Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson were two of the high-profile players who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf back in June 2022.
And now Brandel Chamblee has delivered his verdict as to whether it would even be possible for both Mickelson and Koepka to leave LIV Golf and make a return to the PGA Tour.
It was only back in March when Koepka surprisingly admitted that LIV has not made the amount of progress he would have liked.
However, around the same time, Mickelson strongly refuted claims that Koepka wanted a PGA Tour return, but the jury is still out on whether both players will actually remain with LIV until their play careers finish.
The professional golfing landscape is completely divided right now, with LIV and the PGA Tour jousting for position.
Sure, the Saudi-backed operation have limitless finances, but if they are unable to offer an appealing product to the fans, they won’t be able to retain, or attract, the best golfers on the planet.
Brandel Chamblee makes PGA Tour claim about Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson
Chamblee is well known for his outspoken criticisms of LIV Golf and everything that the golf league stands for.
So when he was asked on Trey Wingo’s podcast whether he thinks any of the current LIV players would be welcomed back to the PGA Tour with open arms, it was no surprise to see how he responded.
Chamblee said: “Yeah, I mean there would have to be some penalty for them to come back. There is a path, but with some time in the penalty box after they leave LIV.
“I know everybody will say, ‘we want Brooks back straight away’. Well, the Tour is doing fine without Brooks Koepka, they’re doing fine without Phil Mickelson, they’re doing fine without Dustin Johnson, doing fine without Jon Rahm. There has to be some penalty.
“Let’s not forget, the Tour had to spend a lot of money to fight that litigation and eventually end that litigation. A lot of their rainy day fund would have gone to waste.“
When the LIV contracts of Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson expire
Both players originally signed with LIV in the summer of 2022.
Koepka’s current deal runs until the end of 2026 while Mickelson’s original contract was up until the end of 2025.
However, Mickelson is pencilled in to play the entire 2026 season on LIV, so he must have signed an extension behind the scenes.
It’s obviously unclear as to what the future holds for LIV Golf as an entity right now, so it’s fair to assume that the players will be unsure about what lies in store for them as well.
Mickelson is 55 and his best golfing days are behind him while Koepka is only 35, so the LIV Golf star will be looking at the next decade as a great opportunity for him to add to his major tally.
It will be really interesting to see whether Koepka, Mickelson and the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson will ever consider a return to the PGA Tour.
And if they do, would they even be allowed back? Only time will tell in that regard.
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