Henrik Stenson could be eyeing a shock return to the PGA Tour.
Henrik Stenson’s departure for LIV Golf cost him the captaincy for the 2023 Ryder Cup. But after his on-course struggles in 2025, Stenson found himself relegated from LIV Golf, and is now set for a return to the DP World Tour after settling over $1 million in fines.
That creates a clear pathway for Stenson to return to the PGA Tour, where he has won six times. The top 10 DP World Tour players earn a PGA Tour card for the following season, meaning if Stenson plays well in Europe, he could find himself back on the tour.
Stenson if prohibited from playing on the PGA Tour for at least one year after his last LIV appearance, so if he earns his tour card, in theory, he’ll be able to play the 2027 season.
And that could have massive ramifications not only for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf moving forward, but also for the Ryder Cup.
Ryan Lavner says Henrik Stenson should make Ryder Cup return
Stenson’s decision to join LIV Golf saw him ousted as Ryder Cup captain, replaced by Luke Donald, who proceeded to win back-to-back.
But speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav, Ryan Lavner explained why he thinks Stenson, among other European Ryder Cup hopefuls, should be given a role on the team in the future.
He said, “The punishment for DP World Tour players are obviously less penal than what we see on the PGA Tour. I believe Stenson’s fines were somewhere around £1 million. He will have to sit out two months, which, if you look at the DP World Tour schedule, that’s not going to be all that prohibitive for him.
“If you do those two check points you can re-join the DP World Tour. You can apply for membership and play once again in the European circuit. A cynic would say you pay a $1.5 million and all of a sudden you are just trying to get into the good graces of the European Ryder Cup circuit again.
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“Maybe there is an opening and he gets himself back into the team room at least in 2027 at Adare Manor.
“It is really hard for me to imagine after the public embarrassment of Henrik Stenson saying ‘I am not going to go to LIV, my full focus is on the European Ryder Cup team’ and then having to be stripped of the captaincy, it’s really hard for me to imagine a scenario in which he would be the front facing figure again.
“But I sure hope that he’s part of the backroom staff. I think he has a lot of knowledge to impart on the younger players. He has been there and done that. I think the same goes for Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell.
“All of those players I believe in the future should be reincorporated but it is really hard for me to see them being the front-facing figure for the European Ryder Cup team.”
Team Europe had LIV players competing at the Ryder Cup, so it seems hypocritical not to allow them to be part of the backroom team. And with this Stenson news, expect that to change moving forward.
Rex Hoggard says Brooks Koepka has been shown a way to return to the PGA Tour
Stenson’s potential return to the PGA Tour cracks the door open for other LIV stars to migrate back over. Brooks Koepka’s LIV contract ends in 2026, which has left him at the center of speculation as fans wonder if he eyes a PGA Tour return.
It’s been difficult to picture how that would come to fruition. Hudson Swafford was suspended by the PGA Tour until 2027, making it impossible for him to make the move and leaving him in No Man’s Land.
But with Stenson moving back to the DP World Tour, Koepka has perhaps been shown a route back if he wishes to take it.
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Rex Hoggard explained: “I think the part that just gives me hope and should give every golf fan hope is that we have been talking in circles about this for the last three and a half years essentially and there has been no obvious pathway back.
“Certainly the powers that be on the PGA Tour side have not been interested in creating a clear pathway. We kind of know based on what happened with Hudson Swafford, but there is still a lot of grey area involved there.
“What if Brooks Koepka’s contract comes up at the end of next year and he decides not to. How in the world do you bring back Brooks Koepka? Because I would guess the PGA Tour would be motivated to do that. So I think this is only a good thing.”
With LIV’s recent struggles in competing with the PGA Tour, it would be great for the sport if we can see some of the biggest stars like Koepka have the option to return if they wish.
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