LIV Golf's most outspoken critic took one last jab before the controversial golf league called it quits.
"They turned professional golf into an arms race," McIlroy declared earlier this week, right before LIV officials waved the proverbial white flag.
LIV Golf changed how the PGA Tour had to conduct business and divided the sport into competing tours. Now, after LIV abandoned plans for a player-owned relaunch and announced it will wind down operations, the world's best golfers could soon play in the same tournaments against one another outside of just the four majors again.
But the path back to the PGA Tour isn't likely to be a direct one even for LIV Golf's biggest stars. The league's collapse leaves Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and many other
former LIV players facing uncertain futures for the 2027 season and beyond.
Here's more on what LIV Golf's demise means for the PGA Tour, and the process LIV golfers may face in trying to return.
What's next for Bryson DeChambeau?
DeChambeau was already the most intriguing free agent in golf because his LIV Golf contract expired after the 2026 season. But the next move in his career is even more of a mystery after LIV's demise.
The 33-year-old had previously expressed hope that LIV 2.0 would move forward and he could continue to play all of golf's majors through his current exemptions. He has also suggested in the past that he could simply focus on his popular YouTube channel and that any potential return to the PGA Tour would depend in part on whether current players are willing to welcome him back.
DeChambeau is scheduled to play on the DP World Tour in December for the first time in six years, and his management team has been in contact with DP World Tour officials about more appearances. Performing well on the DP World Tour is a path to earning PGA Tour membership for the 2028 season.
However, DeChambeau has yet to apply for DP World Tour membership. The deadline to do so is Nov. 16.
Can LIV golfers return to the PGA Tour?
Yes, but the path back is not immediate.
Under current PGA Tour policy, former LIV golfers must serve a one-year suspension before becoming eligible to return. That was the route taken by former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who became eligible to compete in PGA Tour events as a non-member in August after leaving LIV Golf following the 2025 season.
Reed spent 2026 competing on the DP World Tour and is positioned to earn PGA Tour membership for 2027. The DP World Tour could become a landing spot for several former LIV stars in the coming year, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, as they pursue a return to the PGA Tour.
Golfers who finish inside the top-10 of the DP World Tour season-long standings are eligible to join the PGA Tour the next year. Beyond the DP World Tour, former LIV golfers can also work their way back to through the PGA Tour's new Challenger Series in 2028, through a top-20 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour and/or a top-five showing at the PGA Tour's Q-School.
Why didn't Brooks Koepka have to wait for PGA Tour return?
Koepka is the only golfer to this point who jumped from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf to then return without having to serve a one-year suspension.
Koepka was reinstated ahead of the 2026 season through the PGA Tour's temporary Returning Member Program for golfers who "have been away from the (PGA) Tour for at least two years and have won The Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or The Open Championship during the 2022-2025 seasons."
Koepka's penalties included not being eligible for any payment from the FedExCup bonus program for the 2026 season or from the player equity program through 2030. He could miss out on approximately $50-85 million in potential equity earnings, according to the PGA Tour, depending on his competitive performance and the Tour's growth. Koepka also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution to an agreed-upon organization.
Reed, like Koepka, is also ineligible to participate in the PGA Tour's lucrative Player Equity Program through 2030.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp set a deadline for the initial Returning Member Program, and DeChambeau, Rahm and Cameron Smith were all eligible to apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour based on recent major wins. Rolapp has since indicated the program was a one-time offer and no longer an option.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LIV Golf is done. What it means for the PGA Tour and former LIV stars
