Brian Rolapp says he’s been keeping up with current events.
But any news the PGA Tour CEO was about a potential accelerated return of LIV Golf players to their tour was just old news.
In the announcement of the details a new format Coming to the PGA Tour in 2028, Rolapp said Tuesday that the PGA Tour will not reintroduce its “Returning Member Program” to bring back one-time professionals who joined LIV. Rolapp had also said that last month at the Tour Championship, but in the following weeks, LIV has he filed for bankruptcyleading to speculation that his players may be looking to leave.
But those professionals will still face a one-year suspension – and will not be brought back quickly under a series of fines and penalties, as was outlined in January below. returning member program. Only Brooks Koepka took the offer, although under his specifications, it was also available to Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith.
About 250 words into his comments on Tuesday, Rolapp, without prompting, explained the decision this way:
“Before I get to your questions about this announcement, I’ll briefly address LIV because I know it’s been in the news recently, and I expect it may come today,” he said. “As I said a few weeks ago in Atlanta, there are really three things when it comes to someone who wants to compete on the PGA Tour.
“One, the PGA Tour is built on meritocracy. Every player, whether you’re a member or want to become one, has to earn their spot. Two, we’re a membership organization; we have rules, and rules exist for many reasons, including fairness and competitive balance. Rules matter, and they must be enforced.
“That brings me to number three, accountability and discipline. These are essential elements for any sports league and they are certainly for the integrity of the PGA Tour and the sport. It is what holds the Tour together. These are guiding principles for us.
“As for where we are today, we do not currently contemplate a program of returning members like the one you saw in January. Everyone in the PGA Tour, including myself, has been focused on what is best for the organization. The articles approved by the boards yesterday are part of the progression in the construction of the optimal competitive model for the future.”
Later in the press conference, Rolapp was also asked if the Tour’s Future Competition Committee had any thoughts on bringing back LIV players.
“Yes, I think the Future Competition Committee was really focused on the competitive model that we’ve been discussing in recent months,” he said. “Again, it’s almost repetitive, but it’s worth saying again, really leaning into meritocracy, balancing that with what you’ve seen today about winning and what it means in career stages.
“So I think it’s also – we also, that we haven’t announced today, but we’re still thinking and we haven’t made any decision on how the DP World Tour will fit into it. You notice that it’s not part of the announcement. It’s very much under discussion both internally and as we continue our discussion with the DP World Tour.
