It is truly hard for me to describe LIV in one sentence, for the level of complexity and change that it has promised to the game of golf is nothing short of crazy. It may initially appear to be a breath of fresh air for viewers, with shorter tournaments, no cuts, and a revised format, and drawing in major champions like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka. However, while this may seem like an extreme opinion to some, as someone who constantly watches and plays the sport, I believe that its establishment threatens not only the structure of the sport, but also the values the PGA Tour has upheld for a century.
To begin, the controversy surrounding LIV’s use of money to “buy” PGA tour players stems from the source of funding, as it is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has been linked to human rights concerns. As a result, many people, including me, judge the league’s spending as unethical.
In 2022, PGA commissioner Jay Moyhanan enforced a rule stating that players who joined LIV golf were immediately suspended or deemed ineligible for tournament play, directly telling defectors, “You are no longer welcome on the PGA tour.” This policy forced players to choose between the financial security offered by LIV and creating a legacy on the PGA Tour, while also acting as a deterrent to keep valuable players from leaving. This was upheld for four straight years; however, just three months ago, everything changed.
In January 2026, the PGA Tour created the “Returning Member Program,” which allows LIV players to return if they have won major championships or the PGA Players Championship between the years 2022-2025, and have not been an active member of LIV for at least two years. If eligible players choose to return, they receive severe penalties as a consequence of joining LIV. This includes a contribution, loss of bonuses, inability to join the equity program, restrictions on events, and only being allowed to play in a minimum of fifteen events each year.
As of January 2026, Brooks Koepka, who had left the PGA tour for LIV in 2022, made his return to the PGA tour through the “Returning Member Program.” He cited the need to be closer to his wife and son, following personal family changes in late 2025. Koepka’s penalty was widely viewed as lenient because it provided a quick and easy path back to the PGA Tour. While he was required to make a $5 million contribution to the league, have no access to the equity program, forfeit 2026 FedEx Cup bonuses, and not be allowed to have any sponsor exemptions, do his penalties really matter or damage him in any real way, considering how wealthy he became playing under LIV?
To put into perspective how minuscule a penalty was imposed on Koepka, when he joined LIV, Koepka signed a four-year contract estimated at around $120 million, a guaranteed amount that contrasted the payment structure of the PGA Tour, in which players have to perform accordingly every week to receive better financial compensation. LIV’s prize structure further reinforces this financial security, with even the last-place finisher guaranteed $50,000 for each event, and winners taking home up to $4 million per event. As a top player, Koepka capitalized on these opportunities, winning five titles and earning an additional $46 million on top of his signing bonus.
With everything that has unfolded over the past four years, I believe the PGA Tour is prioritizing money, viewership, and publicity over the loyalty of its current players and the integrity of its long-standing rules.
This shift is clearly reflected in the lenient punishment given to Koepka, whose financial success in LIV far outweighs any consequences he faces upon returning. After losing many of its most recognizable players to LIV, the PGA Tour lost some of the audience that came with that. Allowing Koepka to easily reveal how the PGA Tour chose short term success at the expense of losing its century-old values of order and integrity.
