Jon Rahm left LIV Golf. That was LIV’s problem, but now it could be the PGA Tour’s. Where the biggest names go next has pushed the conversation straight into the locker room, and Xander Schauffele gave a candid read on just how divided it is.
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Speaking to the press at Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, a reporter noted that the PGA Tour has said it doesn’t plan to let these players back. He asked Xander Schauffele whether that would hold or end in a compromise.
“I’ve got no idea,” Schauffele said. “There are 225 with Tour cards, and if you sat down and interviewed all of them, you’re going to get probably three or four boxes of how guys feel. Some don’t care. Some guys are really ticked off. Some guys want them to have a huge fine. Some guys would let them back tomorrow.”
Moreover, CEO Brian Rolapp confirmed there are no plans to revive the pathway that previously allowed players like Brooks Koepka to return under specific conditions.
“Where I stand in those boxes, I really don’t know. I’m sort of, I’m in the sort of, I try to mind my own business most times,” Schauffele added.
While the read is blunt, the discussions and “ticked-off” expressions aren’t out of the blue. When LIV launched in 2022, it didn’t just add a rival tour; it also divided players. Some on the PGA Tour disagreed with the money and the ideals behind the league, and the tour suspended those who left.
On the other side, the players who left pushed back just as hard. Sergio Garcia, for one, was caught on camera after a rules dispute at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, saying he couldn’t wait to leave the tour.
But now, with LIV in bankruptcy, the players are left with little option but to find themselves another tour to continue their careers on.
That being said, why does Xander Schauffele want to stay out of the discussions? Well, partly because it’s a diplomatic answer with no safe reply. But it also fits his usual pattern of response. On LIV players returning, he has mostly stayed neutral. In 2024, he said his guess was that “we would all be playing together again,” and that he had no regrets about playing.
Additionally, when Brooks Koepka made it back to the Tour in January, Schauffele said it ‘helps bolster the Tour.’
On Rahm’s exit, Xander Schauffele was equally measured. He said Rahm is doing what’s best for himself, guessing he’ll now play on the DP World Tour and wondering whether the Tour has offered him a spot like the earlier window.
The path back to the PGA Tour could be more complicated than simply leaving LIV Golf. Patrick Reed and Pat Perez have already parted ways with the breakaway league without securing immediate reinstatement. Reed has instead returned to the DP World Tour, winning twice in 2026 while targeting a PGA Tour comeback in 2027. Sergio Garcia and David Puig have also explored routes through the European circuit
With that in mind, the competition on the DP World Tour has been ever-increasing. Next in line is Eugenio Chacarra, another LIV alumnus with a staple 2026. Add Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia possibly, and those 10 cards get a lot harder to win.
For now, only Sergio Garcia’s return to the PGA Tour is a possibility, but Jon Rahm’s position is still undetermined. Whether the Tour holds its line or locker rooms three or four boxes lead to a compromise remains to be seen.