Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cam Smith pass on PGA Tour, stick with LIV

• The pathway back to the PGA Tour was offered to a select group of major champions who had been away for at least two years.
• Players returning to the PGA Tour under this program face significant penalties, including ineligibility for certain earnings and a charitable donation.

WEST PALM BEACH — LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith are declining the offer to return to the PGA Tour.

All three revealed their intentions at LIV Golf's captains press conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, a day after former LIV golfer Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Rahm said. "I wish Brooks the best. As far as I'm concerned, I'm focused on the league and my team this year."

"I know I'm here to stay," Smith said. "I'm here to support LIV. I'm happy where I am, I'm proud of where I am. I can't wait for this league to keep going."

DeChambeau added he is contracted through 2026 and "so excited about this year."

None of the players were aware they would be specifically named by the PGA Tour as eligible for this pathway back to the Tour.

"I had no idea that would happen, no idea what the penalties would be," DeChambeau said.

Rahm, though, said he was not surprised by the news.

"I'd heard rumors for quite a few weeks and some of them going back to last year," he said.

Phil Mickelson wishes the best for LIV defector Brooks Koepka

Phil Mickelson, who remains the face of LIV golf, has no hard feelings toward Koepka.

"Brooks is a friend of mine and if it's the best thing for him and his family I fully support," Mickelson said. "I could not be happier out here."

The Tour made the offer to the three LIV golfers when announcing Koepka's return on Jan. 12. The newly created Returning Member Program criteria was extended to players who have been away from the Tour for at least two years and have won The Players or a major championship during the 2022-2025 seasons.

That exclusive list includes Koepka, DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith.

The offer expires Feb. 2.

"This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp wrote in a letter to membership. "Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again."

The penalties to return are steep. Koepka is ineligible to earn equity from the Player Equity Program for the next five years, will not receive any payment from the FedEx Cup Bonus Program for the 2026 season and will make a $5 million charitable donation.

In addition, he is not eligible for Signature Events, but he can play his way into those fields via full-field events and is not eligible for sponsor exemptions into full field events.

Koepka is the first golfer of any significance to leave LIV, opting to forgo the final year of his reported five-year $125 million contract. The Jupiter resident and Palm Beach County native will make his first PGA Tour start since leaving LIV at the Farmers Insurance Open, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, at Torrey Pines in California.

Any LIV players who do not qualify for the program set up for Koepka, DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith and wish to return to the PGA Tour must first notify the Tour they would like to reinstate their membership, then would be subject to disciplinary action.

DeChambeau and Smith joined LIV in its inaugural season, 2022. Rahm joined in December 2023.

Rahm would have the most to lose by leaving LIV, having signed a deal reportedly for more than $300 million over three years with bonuses pushing that number to more than $550 million.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].