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With LIV Golf's Saudi funding drying up, players like Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith are stuck in a legal limbo. They'll likely have to earn their way back to the PGA Tour by performing well in Europe in 2027, as the PGA Tour insists on merit-based entry and has no plans to revive the amnesty program used by Brooks Koepka.
Jon Rahm plays a shot from a bunker during a practice round prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty ImagesThe increasing likelihood is players such as Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton will have to play their way back on to the PGA Tour through performances in Europe in 2027 in what would represent a boost to the The removal of LIV's Saudi Arabian funding beyond this year has left the business seeking to launch a 2.0 version.
Huge deals with players such as Rahm and Smith will no longer be sustainable. Yet, technically, these golfers are still LIV employees. Rahm said at Wentworth on Tuesday that "there is a long legal process they have to go through before a lot of things fall into place". Golfers are, for now, at the behest of courts and bankruptcy proceedings.
Whenever that is complete, the expectation is of a mass exodus back to the PGA Tour. Shane Lowry 'back to myself' and ready to drive on after stunning Irish Open victory Shane Lowry: 'It's not just a transactional thing for me any more where you get a logo, do a day and get paid'Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour's commissioner, says his organisation has no plans to reintroduce the sort of scheme Brooks Koepka took advantage of when returning from LIV at the start of this year.
Koepka was reintroduced in return for sporting and financial sacrifices. Others opted not to take that opportunity.
"The PGA Tour is built on meritocracy," Rolapp said. "Every player, whether they are a member or want to become one, must earn their place. Two, we are a membership organisation; we have rules and those rules exist for lots of reasons, including fairness and competitive balance. Rules matter, and they must be enforced.
"Which brings me to number three, accountability and discipline. These are essential elements for any sports league and are certainly for the integrity of the PGA Tour and the sport. It's what holds the Tour together. Those are guiding principles for us.
In terms of where we are today, we are not currently contemplating a returning-member programme like the one you saw in January.
" The PGA Tour is trying to determine how cards can be earned from the DP World Tour in future. Tiers of competition will soon be created on the PGA Tour. Also at Wentworth,insisted those progressing from Europe should feed into the top level Championship Series in the US.
"I don't see any reason why a DP World Tour player would go to the Challenger Series," McIlroy said. "I don't see that as an upward move in your career. I see it as a very lateral move. So it would just be, okay, how many cards is reasonable to give to the DP World Tour for the Championship Series?
I would imagine that is what the ongoing discussions are.
" On that specific topic, Rolapp said: "We have not determined what the DP World Tour cards will be, as of yet. That's under discussion. I don't see any scenarios where there's no Championship Series cards.
" - GuardianLiam Nolan got a taste for the big time at the Irish Open. Now he's chasing more of itShane Lowry: 'It's not just a transactional thing for me anymore'Nairobi to host first World Athletics Championships in Africa in 2029Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
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