Donald Trump urges LIV Golf players to return to PGA Tour as chaos grows

Jack Otway
Fri, 01 May 2026 12:22:26 +0000

Donald Trump has urged that golfers who defected to LIV Golf should be permitted to return to the PGA Tour, following Saudi Arabia's decision to cease funding the breakaway competition.

The league will continue receiving financial backing through the current season, with Trump National Golf Club Washington DC set to stage a $30million tournament next week.

"I want to see Rory [McIlroy] playing Bryson DeChambeau. I want to see big Jon Rahm playing Scottie Scheffler," the US president stated.

"That's why the Masters was so good, because you saw everybody together."

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Trump emphasised that spectators desire these matchups, adding: "People want to see that. The tour wants to have the best players. You can't have the best players if they're boycotting."

According to the Telegraph, both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have been contacted by numerous agents in recent days seeking clarity on how their clients might regain membership.

Sources suggest a potential mass departure of prominent names back to established circuits, though the process will prove complicated.

Stars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and potentially Cam Smith may be offered a route back to American golf's premier tour.

However, any return would likely mirror the conditions imposed on Brooks Koepka, who was required to donate $5m to charitable causes and accept limitations on his playing schedule before rejoining in January.

Other LIV players without such star power may find themselves with fewer guarantees, forced to navigate an uncertain path back to competitive golf.

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The topic dominated discussions at the Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral, where Jordan Spieth expressed uncertainty about how returning players would be treated.

"If there's a system for Brooks and a system for Patrick Reed [who also left LIV in the close season], does that stay the same for guys in the same category as those two coming back or does it change now?" Spieth questioned.

"Does it change for guys who sued and dropped their membership?"

Brandel Chamblee, the former tour winner who has become one of LIV's most outspoken critics as a Golf Channel analyst, acknowledged that permanent exclusion is not legally viable.

"They can't keep them from coming back," Chamblee said, noting he would be surprised if returning players receive terms as favourable as Koepka or Reed, since those two chose to leave LIV voluntarily rather than being forced out by the league's collapse.

Brian Harman, who claimed the Claret Jug in 2023, offered a more conciliatory perspective on the prospect of golf's warring factions coming back together.

"Time heals all wounds," Harman remarked, whilst acknowledging that lingering resentment remains, particularly concerning legal disputes between players and the tour.

"There's still some sentiment out here, especially with all the lawsuit stuff, that stuff's going to be tough to get past," he admitted.

"But we play with all those guys in the majors, so we probably all think there should be a path back."

DeChambeau's LIV contract expires in August when the season concludes, though Rahm remains tied to the league for another two years, potentially with exit clauses should Saudi backing be withdrawn.