Jon Rahm Says Yes to Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour Return Deal

Jon Rahm once made it clear that Brooks Koepka's decision to return to the PGA Tour would not change his own plans.

He was happy with LIV Golf and had no intention of leaving.

But ten months later, the Spaniard is looking at a very different future.

With LIV facing bankruptcy and Rahm out of the league, he has now admitted that he would most likely accept the same penalties Koepka did to return to the PGA Tour.

Rahm addressed the possibility at his first press conference since his LIV exit, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Asked about his plans for 2027, he revealed that he had yet to speak with the PGA Tour about a possible route back.

“As of right now, I really don’t know what 2027 is going to look like for me, right?” Rahm said.

“So I have yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there’s any path back for next year.

“So I don’t know, as of right now…

“Obviously Brooks was able to go back through certain circumstances.

“I don’t know if the possibility of that would be open for me or not, but if I have to fulfill a one-year suspension, I think it’s a pretty good position to be in that worst-case scenario; I get to play on a wonderful tour for a whole year.”

When asked whether he would accept the same terms as Koepka, Rahm was clear.

“Most likely, yeah. Why not?”

Rahm said at his Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship press conference.

“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.”

That is a notable change from January.

When the PGA Tour introduced its Returning Member Program, Rahm was among four LIV players eligible to apply.

Yet, he had no interest in following Koepka.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere,” Rahm said at LIV’s media day in Palm Beach on January 13.

“I wish Brooks the best.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league and my team this year.”

The program covered players who had won the Players Championship or a major between 2022 and 2025.

Alongside Koepka, that included Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith.

But returning came at a steep price: a $5 million charitable donation, five years without Player Equity Program payouts and no FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026.

Rolapp estimated that the equity forfeiture alone could cost Koepka between $50 million and $85 million.

None of the other three accepted the offer before the February 2 deadline.

There was also a key difference between Koepka and Rahm.

Koepka had already left LIV on December 23, 2025, before applying to return.

Rahm announced on October 7 that he was leaving LIV Golf amid the league's bankruptcy hearings and financial uncertainty as it transitions to LIV Golf 2.0.

Where he plays next, he is not sure.

Rahm spoke with media on Tuesday for the first time since his decision to leave LIV Golf.

He would like to play on the PGA Tour in 2027, but he is not sure if he has a "path back."

If he does not, Rahm says that he will play next year on the DP World Tour, Europe's top men's professional golf league.

The top 10 players at the end of a DP World Tour season earn a PGA Tour card.

Rahm made his comments from Yas Links in Abu Dhabi for a stop on the DP World Tour Playoffs.

“I have yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there's any path back for next year,” Rahm said, per Golf Week.

“So I don't know, as of right now.

“Until I get clarity on that, yeah, my plan would be to spend the year on the DP World Tour, and I'm looking forward to it.”

What a path back to the PGA Tour absent earning his way on the DP World Tour would look like is unclear.

When asked, Rahm said that he would likely be willing to accept the same penalties that Brooks Koepka did upon his return to the tour from LIV Golf.

But he does not expect to receive that offer.

“Most likely, yeah. Why not?”

Rahm said of returning under the same terms as Koepka.

“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.”

Koepka announced his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf in January via the Tour's "Returning Members Program."

At the time, the PGA Tour offered immediate reinstatement to a select group of players who had won either the Players Championship, Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or British Open Championship between 2022 and 2025.

The reinstatement offer came with substantial penalties including a five-year forfeiture of participation in the player equity program, worth up to an estimated $85 million in earnings for a player of Koepka's caliber.

The PGA Tour outlined those penalties upon Koepka's return.

"Its strict limitations, which Brooks has agreed to, include a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour's player equity program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on up to $85 million," the Tour stated.

Rahm's change of heart reflects the rapidly shifting landscape of professional golf.

LIV Golf, launched in 2022 with massive financial backing from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has faced mounting financial troubles.

The league filed for bankruptcy and is now restructuring under the banner of LIV Golf 2.0.