Jon Rahm: Willing to take penalties for potential PGA Tour return

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  Mark SchlabachNov 3, 2026, 07:10 AM ET

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  • Senior college football writer
  • Author of seven books on college football
  • Graduate of the University of Georgia

Two-time major champion Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he's willing to accept the same penalties that Brooks Koepka had to return to the PGA Tour, but he isn't sure he'll be offered the same deal after leaving the LIV Golf League.

Rahm, who declined to participate in LIV Golf 2.0, said he hasn't yet had discussions with the PGA Tour about a potential return because of the recent birth of his fourth child.

If Rahm isn't allowed to play on the PGA Tour until after serving a one-year suspension, which is the punishment former Masters champion Patrick Reed and others faced after leaving LIV Golf, Rahm said he's prepared to compete on the DP World Tour in 2027.

"With the PGA Tour, things are a little bit different," Rahm told reporters Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. "I haven't been able to speak to them yet. Until things are finalized, which should be hopefully soon, and then we'll see.

"I don't know what is in store for us. We know what they did with Brooks. This is different circumstances. I don't know what things are going to look like. But it's a pretty good safety net to have that I can play the DP World Tour next year, and if it comes to that, I'm really excited to play for a full year."

In January, Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under a new Returning Member Program, which allowed LIV golfers who have been away from the tour for at least two years -- and who won the Players Championship or one of the four majors (the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship) since 2022 -- to return under certain conditions and with severe financial penalties.

As part of Koepka's conditions to return, the five-time major champion agreed to forfeit any player equity shares for the next five years and wasn't eligible for the $100 million FedEx Cup bonus program in 2026. Koepka, at the PGA Tour's request, also agreed to make a $5 million donation to charity.

Other LIV golfers who were eligible to return included Rahm, 2024 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and 2022 Players Championship and Open Championship winner Cameron Smith. Each of them decided to remain with LIV Golf.

When announcing Koepka's return, PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp called the program a "one-time, defined window" and "not a precedent for future situations." Rolapp has since said that the tour has no plans to bring back the program.

On Tuesday, Rahm said he's willing to do exactly what Koepka did to come back.

"Most likely, yeah," Rahm said. "Why not? Yeah, but it's a big if. I seriously doubt I get offered the same deal that Brooks did. But yeah, if I got offered exactly the same penalties as him, I probably would do it, yes."

Rahm, who was captain of the Legion XIII team, reached a separation agreement with LIV Golf on Oct. 15. He purportedly walked away from more than $100 million that was still owed to him.

"I would say I can only reflect on those three years as a positive," Rahm said. "It was a wonderful experience. Played a lot of good golf. Obviously, individually and as a team, we did great. As much as I liked the project and the idea on, let's say, LIV 1.0, I wasn't thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0, and I just wasn't willing to follow that path. It wasn't anything special, anything that stood out. I just didn't like what they were going with 2.0."

While Rahm and others have said they won't return to LIV 2.0, DeChambeau indicated in a recent podcast that he might be willing to come back if the league survives.

LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sept. 8 after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund ceased its funding in April. The league has secured a $300 million deal with BC Partners, but the agreement is contingent on LIV Golf securing a certain number of golfers.

"The business model makes a lot of sense," DeChambeau told the "Figuring Out" podcast. "And we're actually working through that right now for this new model where it will make full financial sense. It's no funny business, no nothing. It's going to be done right, and this is going to be a league, hopefully, that exists forever."

A LIV Golf lawyer told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge that the league would know by end of October whether it would move forward with LIV 2.0 or begin winding down operations.