LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka's departure, return to PGA Tour

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Brooks Koepka whitethorn person returned to the PGA Tour pursuing a stint astatine LIV Golf, but bash not expect the Saudi-backed league's different biggest stars to articulation in.

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith each committed to staying enactment erstwhile speaking to reporters connected Tuesday astatine a preseason property conference.

"I had nary idea, nary thought that that would happen." DeChambeau said. "No thought what the penalties would adjacent be. Right now, I've got a contract. I'm looking guardant to seeing what we tin bash astatine LIV Golf this year."

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Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm locomotion to the eighth greenish during the archetypal circular of the Memorial Tournament astatine Muirfield Village Golf Club connected June 2, 2022. (Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch)

"I made a determination to travel retired present and walk much clip astatine home, and I'm not giving that away. I'll beryllium connected LIV for years to come," added Smith, who won the 2022 Open Championship soon earlier officially committing to LIV.

DeChambeau and Smith each near successful 2022, but Rahm was possibly the biggest surprise. Once precise outspoken against LIV, helium joined the league successful December 2023.

In August 2024, helium unopen down rumors of buyer’s remorse to Fox News Digital, and that inactive appears to beryllium the case.

"I'm not readying connected going anywhere. Very akin reply to what Bryson gave. I privation Brooks the best. As acold arsenic I'm concerned, I'm focused connected the league and my squad this year, and hopefully we tin repetition arsenic champions again," Rahm said.

Koepka’s determination came weeks aft helium revealed helium would beryllium leaving the rival series.

"I privation to convey my household and my squad for their continued enactment passim each measurement of my nonrecreational career," helium wrote connected societal media. "When I was a child, I ever dreamed astir competing connected the @PGATOUR, and I americium conscionable arsenic excited contiguous to denote that I americium returning to the PGA TOUR. Being person to location and spending much clip with my household makes this accidental particularly meaningful to me.

Brooks Koepka, of the United States, acknowledges the assemblage connected the 5th greenish during the archetypal circular of the British Open play title astatine the Royal Portrush Golf Club successful Northern Ireland, July 17, 2025. (Peter Morrison, File/AP Photo)

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"I judge successful wherever the PGA TOUR is headed with caller leadership, caller investors, and an equity programme that gives players a meaningful ownership stake," helium continued. "I besides recognize determination are fiscal penalties associated with this decision, and I judge those."

Koepka said helium planned to beryllium astatine the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open successful the coming weeks.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Koepka’s instrumentality sparked the Returning Member Program for those who near the institution and whitethorn determine to travel successful Koepka’s footsteps.

Rolapp said Koepka agreed to a fewer conditions upon his instrumentality to the PGA Tour. It included a "five-year forfeiture of imaginable equity successful the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, representing 1 of the largest fiscal repercussions successful nonrecreational sports history, with estimations that helium could miss retired connected astir $50–85 cardinal successful imaginable earnings, depending connected his competitory show and the maturation of the Tour," according to Rolapp. Koepka volition besides marque a $5 cardinal charitable donation to an enactment yet to beryllium determined.