Rahm, Smith and DeChambeau stick to LIV Golf despite PGA Tour's open door
Tiger Woods: 'I will have been away from the game for a year and a half, so I'm gonna be pretty rusty.
LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau have turned their backs on a chance to return to the PGA Tour, choosing to stay loyal to the Saudi-backed circuit even as former world No. 1 Brooks Koepka makes a costly comeback.
Three of LIV Golf's biggest names - all major champions who qualify for the PGA Tour's "Returning Member Program" - firmly committed to remaining with LIV Golf rather than follow Koepka's lead back to the sport's traditional powerhouse.
The PGA Tour had opened its doors only to golfers who have won a major or The Players Championship since 2022. But while five-time major winner Koepka has applied to return after leaving LIV Golf, his former colleagues are staying put.
"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Rahm, who won the Masters in 2023, told reporters.
"I wish Brooks the best. As far as I'm concerned, I'm focused on the league and my team this year and hopefully we can repeat as champions again."
DeChambeau, an American who won the 2024 U.S. Open, was equally blunt, saying: "I'm contracted through 2026, so I'm excited about this year."
Smith, an Australian who won the 2022 British Open, said he had not given the PGA Tour's announcement any thought, but dismissed any notion of a departure.
"I haven't had a lot of time to think about it, but I know I'm here to stay. I'm here to support LIV," he said.
"I'm a captain of a great team and a great group of people. I'm happy where I am, I'm proud of where I am.
"I think we do many great things, particularly in Australia, and I can't wait for this league to keep growing."
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp had said eligible players have until February 2 to apply for reinstatement.
Koepka's return comes with a hefty price tag that may explain his colleagues' reluctance to follow suit.
The 35-year-old faces a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour's Player Equity Program, representing an estimated $50 million to $85 million loss depending on his performance and tour growth.
He has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution with recipients to be determined jointly with the PGA Tour.
Koepka is headed back to the PGA Tour - and Tiger Woods hopes to do so, too.
In addition to focusing on his rehabilitation from his seventh lifetime back surgery, Woods was a part of the PGA Tour committee that formulated the Returning Members Program. Three months removed from his latest back operation, Woods has resumed some golf activities.
"I've been cleared to hit, basically, hit short irons and mid irons," Woods said in an ESPN interview. "I haven't gone any beyond that....
"Whenever that time comes, when I start hitting drivers, and I start playing at home, and start doing all the different things, I will have been away from the game for a year and a half, so I'm gonna be pretty rusty.
"And so, there's a lot that goes into it. My prep is gonna have to be a little bit different from my other procedures I've had in the past. I've had to stay a lot more patient with myself. I get sore faster, I guess, because I'm 50. And that happens."
While not all reaction to Koepka's return to the PGA Tour has been positive, Woods is happy to see the Koepka's comeback. Koepka, by agreeing to the terms of the Returning Member Program, will be excluded from the player equity program, which could cost him upwards of $50 million depending upon his results. He also must make a $5 million charity donation.
Woods is embracing Koepka, a five-time major champion, in his return from the Saudi-backed tour.
"I think it's incredible for the (PGA) Tour," Woods said on ESPN. .".. The (fans) want to see the best play against the best, and for Brooks to want to come back a year early, he was able to do that. We worked through Christmas and through the early part of the year with both boards, all the player directors, other players as well, to make sure that this is right.
"I know there's some punitive damages there. ... But it's a meritocracy. That's what makes our game so great. And he is gonna be playing full-field events, and he has the ability to earn his way up to the signature events.
"If he's good, he's good. (If) he plays great, (he) plays great. (If he) wins tournaments, (he) wins tournaments. There's no reason why we should hold him back."
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