The simmering tension between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has taken yet another dramatic turn. And this time, with a former Korn Ferry Tour pro caught in the crossfire. Ollie Schniederjans has suddenly found himself at the center of an escalating power struggle. But why? 

The PGA Tour has handed Schniederjans a multi-year ban from all its sanctioned events, shutting him out of Monday qualifiers, Q School, and any potential path back into its ecosystem. Such a severity has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Ollie Schniederjans has been punished by the PGA Tour for helping out as a backup player on the LIV Golf League this season. Because of that, the PGA Tour has banned him for several years from all its events. Many golfers have left their previous affiliations for LIV Golf. But it did not always come with major restrictive consequences. Many even have returned to Tour-affiliated events through loopholes or negotiated pathways. But for Schniederjans, who wasn’t even a full-time member, the hammer dropped swiftly. His decision to simply fill in as a reserve for LIV Golf this season has triggered one of the Tour’s harshest disciplinary actions yet. 

Following a recent update, Schniederjans spoke to Flushing It Golf at the PIF Saudi International. He stated, “I resigned my membership after the suspensions once I realized it was only harming me to remain a member. As it stands, I am under the impression that I am banned for at least two, possibly three years due to the LIV events I participated in before officially resigning my membership. I would have resigned sooner had I known that the penalty would be one year per LIV event I participated in.”

While Ollie expressed his dissatisfaction with the PGA, he also mentioned, “But I’m happy to be playing in the International Series and fully focused on LIV Golf.” What makes this situation even more surprising is that Schniederjans hasn’t been a full-time PGA Tour player since 2019. He was not leaving the PGA Tour for LIV, nor was he a current Tour member. This season has been particularly successful for Ollie; he won the International Series India on the Asian Tour, which significantly boosted his career. Following that victory, Phil Mickelson selected him as a reserve player for the HyFlyers team at the first LIV Golf event of the season.

Schneiderjans continued, “It’s been a lot of learning about what I need to do going forward. I experienced a setback earlier in the year, and I have had more to learn this season. I feel like I have a much better chance to perform well next year, and I’m optimistic about my potential. Today was a disappointing day, but I’ve been healthy and working hard, so I have that opportunity, which is all I can ask for.”

Reflecting on the situation, golf journalist Bob Harig shared, “They are clearly treating people with any membership status differently than non-members. His perceived mistake seems to be that he didn’t resign his membership, even though his status as a past champion on the Korn Ferry Tour basically only allowed him to Monday qualify.”

Schneiderjans concluded his thoughts by stating, “I feel like it’s close to being where it needs to be to achieve something really good. It’s hard to describe how things feel. Sometimes it’s really close, sometimes it feels far away. I would say that I could be in a good position by then.” As it appears, the 32-year-old American is not alone in his situation.

Top Stories

Rory McIlroy Leaves Tiger Woods Behind With Unique Record No Golfer Has Ever Achieved

Phil Mickelson Quietly Helps NFL Legend Undergo Urgent Surgery: ‘I’m So Happy’

‘Pretty Pissed’: Harris English Finally Admits Frustration Over Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup Decision

LPGA Commitments Take a Heavy Toll on Lexi Thompson’s Health Despite Her Semi-Retired Status

Brooke Henderson Sets the Season Finale Tone With Unreal Putt at CME Group Tour Championship R1

38-year-old American golfer reveals PGA roadblocks delaying his return until 2027

The tussle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has, on several occasions, impacted the careers of golfers. While the abovementioned story gives a sneak peek, the story of Hudson Swafford will further enlighten on the same lines. Swafford had a tough time playing in the LIV Golf. After playing in the Saudi-based league for three years, he was relegated from the league. However, while he thought that he would be able to rejoin the PGA immediately, things turned out to be a bit complicated. 

As per the reports, Swafford will not be allowed to return to the Tour before 2027. Speaking about the same, the golfer pointed out that he was slapped with a suspension of five years by the PGA when he initially signed up for LIV Golf back in 2022. The 37-year-old has won three times on the PGA Tour. Recently, sharing his experience, Swafford explained on the Golf.com ‘Subpar Podcast’ that he “had some good back and forth with the PGA Tour, but then some wishy-washy. It’s still not set in stone.” He also said that the PGA has penalized him for a year each for all of five LIV events he has played. 

And that was not all. Further breaking down his own suspension timeline, Swafford believes that the PGA might be waiting for a lot of other LIV golfers’ contracts to expire in 2027, too. “I know they’re basing that on a couple people’s contracts being up after the ’26 season,” Swafford said, referring to LIV golfers. “So then they can kind of change the rules in favor of everybody coming back.” Surely, it is evident that things are hard for the LIV athletes transitioning to the PGA at the moment. Now, fans cannot wait to see what happens next.