USA Today via Reuters
May 15, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Viktor Hovland walks on the eighth green during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
May 15, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Viktor Hovland walks on the eighth green during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Viktor Hovland has remained loyal to the PGA Tour throughout his career. But now, as the LIV Golf’s empire is looking wobbly, the PGA Tour is witnessing several players jump ship in 2026. One of the biggest names to do so has been Brooks Koepka. And while his reinstatement has been quite a drama on its own, Hovland doesn’t seem to be liking the PGA Tour’s latest approach much.
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As Hovland readied himself to play in the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, the 28-year-old Norwegian star criticized the PGA Tour, saying, “I think it just makes the products, the fields better. However, it does kind of put the TOUR in a tricky position now. You’ve said one thing for a long time and now we’re changing things. What precedent are you setting then to the future players now if I can go to a rival tour, get paid, and now seemingly come back again without the biggest consequences.”
He further added, “I don’t really have an opinion on that to be honest. That’s something the TOUR has to figure out. I’m sure there is a lot of people not going to be super happy about that, but at the end of the day I just want to compete against the best players in the world.”
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Sport Bilder des Tages PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Viktor Hovland hits a tee shot on the 6th hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational on February 16, 2023, at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA. Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 16 PGA, Golf Herren – The Genesis Invitational Icon2302160421
However, Hovland looked reluctant to put forth his own take about the incident any further. The 28-year-old clarified that he wanted to focus on his own game at the moment rather than being bothered about what the PGA Tour is trying to do. That being said, Hovland, too, does have a slight history with the LIV Golf.
Back in 2023, Hovland had a marvelous year. He won the 2023 FedEx Cup along with the $18 million bonus. Along with it, Hovland also won the Memorial as well as the second playoff leg of the BMW Championship. Looking at his rising star power, there were rumors about Hovland being offered a lucrative paycheck by the PIF-funded league.
Thankfully for the PGA Tour, Hovland did not seem too interested. He pointed out that LIV Golf’s format of having no cuts did not appeal to him. He also wanted to test his golfing skills playing alongside 150-odd players. Thus, according to Hovland, moving to the LIV Golf might have given him a big paycheck, but would not have improved him as a quality golfer. Meanwhile, another PGA Tour pro expressed shock and disdain at the reinstatement of Brooks Koepka.
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Hideki Matsuyama questions PGA Tour as Koepka returns under the special reinstatement rule
Koepka left the PGA Tour back in 2022. After four years, when he parted ways with LIV Golf and applied for reinstatement under the PGA Tour, the golf world believed that he would have to wait for a year to be back on the tour. However, Brian Rolapp’s Returning Member Program brought back Koepka to the tour in less than a month.
Sharing how he was shocked to hear the news of Koepka’s return, he stated, “I thought, ‘Oh, he’s coming back…’ I guess they took that measure because he had achieved results at LIV. I think it’s pretty amazing that Brooks had the courage to make that decision.”
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Bilder des Tages – SPORT Hideki Matsuyama, OCTOBER 14, 2016 – Golf : Japan Open Golf Championship 2016 at Sayama Golf Club, Saitama, Japan. Second round. Noxthirdxpartyxsales PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxPOLxRUSxSWExFRAxNEDxESPxONLY (mrva132802)
Images the Day Sports Hideki Matsuyama October 14 2016 Golf Japan Open Golf Championship 2016 AT Sayama Golf Club Saitama Japan Second Round NOxTHIRDxPARTYxSALES PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxPOLxRUSxSWExFRAxNEDxESPxONLY
The Returning Member Program is reportedly a one-time initiative introduced by the PGA Tour authority in January 2026. The step was taken particularly to provide a pathway back for elite golfers who previously joined unauthorized tours, aka LIV Golf.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the PGA Tour’s decision, Matsuyama further said, “But I’m puzzled that the PGA didn’t explain anything to the players. At the very least, I didn’t know that such a rule was in place.” Throwing questions directly at the tour, the Japanese pro added, “While there has been a financial hit, what about the non-monetary aspects? What happened to the rule that players who participated in LIV were not allowed to compete [on the PGA Tour] for a year?”
The Returning Member Program, although it has given Koepka a scope to be back on the tour, has given several other LIV Golfers, including the likes of Patrick Reed, Kevin Na, Pat Perez, and Hudson Swafford, will still have to wait to make a return. It’s because the initiative is strictly selective. Golfers who have secured a win in a Major Championship or The Players Championship in the last four years will be considered eligible. Adding to that, the member must not have been affiliated under PGA in the last two years. Koepka luckily checked all the boxes.