DeChambeau, Rahm, Smith say they'll stick with LIV after PGA Tour opened door for return
Zhizhao Wu
The ground under LIV Golf’s feet shook on Monday when the PGA Tour announced that one of the Saudi-backed league’s most high-profile former players, Brooks Koepka, would be immediately reinstated and open his season at the Farmers Insurance Open this month.
For now, it doesn’t appear that LIV will have to endure any more seismic changes.
With its newly created Returning Member Program, the PGA Tour opened the door for three other major champions, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith, to return with similar penalties and restrictions that Koepka faces, setting a deadline of Feb. 2. But all three are indicating they will stick with LIV as it enters its fifth season. They discussed their prospects while talking to reporters on Tuesday from a LIV media day held in Florida.
Inarguably the biggest star on LIV, DeChambeau teased his social media followers earlier on Tuesday, standing by an exit sign, shrugging and asking, “What would you do?” Later, it sounded like not much of a decision at all, with DeChambeau, 32, noting, "I’m contracted through 2026, so excited about this year.
Rahm, a Masters and U.S. Open champion, seemed to observers like the most likely to take the tour up on its offer, considering that some believe one of his biggest motivations for going to LIV was to try to convince the two sides in golf’s civil war to work things out. But Rahm, 31, who did an about-face when he went to LIV after saying he wouldn’t, said, "I’m not planning on going anywhere, so very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on LIV for this year and hoping my team can repeat as champs."
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Smith, the 32-year-old Australian and six-time tour winner, won the 2022 Open Championship and bolted for LIV about a month later. He has three wins on LIV, but the last two came in 2023. Smith has gone through his struggles since, including a streak of missed cuts in majors that stands at five.
“I’ve made my bed and I’m going to sleep in it,” Smith said. “I feel like I’m in a really good place in my career and my family life. I don’t need to change it. … I’m really excited for 2026 and I think our team is going to have one of the best years yet, and I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do on the golf course.”
Speaking about Koepka, Smith said, “Is it a shame to have him go? Absolutely. He’s a star of the game. Starting 2026, we’ll still have the best field LIV has ever had.
“On one side, I’m sad to see him go. He’s a good friend and it’s not good. On the other side, I’m really looking forward to what we’re doing out here.”