters, PGA Championship, and Open – including leading The Masters for a short time on Championship Sunday.
Cam Smith
While Cam Smith’s prestige and production may have taken a dip since 2022/23, he and his Ripper club command an enormous fan following from the entire country of Australia.
Along with Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, and Elvis Smylie, Smith and Ripper GC host what is essentially a home game in Adelaide, South Australia. LIV Adelaide has been and continues to be LIV’s most successful tournament by quite a wide margin.
Hosting the ultra-popular tournament on a yearly basis has endeared the Australian public to Cam Smith, Ripper, and to a lesser (but still important) extent LIV Golf.
By pulling Smith from Ripper, LIV Adelaide would likely continue to be held, but the damage from taking back the country’s biggest star and team captain would cause severe heartache for LIV. Both leagues would do well not to underestimate how important Smith is to his country.
Verdict: Among the trio, Smith has the least to lose, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the most to gain. The loss of LIV Adelaide likely won’t change anything for Smith as the annual BMW PGA Australian Championship is another high-profile tournament Smith loves to participate in. Of the three golfers, it’s most likely that Smith is the one to leave as his major championship eligibility will dry up years before that of Rahm and DeChambeau.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm on the other hand is undeniably one of the best golf talents in the world, and has been despite the lack of major championships since joining LIV. To not name Jon Rahm in your list of Top 10 (sometimes Top 5) golfers in the world at any given time would be foolhardy.
Not only did Rahm win back-to-back LIV Golf season championships, but his performances at the majors in 2025 were right up there with Bryson DeChambeau.
Pulling Rahm back would rob LIV of their biggest prize since DeChambeau’s U.S. Open.
From a U.S. market perspective, the reclamation of Jon Rahm may seem somewhat insignificant, but rest assured that the European market would gladly take their Ryder Cup star back if it meant Rahm could participate in more DP World Tour events, which the PGA Tour is more likely to accommodate than LIV.
Verdict: As a legitimate threat to win a major championship year in and year out, the PGA Tour’s ultimatum of taking the deal before February 2nd probably does not matter that much to Rahm. LIV maintains an annual tournament at Real Club Valderama in Rahm’s native Spain, and playing in front of hometown crowds is especially important for non-U.S. players who rarely get the chance.
Then there is the matter of money. Rahm reportedly earned over $300 million dollars from LIV. It is unknown how that money was or is being paid out, but without a doubt Rahm currently has the most financially to lose from leaving LIV. Pair this with the fact that he is almost always on the top of the LIV money list, Rahm would be walking away from what could be the most lucrative payday a pro golfer has ever seen.
Bryson DeChambeau
Then there is LIV’s most recent major championship winner in Bryson DeChambeau, and the most popular male golfer, by way of social media, in the world.
Of the three gentlemen listed, it is DeChambeau who potentially has the most to lose by rejoining the PGA Tour.
Before joining LIV, DeChambeau was commonly viewed as an unlikable personality who had issues with pace of play, coming off as disingenuous, and maintained a short-lived but chaotic rivalry with Brooks Koepka.
Since joining LIV DeChambeau has used his time to create entertaining golf videos on YouTube which include inviting celebrities from all walks of life.
Like Smith and Rahm, DeChambeau would be giving away (or selling) his ownership stake in his Crushers club, champions of the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship and a perennial contender for that trophy.
Verdict: Of the three targeted golfers, DeChambeau has the most difficult decision to make, and both LIV and the PGA Tour will need to offer more over the next month in order for him to make a definitive decision.
The sticking point for DeChambeau when dealing with the PGA will be their media policies that prohibit golfers from creating their own revenue on social media. DeChambeau has loudly and quickly built a small empire from his YouTube channel and his extremely popular ‘Break 50’ series which has included every sort of celebrity, drawing in millions of views from golf fans and casual viewers alike. If the PGA is insistent that DeChambeau cannot continue and/or profit from his own creation, there’s a near-zero chance of his return.
For LIV, there are current ongoing contract negotiations between the two parties. DeChambeau will likely command a contract that breaks, or comes close to breaking Rahm’s $300 million back in 2023.
Entering their 5th season, LIV knows that DeChambeau is their golden goose – he is worth the price of admission at the gates and when people tune in to watch a tournament, there’s a very good chance they’re looking for Bryson.
