PGA Tour CEO shares jarring comments about players returning as LIV Golf Saudi funding disappears

close

Video

Why LIV Didn't Work Domestically | Don't @ Me w/Dan Dakich

Tim Brando tells Dan Dakich why he thinks LIV never grabbed the attention of American golf fans

LIV Golf has announced new board appointments for what it is calling a "transition from a foundational launch phase to a diversified, multi-partner investment model." The announcement confirms countless reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) will be pulling the plug on its funding of the breakaway league, raising many questions, including what comes next for the players.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp shared a glimpse into what the answer may be, and while his comments seem to have gone largely overlooked, he made it clear that the path for players looking to return to the Tour could be a painful one.

Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA Tour, speaks to the media prior to THE PLAYERS Championship 2026 at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday afternoon that the PIF would no longer fund LIV Golf, adding that its players would be informed of the news on Thursday. With the potential destruction of the circuit involving a PIF valued at over $1 trillion understandably gaining everyone's attention, Rolapp's comments within the report were easy to gloss over, but they were extremely telling.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

"There were rules, and they were broken," Rolapp told the Journal. "With rules comes accountability." 

The report went on to explain that Rolapp said the circumstances surrounding Brooks Koepka’s return to the Tour were unique due to the fact that he was no longer under contract with LIV Golf. It was also noted that "Koepka’s path won’t be treated as a precedent if and when others seek to do the same."

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addresses media members at a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship at Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour at the start of 2026 under specific requirements and penalties within the Returning Member Program. It was only accessible to previous Tour members who had won The Players or a major championship between 2022 and 2025, which qualified Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau. None of the three followed Koepka, presumably due to the fact that they were still under contract with LIV.

DeChambeau's situation is even more complicated as he was among a group of players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour after joining the Saudi-backed circuit.

PGA TOUR PLAYERS HAVE REFRESHINGLY NORMAL REACTIONS TO GOLD TRUMP STATUE AT DORAL

Bryson DeChambeau reacts on the second green during day one of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on April 16, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Rolapp stated that the Tour is "interested in having the best players who can help our tour," a category DeChambeau would undoubtedly fall into. Not only is he a two-time U.S. Open winner, but he's also among the most popular golfers on Earth, specifically among the younger demographic that the Tour is constantly trying to tap into.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The likes of DeChambeau, Rahm, Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton would instantly add value and raise the level of the PGA Tour if (when) they seek a return, but the details involved with their return will continue to be the storyline to follow right up until a pathway is formally laid out.