PGA Tour golfer makes "very cool" claim after rising star rejects LIV

PGA Tour golfer Michael Kim says it's "very cool" to see young players rejecting the advances of LIV Golf to chase their career goals.

It is a fascinating time in the golf world and some critics of the PIF-backed breakaway believe they are going through a period of turbulence. 

Brooks Koepka has decided to walk away from the league despite having 12 months remaining on his contract and Bryson DeChambeau is casting doubt on his future. 

In truth, the league has struggled to add any star names to its roster since Jon Rahm and his European Ryder Cup teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, left the establishment for the riches of LIV. 

There remains several spots for LIV to fill in the coming weeks after the league expanded its field to 57 players for the coming season. 

LIV have already signed England's Laurie Canter and three-time DP World Tour winner, Victor Perez, for the forthcoming season. 

And according to The Times of London, LIV will shortly announce the rival of Belgium's Thomas Detry and young Australian talent Elvis Smylie. 

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Golf Channel are also reporting that Akshay Bhatia, who is inside the top 50 in the world rankings, has also rejected a "lucrative" offer from LIV. 

Bhatia's career appears to be on a strong trajectory, with the 24-year-old making it to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake for the past two campaigns. 

It would not be surprising in the least to see Bhatia - who was also announced as the latest member of Tiger Woods' TGL team - add to his tally of two PGA Tour wins in 2026. 

Kim reacted to the news on his X account, saying: "It's very cool seeing younger guys say no to the upfront money to chase more career goals. 

"I obviously understand it from the other side as well but it's one thing to talk about it, another to say no to a big check that's right in front of you."

Kim joked he has never received an offer from LIV. 

LIV Golf is scheduled to begin its fourth full season next month in Saudi Arabia. Rahm is the defending champion. 

The biggest news of the off-season came in the form of the aforementioned Koepka deciding to walk away from LIV despite having 12 months remaining on his contract that is worth north of $100m. 

According to LIV's chief executive, Scott O'Neil, the decision was made "amicably" so Koepka can "prioritise" the needs of his family. 

What happens next for Koepka remains unclear. 

Rahm told GOLF's Subpar he was aware of Koepka's discontent. 

DeChambeau is also in negotiations with LIV about extending his contract. 

But he told FlushingIt that things need to improve if he is to sign on the dotted line again. 

"With Brooks leaving it definitely throws in some unique things," DeChambeau said. 

"And look, I mean, like I've said all along, I want to do this, I want to grow team golf across the globe.

"But it has to be right. And there's a lot of things that have to be done in order for it to be right, you know? 

"Things have got to change. Things have got to improve. And I think Scott's done a fabulous job with the year that he's had.

"And I think this year's going to be even better, now he's got the right people in place and he can run the organisation, the way he wants to do this here.

"So it's going to be interesting to see, especially with the new branding coming on. It's going to be interesting to see what happens."

He added: "It's where I want to be, but ultimately, it's got to make sense for everybody.

"Because I could just do YouTube golf and be totally fine as well."