PGA Tour boss responds to CRAZY RUMOUR about LIV Golf player returns!

Will the PGA Tour open a door for LIV Golf players to return? What about a potential LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger? Jay Monahan responds...

Andy Roberts

08 Mar 2023

PGA Tour boss responds to CRAZY RUMOUR about a LIV Golf player returns!

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has responded to a crazy rumour about LIV Golf players returning to the circuit.

All PGA Tour members who have jumped ship to play in any LIV Golf tournament have been suspended from the Tour by Monahan.

This decision came into immediate effect from the very first LIV Golf event in England last June.

Monahan's decision to ban PGA Tour members has meant LIV Golf's Cameron Smith is not able to return to defend his Players Championship title at famed TPC Sawgrass this week.

Though he said Smith's omission from the flagship event of the PGA Tour season has made things "awkward".

Smith has said he might turn up anyway.

PGA Tour boss responds to CRAZY RUMOUR about LIV Golf player returns!

But earlier this week, Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard reported how there could be way back onto the PGA Tour for those players experiencing buyer's remorse over on the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf League.

Brooks Koepka is apparently one of them.

But Monahan, who addressed the media ahead of The Players Championship on Tuesday, explained such a rumour was complete nonsense. At least for now.

On LIV Golf players returning to compete on the PGA Tour, Monahan said:

"I've been hearing that a lot lately and I'm not certain where that's coming from.

"The players that are playing on that tour are contractually obligated to play on that tour.

"So any hypotheticals at this point really aren't relevant.

"But our position, to answer your question directly, has not changed."

In Hoggard's piece about a potential return for LIV Golf players, he spoke to PGA Tour member Rickie Fowler to get his thoughts.

Fowler replied:

"I don’t know what that looks like, but I would say there should be [a path back].

"The Tour was never created to be closed off.

"Now there may be, whether there are suspensions or a period of time where they may not be able to try [to rejoin].

"But I think there should always be a way back in."

Max Homa also commented:

"Currently, there’s not a path, but you can always make a path.

"There definitely could be. Should be? I’m not sure."

Should LIV Golf's Cameron Smith be in the field to defend The Players this week?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) March 8, 2023

After shutting down all talk of LIV Golf player returns to the PGA Tour, Monahan then shut down another rumour about whether a door will ever be open to form a merger with LIV Golf later down the road.

"What I want to see is us continue to grow with our membership, and to me getting into hypothetical situations given where we currently are is not a worthwhile effort. That's not a possibility."

While Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm both praised LIV Golf - yes Rory McIlroy - for helping the PGA Tour make changes to its Designated Events in 2024, Monahan was in no mood to follow suit.

See Monahan's comments here.