Jon Rahm told he won't get Brooks Koepka treatment if he wants PGA Tour return

PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp would be unable to sell Jon Rahm's immediate return to the membership if the Spaniard decides to walk away from LIV Golf, according to Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard.

Despite LIV Golf securing an unnamed lead investor to ensure the league's survival in 2027 following the withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financial backing, Rahm's future remains far from certain. 

The next iteration of the league, dubbed LIV Golf 2.0, is expected to feature four fewer events in 2027, along with a reduction in prize money.

That could mean the terms of Rahm's multi-year contract are no longer fulfilled, leaving the two-time major champion potentially mulling an exit and a legal battle to secure the reported $150m he is owed.

The Financial Times are reporting that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will attempt to pay off Rahm's contract - and others -  at a discount in order to settle any potential liability and avoid bad publicity.

The players could then be positioned to sign fresh deals, which would reportedly include both cash and equity in the new league.

Rahm has declined to say whether he will join the new version of LIV Golf, but CEO Scott O'Neil hinted that the former Masters champion is considering his options when he told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau would "come along for the ride".

If Rahm does leave LIV Golf, he would likely fill his schedule with a number of DP World Tour events.

However, a return to the PGA Tour would be far more complicated than when the circuit expedited Brooks Koepka's reinstatement.

Koepka left LIV Golf in December 2025, months before his original contract expired. 

The American then contacted Tiger Woods, after which the PGA Tour put together a one-time returning member programme.

Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were also eligible to take up the offer but all three players declined.

Koepka's return was not without consequences. 

The 36-year-old was required to donate $5m to charity, forfeited eligibility for the PGA Tour's equity programme for five years, and had to play his way into signature events on merit.

Hoggard told Golf Channel he could not imagine Rahm receiving the same treatment as Koepka, not only because of the circumstances surrounding Rahm's departure to LIV Golf, but also because of the reaction from the PGA Tour membership.

"I can't imagine him getting the same treatment as Brooks Koepka, not because he's Jon Rahm and maybe things didn't go as smoothly with him as they did with Brooks when Brooks left to go to LIV Golf, but because I don't know that Brian Rolapp can sell the membership on that again, simply because of everything that transpired, particularly all the way to the Championship Series events," Hoggard said.

Hoggard was referring to the two-tier structure that will be introduced in 2028, with the premier events also set to exclude sponsor invites and alternates.

He also explained that if Rahm were to leave LIV Golf immediately and begin a one-year ban, as has been standard for other players, it would create further issues.

"If Jon Rahm started the clock right now, let's say he decided not to play in the New Jersey event, that means he won't be allowed to play in a PGA Tour sanctioned event until next year's Wyndham Championship, which leaves him virtually no time, no space to try and play his way into the top 70, top 50, top 90, whatever the case may be at that point," Hoggard said.

Rahm's next move therefore remains uncertain, with both a LIV Golf exit and a potential PGA Tour return presenting significant obstacles.