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PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has addressed reports and rumors involving the future of LIV Golf, or potential lack thereof, with a blunt message about where the Tour’s priorities lie in uncertain times.
Last week, it was widely reported that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) was preparing to cut its funding of LIV Golf after announcing a five-year investment strategy focused on reprioritizing spending. Given that the Saudis are the sole financiers of the separatist golf circuit, a funding halt would, in all likelihood, put an end to the current version of LIV Golf.
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LIV Golf México continued as planned over the weekend amid very strong rumors. Two-time Major champion Jon Rahm won the event and on Sunday LIV formally announced that he would return to Mexico in 2027 at a currently unspecified date.
Jon Rahm in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 4, 2026. (Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters)
Rolapp, former executive vice president of NFL Media, joined Monday’s edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on ESPN and was transparent in sharing his thoughts on the reports and rumors involving LIV Golf.
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In particular, Rolapp admitted that the PGA Tour is thinking about possible return paths for players who left the Tour to join the Saudi-backed league.
“I think we’re thinking about it,” Rolapp said when asked about players potentially returning. “Listen, we’re reading the same headlines you’re reading, we don’t know what’s going on there. [at LIV Golf]. We know that those guys have a contract, we will respect it.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addresses the media at a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“streams [Koepka] He returned to the Tour because he made a phone call and said: ‘Look, my contract is up, I’m ready to come back.’ So, we are thinking about it and we will react when we have the opportunity to react, but right now we are focused on improving the PGA Tour. I’ve said it publicly and I’ll say it again: I’m interested in improving anything that improves the PGA Tour. “That’s my job, that’s what I’m interested in doing and that has no limit.”
Koepka, a five-time major winner, returned to the PGA Tour in early 2026 after joining LIV Golf in June 2022. He did so through the Tour’s ‘Returning Member Program’, which is only accessible to former Tour members who won The Players or a major championship between 2022 and 2025.
Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts after making a birdie on the 17th hole during the second round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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Koepka agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution upon his return to the Tour. He also agreed to include a five-year loss of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Players’ Equity Program, which estimates his potential losses will be approximately $50 million to $85 million. Koepka will also not receive any bonus payments from the FedEx Cup in 2026.
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Patrick Reed also left LIV Golf in early 2026 to look to return to the PGA Tour. The former Masters champion is serving a one-year suspension that will end in August and is on track to regain his PGA Tour card by 2027 with a pair of wins earlier this year on the DP World Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith and Rahm remain the top players competing on LIV Golf, and their return to the PGA Tour would certainly fit Rolapp’s focus on improving the PGA Tour.
