2wealfth Man said:

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Guys like Kokrak, Gooch and Varner are going to be the ones that have to beg to get back on tour.

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Yeah, I'd think so.

I'm guessing suspension period, plus paying a significant fee (maybe percentage based since I doubt all of them could pay like Brooks did), and possibly having to qualify from square one.

Those guys just don't have the recognition or bring the value of the other names.

It will also be interesting to see how the PGAT handles AK.

Don't think AK has been a tour member for more than a decade. I presume he'll be treated like the college guys who went straight to LIV. Presumably, they'll just have to play their way onto the tour.

The Golf Digest article from yesterday talked about Bryson and Rahm. I don't think it's gonna be nearly as easy as just some giant fine.

Quote:

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The two interesting cases are DeChambeau and Rahm. Rahm is in an ongoing dispute over membership reinstatement on the DP World Tour, an impasse that has added meaning given that his 2027 Ryder Cup eligibility runs through the European circuit. The DP World Tour has, notably, been working to find him a path back, although Rahm has not made that easy. At the Masters he was unapologetic and gave no indication of softening his position. The PGA Tour is a tougher audience. The view from players and from Ponte Vedra is narrow and consistent: Rahm's exit at the end of 2023 may have prolonged the conflict by a full year. LIV was on the ropes. The framework agreement was advancing. Then Rahm crossed over, delivered the Saudi circuit the validation it was running out of time to find, and the tour was caught flat-footed. Should LIV collapse in 2027, Rahm's only option may be a humbled return to the DP World Tourassuming a door is still open at all.

DeChambeau's situation is more complicated. In the weeks before the Masters, his representatives approached LIV about a new deal. He remains LIV's most prominent figureone of the most recognizable players in the sport and, by most measures, its most commercially valuable. Sources tell Golf Digest that DeChambeau was seeking a figure well above Rahm's reported $300 million contract. LIV did not engage at that level. In recent months, DeChambeau has been noncommittal about his future, saying that his current deal runs through year's end and tepidly noting "as long as LIV is here, I would figure out a way for it to make sense." He was, at one stage, an enthusiastic supporter of the league. Sources say his view has shifted, and that he now regards LIV as having underdelivered on its initial vision. A return to the PGA Tour, the antitrust litigation aside, also presents complications. He has previously described feeling out of place there, restricted by regulations he found at odds with his approach. He is reportedly open to the changes Rolapp has introducedand the Athletic reported earlier this month that DeChambeau's representatives have reached out to explore his optionsthough that openness is conditional.

A PGA Tour that includes Rahm and DeChambeau is, on competitive merits, a stronger product. Both rank among the most accomplished players of their generation, and their presence in fields would meaningfully affect ratings, sponsor interest, and the depth of marquee events. Officials around Rolapp recognize that. They also recognize the difficulty of the position. Both players were offered a defined pathway back through the Returning Member Program and elected not to take it. Readmitting them nownot because they have reconsidered the benefits of the tour, as Koepka did, but because LIV's collapse has eliminated their alternativeswould carry a different meaning than a routine reinstatement. It would amount to the tour absorbing players on terms set by circumstance rather than by the program Rolapp put in place earlier this year.

With significant structural changes to the PGA Tour's schedule, governance and competitive model still being finalized, the precedent matters. Internally, there is concern that such a move would signal the tour is willing to revise its own framework under pressure. It's an impression Rolapp can ill afford as he attempts to consolidate authority and credibility in the early stages of his tenure.

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Bryson, Rahm, Cam Smith,DJ will all get deals like Brooks and P Reed, just probably much harsher. They are former major champions and still big names, the PGA Tour will want them back someway.

The rest of the guys are gonna have to get in via the DP World Tour/Korn Ferry/Asia Tour etc

Patrick Reed had to go the DP route. After just a few tournaments he's already secured is 2027 tour card.

E said:

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Bryson, Rahm, Cam Smith,DJ will all get deals like Brooks and P Reed, just probably much harsher. They are former major champions and still big names, the PGA Tour will want them back someway.

The rest of the guys are gonna have to get in via the DP World Tour/Korn Ferry/Asia Tour etc

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From a player perspective, the fall of Cam Smith is the saddest part of the LIV debacle. The dude was insane and the best putter in the world when he won The Open. Now he's completely washed up. Rahm and Bryson are still who they are as players for the most part (minus Rahm's lackluster Masters performance this year. DJ was on the way downhill already, now he's done. But the Cam story is just sad IMO.

Jon Rahm said that he’s come to an agreement with DP World Tour that will allow him to play the tour without further fines and the need for releases from LIV events. Awaiting DPWT confirmation of specifics

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) May 5, 2026

🚨🗣️💰 #REGRETS — LIV Golf’s Graeme McDowell says he regrets saying that the reason he went to the league was to “grow the game” and voiced his concern if LIV folds. (Via @SI_Golf / @BobHarig)

“I regret a few things I said in the beginning, stuff like growing the game. I should… pic.twitter.com/lOL7NnmLh5

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 6, 2026

🚨👀⛳️ #BREAKING — Bryson DeChambeau says he is prepared to pursue his YouTube channel’s growth and compete in tournaments “that want me” if LIV Golf folds, adding that he has had conversations with the PGA Tour.

“I think, from my perspective, I'd love to grow my YouTube… pic.twitter.com/SFzjl4bXRm

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 5, 2026

Bryson being Bryson.

It's just posturing for future negotiations.

The spectrum Bryson that got atomic wedgies from Koepka on a monthly basis years ago is surfacing again. There's really no payoff to publicly throwing shade at the PGAT at this point. He did a lot to rehab his image which helped his following massively, but that can disappear in a hurry it people start thinking he's just some weirdo crybaby again.

Whether thru a PR team or whether he's actually grown up some, Bryson has improved his image. But I think some of that is also simply because he's out of sight except for a handful of weeks a year. He's the poster child for distance making the heart grow fonder. It's ironic that LIV's total inability to draw a fanbase may be the best thing that's ever happened to him.

That is a good point. Most of his public exposure now is via non-competitive, let's-have-some-fun, edited content vs raw Bryson in a high pressure, highly competitive environment. Keeps the awkward tism to a minimum

You have a good point there.

How much is Smash GC worth?

It would actually be kinda fascinating and would make a lot of people watch korn ferry just to see if guys could make it there and then could advance. The competition is so hard these days I think quite a few of them would never graduate to the pga tour (at least some big name guys wouldn't). Now that Paul's be fun to watch.

Yes, the KFT has some great competition, and the setups are for birdiefests. That fits some guys well (probably a bomber like Bryson) and isn't so great for others.

I think the DPT will be the way for a number of these guys, but I don't expect many to do well enough to earn PGAT status

At the end of the day, golf and the PGAT need Bryson/Rahm competing with Scottie/Rory. After everything settles with LIV contracts and what not, the PGAT should make a pathway that's pretty simple, straightforward. Maybe they have to play every Fall event or have to commit to playing 30 events, and/or a lot of appearances off the golf course. Or maybe they forfeit/donate the first million dollars they earn back on tour.

The requirement for such a path would be multiple major champions and/or X amount of PGAT wins, and/or money earned or some combo. Get the guys you want back and let all the other hacks start at the bottom.

JCA1 said:

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Whether thru a PR team or whether he's actually grown up some, Bryson has improved his image.

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He's arguably the most popular active golfer in the world (I don't count Tiger as active). He's done way more than "improve his image." He did that for your generation. Hes insanely popular to to fans 30 and under. Many of them don't care what tour they play on because they consume his content on YT.

Bryson and his team would be idiotic to say anything other than all options are open at this point. LIV is technically being shopped (highly unlikely it goes anywhere) and he's still under contract so he's not going to to come out and fellate the PGAT

class of 03 said:

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How much is Smash GC worth?

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Why would it be worth anything?

Bryson sued the PGA Tour. He is not going to get off lightly.

No one is saying he has to fellate the PGA, but taking shots like he did is dumb. Nothing to be gained.

PJYoung said:

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Bryson sued the PGA Tour. He is not going to get off lightly.

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Yep. This is the entire reason he's posturing. That and he knows he has unrivaled eyeballs compared to other LIV guys. He's maximizing his stand while the PGAT assuredly will too. It's preemptive dick measuring before agreements ultimately get made if and when LIV can't find a path forward.

Crushers have to be worth $500MM.

class of 03 said:

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Crushers have to be worth $500MM.

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Closer to $0

lol the first million? How about the first 50 million? Even that is light. The first million, after they got 300 to go to liv and will make 20 a year on tour (not counting endorsements) is nothing. I'd rather them not do anything than to act like they are doing something by making them pay $1 million.

Clearly you don't understand the future of golf.