What Is The PGA Tour’s Next Move?

Last week, the PGA Tour took an admirable swing at trying to get a few top LIV players back by announcing its Returning Member Program.

Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were the qualifiers who could have immediately returned with minimal penalty. But within 24 hours of that bold play—which came with a limited time window and a threat of the door not opening again in the future—all three LIV players said they were committed to playing on their current circuit for 2026. 

Assuming all of those players are telling the truth, we now have a big question looming.

What is the Tour’s next move?

We know future plans include digging an even deeper trench between the top events and everything else. New CEO Brian Rolapp, along with several players, has signaled there will be fewer tournaments, preaching scarcity and competition as Tour cards get slashed and job security becomes more fluid. 

Right or wrong, events such as we are seeing in Hawaii and Palm Springs may go the way of the dodo bird.

The Tour has long struggled with being a bloated product that lacks enough downtime so that fans have time to miss it. While it would sting to have certain events and host courses wiped out, turning to more of a cutthroat, limited-event model makes total sense.

These dramatic changes could be on the way for the 2027 season or possibly 2028.

That will probably be the Tour’s main focus moving forward but I’m wondering what will happen with LIV players after this Returning Member Program decision—a reasonable risk to take—seems to have fallen flat.

Should the Tour hold firm on its initial threat or hold open the possibility of DeChambeau, Rahm and others making their way back in the future?

Wyndham Clark, who said he was “torn” about Brooks Koepka being able to come back to the Tour, is among the many players hoping the Tour stands firm.

“I just hope they stick with that,” Clark said of the one-time offer, “and they don’t waver with that maybe in like a year or two.”

In other words: Would the Tour really turn someone like DeChambeau away if he is interested in coming back for 2027 after his LIV contract ends this year?

I think Rolapp and Co. would swallow their pride in that scenario. DeChambeau is one of a handful of players who can move the needle.

Sure, there was a “limited time only” policy set out last week but, just like the McRib, most “limited time only” offers tend to come back around. 

The same could be said for Rahm. Although he has multiple years left on his contract—some sources suggest as many as four years—it feels like DeChambeau coming back to the Tour could open things up for Rahm to come back earlier. 

As for everyone else on LIV? I’m not sure the Tour should care. Few, if any, players outside of DeChambeau and Rahm even matter. 

Should LIV dissolve into nothing, the remaining players can try to qualify for the Tour just like everyone else.

And if LIV continues forward, there is nothing left to do. The Tour doesn’t need them, anyway. 

What the Tour is thinking moving forward

I’m guessing the Tour is fairly happy with how the past month has played out.

They got back Koepka, a five-time major champion and a top-three player of his generation. While he has been out of form for quite some time, it’s still a distinct possibility that he turns things around.

They were hoping to get DeChambeau or Rahm back into the fold by pressing them—it didn’t work but that doesn’t mean their pursuit of those two guys is over.

What that move accomplished is it let both players know the possibility of returning is available to them. If they really want to come back, the Tour is going to make it happen.

A lot of people can see straight through this that DeChambeau and Rahm are looking to get out but probably can’t do it right now because of their contracts.

So the Tour’s next move is two-fold:

• Focus on improving their product with a more limited schedule and more volatility around who keeps/loses their Tour card.

• Provide a reasonable pathway back for DeChambeau once his contract expires.

If DeChambeau re-ups with LIV or decides to play out his days on YouTube, it is what it is.

I don’t really see much else that has to be done. They showed their cards—that they want certain players back and aren’t interested in the rest of them—and it’s up to those few players to make decisions.

If LIV keeps DeChambeau and Rahm, it’s not going to be any more of a threat (or lack of a threat, really) than they currently are.

What should the Tour do? Let me know below in the comments.