In March 2025, rumors circulated that LIV Golfers Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau might return to the PGA Tour. Fast forward to December, and one of them was already out of the PIF-backed Saudi league. While DeChambeau may have denied the speculations back then, there is a possibility of his return. But the looming question remains: Will they face a suspension? Yesterday, Rory McIlroy suggested they shouldn’t for one interesting reason.

“I think they’ve already paid their consequence. They’ve made the money, but they’ve paid their consequence in terms of the reputation and some of the things they’ve lost by going over there,” McIlroy told Gary Neville and his co-hosts on Stick to Football on The Overlap.

“If it made the overall tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it. But it’s not just me, and I recognize that not everyone is in my position. It would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision.”

According to the PGA Tour, any golfer who has played in an unauthorized event will face a 1-year ban from the date of their playing if they wish to return. So, even though Koepka has left the LIV Golf and returned to his Florida home, he cannot participate in the US circuit’s 2026 season.

By this rule, Koepka can reapply for PGA Tour membership after August 15, 2026, as he last played in LIV Golf’s Indianapolis event from August 15 to 17, 2025. However, he can still participate in all of the majors because of his 2023 PGA Championship win. However, apart from the Northern Irishman, many have suggested allowing Koepka to play from the new season itself.

Harry Higgs was one of the first to give his vote, literally, to let Koepka and like to return since it would make the game more interesting. However, the PGA Tour released a vague statement that did not hint at what their decision might be.

Brooks Koepka joined the LIV Golf in 2022 and was earning a handsome salary from the PIF-backed circuit. Due to his slumping performances and personal reasons, however, he voided the contract that would have originally completed in 2026. Many now predict that DeChambeau, who has also missed playing alongside the likes of Scottie Scheffler and more, can follow suit.

But there’s a catch for the PGA Tour if they do want to become flexible for their two star players, as suggested by Smylie Kaufman.

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There have been rumors about how the tour might consider Koepka’s situation and waive off his suspension. But, analyzing the matter, Kaufman stated that such a step will make the Tour enter some murky waters.

“l just don’t see how they’re going to be able to finagle this to where they’re not going to get sued right back by whether it’s Wesley or Hudson on what their ruling was. So if they’ve already set the precedent that it’s a one-year suspension, then they probably have to keep it there,” said Kaufman.

The PGA Tour has already suspended the likes of Hudson Swafford and Wesley Bryan, who were handed two-year suspensions, respectively. Thus, bending the rules suddenly for Koepka might not come without consequences. However, some have also pointed out that the star power that Koepka and DeChambeau carry might help the US circuit gain more popularity and attention that it has been seeking for some time now. But it remains to be seen what the PGA Tour’s final verdict will be.