Brian Rolapp’s approach to the PGA Tour has always been unique. You might say it’s far better than Jay Monahan, primarily focusing on growing the Tour financially and otherwise. One way to achieve that is by featuring the best golfers. With the PIF pulling back its funding from LIV Golf, Rolapp gets a unique opportunity to turn his dream into a reality. But uncertainty still brews in his mind…

“I don’t know what the circumstances are (around the LIV Golf/PIF situation). Once there’s clarity, we’ll cross that bridge, and we’ll get to it. But we’re clearly not there yet,” Rolapp told Trey Wingo.

It’s evident how the PGA Tour CEO’s mind works. But he may be up against a challenge that former PGA Tour CEO Jay Monahan orchestrated during his time as the decision-maker: LIV Golfers are banned from the Tour and would need a one-year suspension to return. Patrick Reed is living that reality now, even though his return in the last quarter of 2026 is imminent. But Rolapp didn’t close the door entirely.

After Brooks Koepka‘s arrival, he introduced the Returning Member Program, giving a lifeline to the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith. However, the short deadline passed, and the doors were closed once again. That begs one question: With many looking to make a return, would Rolapp alter the status quo once again? I explore some ways he can:

Take inspiration from the Europeans

Despite its players leaving for LIV Golf, the DP World Tour didn’t restrict its players from playing in Europe like the PGA Tour. Players like Rahm, Patrick Reed, and Sergio Garcia got the opportunity to participate in the Race to Dubai. However, they did enforce one clause: They needed to play a minimum number of events every year. If they didn’t, the European Tour fined them.

Reed has maintained his membership in the DP World Tour by consistently playing in Europe. But besides him, all the top golfers have been fined, including Garcia, Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter, and Henrik Stenson. Ironically, Reed is the only American on the list. He is also the only one who has found the most success in Europe ever since he left for LIV Golf.

Some big names did revoke their membership from the European Tour. If LIV Golf goes down, they will be left without a league. In this situation, if the PGA Tour offers them a path to return by paying fines, they would be eager to take it. And Rolapp should happily give them a way.

Garcia is a former Masters Tournament champion, Rahm is a two-time major winner, Poulter is a veteran in the game, Stenson dominated the Tour during his prime, and Hatton is one of the most enthusiastic players on the roster. There are many others in the list who can bring more excitement to the PGA Tour product. As such, the filter fr LIV Golf to select these players can now be the reason why the Tour can bring them back.

When Koepka returned to the PGA Tour, he also paid the penalties. He was asked to pay as much as $85 million. However, he later revealed that he was happy to pay the fines if he got a ticket to immediately return to the Tour. Some of the LIV Golf pros might anticipate a similar condition put in front of them.

Rolapp has always stated that he was only eager to sign back the top names in LIV Golf. So he might extend such a lucrative deal to players like DeChambeau, Rahm, Hatton, and a few other big names. Then what can the other players do?

How others can weave their way into the Tour

Many experts have shared their opinions on how the PGA Tour should treat the LIV Golf players if things fall apart. Alan Shipnuck had the strongest opinion about it.

“Now it’s time for payback. It’s time for retribution, vengeance. That’s on the menu here. The Tour owes nothing to these guys. They might carve out a very specific criterion where they could bring back Bryson and Jon Rahm because they’re stars who have value to the Tour. Everybody else is SOL. Love lost.

“And I can assure you, and I’ve talked to some folks in Ponte Vedra Beach at tour headquarters; they are enjoying this with great gusto. They have won the war,” Shipnuck told ESPN’s Rich Eisen.

While retribution is certainly an option, I believe Rolapp might not be swayed by it. There are two primary reasons behind this:

First, he is still relatively new to the PGA Tour. He doesn’t have any grudges with LIV Golf or Greg Norman that might hold him back. He views the league as a competitor, one that helps him compete. Speaking of competition, his second reason is that he is a businessman to the core. Rolapp’s primary goal will be profitability. Hence, vengeance might not even cross his mind. And as the CEO of the PGA Tour, that is the only path to take instead of being driven by other motives.

EssentiallySports also addressed the situation based on the most popular demands stated by the community. In an Instagram post, we suggested that the players should face a heavy financial penalty, equity loss, public admission acknowledging the impact of leaving the Tour, and a potential one-year suspension. Maybe there are some other ways the PGA Tour can penalize returning LIV Golf players.

I believe that’s still a bit too harsh, though.

Not every player who moved to LIV Golf had a vendetta against the PGA Tour. Apart from the 11 led by Phil Mickelson, others should get the opportunity to earn their place.

Setting the priorities straight

The PGA Tour’s primary goal would be to attract every LIV Golf player back, even if it doesn’t plan to retain them immediately. I believe they should find a solution to give them a fair shot at earning their PGA Tour card would be wise.

Of course, Brian Rolapp’s strategy would focus on bringing back Rahm and DeChambeau. While the former will be more open to return, the latter might have other plans. DeChambeau is planning to move away from full-time professional golf. In fact, Brody Miller from The Athletic reported that he and his team spent a part of Masters week meeting with organizations to discuss possible options if he chose to leave LIV.

Considering his success on YouTube, DeChambeau’s switch to a full-time content creator doesn’t seem outlandish.

As far as other players go, Rolapp will need to decide where things stand with each of them. He can segregate each player into different categories and understand who fits where. Not everyone might get the same opportunities as the most appealing prospects on LIV Golf.

Mid-season Q-School

Not everyone will qualify for immediate reinstatement from Brian Rolapp’s office. Players like Talor Gooch (4 LIV Golf wins), Dustin Johnson (3 LIV Golf wins), Joaquin Niemann (7 LIV Golf wins), & Co. might not attract the same interest as Rahm & Co. However, they did showcase amazing strokeplay during their time at LIV Golf.

Rolapp will need to find a way to ensure he doesn’t treat other pros unfairly. A way he can do that is by hosting a special mid-season Q-School event. In a field packed with LIV Golf players, the PGA Tour CEO can allow them to earn a PGA Tour card for the rest of the season and beyond.

Koepka’s arrival has created an imbalance in the PGA Tour roster as it is. They allowed two alternate players to join the field whenever he was participating. Considering that the Tour will have a few immediate signings, the Q-School event can balance out that gap to ensure the field is even again.

The winner and maybe two more golfers from the top of the leaderboard can earn a membership depending on the requirements. And they shouldn’t allow any ties beyond that. If there are ties for the second and third place, then they could resolve it with playoffs.

I believe that would give everyone who is not DeChambeau or Rahm a fair shot at an immediate return. The others can follow the one-year suspension and earn their membership. Rolapp can also open the doors for the Korn Ferry Tour for them. A version of this layout will help the Tour keep the situation under control, and they might face a lot less backlash from the golf community.