“The rest will have to go to Q-school” - PGA Tour signals limited welcome back for six LIV Golfers

PGA Tour Policy Board player director Webb Simpson has hinted that only six players among the LIV Golf defected professionals will get direct entry to the tour, whereas others will have to return to the qualifying school route.

The PGA Tour's deal with PIF and SSG has a framework agreement deadline of April, and so far, all the signs have been positive for the historic deal. Over the past two seasons, LIV Golf has poached a lot of players from the American Tour with its heavy, attractive deals. Jon Rahm was the most recent and biggest name to switch to the Saudi-backed circuit.

The American Tour has already lost big names like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson. However, in the case of the deal between the two rival circuits, all these players might get direct entry, while the returning players will have to go to qualifying school.

During the PGA Tour Policy Board meeting on Monday, January 26, Simpson shed light on the plans for welcoming back LIV defectors.

He was quoted as saying, via Golfweek:

"What we’re really talking about is probably six players (who Tour will think as desirable). The rest will have to go to Q-school or if they want to do something on the DP World Tour.”

Simpson went on to name Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith as six possible names.

"In terms of a path back for LIV guys, if LIV goes on two more years, you’re only left with five or six guys with any kind of exemption left — two of those being life members in Phil and Dustin. And then you got a few guys like Bryson, Brooks, Rahm and Cam Smith, who were under a major exemption. So I don’t know how that’s all going to work," he added.

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Can LIV golf professionals play on the PGA Tour?

Currently, LIV Golf pros are not allowed to compete on the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour. While all of the players are suspended from competing on the tour, some of the players still hold their DP World Tour membership and can play in a few events on the European Tour. Bernd Wiesberger was one of the players to return to the DP World Tour after playing for a year on the Saudi-backed circuit.

Not playing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour events has other consequences, as the rankings of the LIV-associated players have plummeted with very few chances to gain OWGR points.