Golf legend slams PGA Tour for broken promise to ban LIV defectors for life

Ed Griffiths
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:00:13 +0000

Tom Watson has launched a scathing attack on the PGA Tour's decision to reverse its permanent ban on players who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, following Brooks Koepka's return to American golf.

The legendary golfer, who claimed eight major titles during his career, believes the Tour should have stood firm on its original position.

Koepka, a five-time major champion and the highest-profile defector to the breakaway circuit, stunned the sport in December by terminating his LIV contract with twelve months still remaining.

The 35-year-old's announcement that he would resume competing full-time in the United States prompted officials to amend their regulations.

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To facilitate his comeback, the Tour required Koepka to make a charitable contribution of $5million (£3.75million) and stripped him of eligibility for equity bonuses through to 2030.

Despite these financial penalties, numerous observers within the sport considered the terms overly generous given the significant damage caused by his original departure to the Saudi-funded league.

Watson has made his position unambiguous.

He argued that he would not have permitted Koepka's readmission under any circumstances.

He said: "The Tour made a decision to renege on what they promised when the players left for LIV.

"They felt that the compensation that he’s paid is good enough.

"I thought the LIV players, when they left, they were supposed to be banned for life.

"If I was commissioner, that’s what I would do."

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The golf star added: "I’d say if you’re finished with your contract with LIV Golf and you want to play the PGA Tour again you must play the (second tier) Korn Ferry Tour for a year to qualify for it. They saw it differently.

"When the players left they violated the number one rule that we really had out here, which is to protect the sponsors. Sponsors need players. They need the names to be able to promote their tournaments.

"If the players play wherever they want to play without a conflicting event rule, where you had to seek the permission of the PGA Tour to play in a tournament opposite of a PGA Tour tournament, the sponsors would be hurt by that.

"When the players left for LIV I think it was basically over. They chose to go for the money, which is fine, but to return to the tour, I thought, was a non-starter, but apparently it’s not.”

The split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf represents the biggest fracture in professional golf in decades.

The divide was driven by a battle over money, tradition, and control.

Back in Launched in 2022, LIV Golf disrupted the long-dominant PGA Tour by offering massive guaranteed payouts.