As the golf world speculates which PGA Tour players will be jumping ship to join LIV Golf in 2026, some are predicting movement back the other way.
Some of the biggest stars on the LIV Golf circuit, such as Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, will see their contracts expire in 2026. That has led to speculation about which players will attempt to rejoin the PGA Tour after its successful 2025 season.
A number of LIV players, such as Jon Rahm, have seen their careers stagnate since joining. Despite winning the individual title, Rahm was winless last season, just two years removed from winning the Masters in 2023.
Koepka was one of the players who experienced a decline in performance in 2025. The five-time major winner finished 31st in the individual standings, and despite coming close to victory with a second place in Singapore, he was out of contention for much of the year.
That led Johnson Wagner to speculate when Koepka might try to rejoin the PGA Tour, hoping to recapture his past form.
Johnson Wagner said Brooks Koepka can’t rejoin the PGA Tour until 2027
As the PGA Tour continues to outshine LIV Golf, players such as Koepka could seek a return to the tour as their LIV Golf contracts expire. But Wagner said that it won’t be possible until at least 2027.
Speaking on Straight Facts Homie, Wagner explained: “What I’m seeing is that a lot of the guys are re-signing with LIV. Now, if a guy like Koepka, whose contract ends in 2026, were to want to come back, I think there’s got to be a path for those guys to come back and play on the PGA Tour.
“And I don’t know what that looks like. I’ve heard that 2027 is the earliest that anything can happen. I know a guy named Hudson Swafford, who was one of the first guys to go, a multiple, multiple winner on the PGA Tour.
“He got relegated from LIV, and the PGA Tour basically said, ‘You have a year suspension, you can come back and try to play in 2027,’ is what I’ve heard. So I think that is what we’re looking at as far as any sort of unity.”
Most likely, Koepka would serve a suspension from the PGA Tour like any other player attempting to return. His star status doesn’t absolve him of the punishment for leaving for LIV Golf, especially when the PGA Tour is thriving without him.
Johnson Wagner claims LIV stars don’t care about playing on the tour
It seems that mainstream interest in LIV Golf is slowly fading away, as television viewership remains lightyears away from the PGA Tour.
The star power of DeChambeau and Rahm should maintain a base level of interest, but if LIV Golf doesn’t break the mainstream and start making some money soon, Wagner would be surprised if it lasts much longer.
He said, “I don’t think LIV is going anywhere, and I’m shocked by it because I’ve been saying for years that the product is not really great to watch. It doesn’t seem like they care. Guys like DeChambeau show up for majors, and you can tell he cares.
“He showed up for the Ryder Cup, and he cared, but it just doesn’t seem like they care that much about it over there.
“So, I’m just shocked that the public investment fund is still putting as much money into this thing as they are, seeing no profit in sight and not really any sort of traction in the golf world.”
DeChambeau has been one of the vocal supporters of LIV since joining the tour in 2022. His popularity is one of the driving forces for the tour’s success.
That’s why it’s vitally important for DeChambeau to contend for the LIV title next season. Not only to prove to people like Wagner that he cares, but to make for a compelling title race.
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