Three of LIV Golf’s biggest names confirm they’re returning to rebel golf circuit

Brooks Koepka may be headed back to the PGA Tour after the golf circuit reinstated the LIV Golf defector, but Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith have no plans of following suit. 

DeChambeau and Rahm both confirmed they would be with LIV Golf this season — the American golfer did not commit to anything beyond 2026 — during a press event in West Palm Beach Wednesday, and Smith said he would remain with the Saudi-backed golf league “for years to come.”

Curiosity about the star golfers’ future in LIV Golf spiked after the PGA Tour offered a pathway for certain players in the rival golf circuit to return to the circuit. 

Bryson DeChambeau is sticking with LIV Golf for 2026. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post

The “Returning Member Program” allowed players who won a major or Players Championship between 2022 and 2025 to return to the PGA Tour, meaning Koepka, DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith fit the criteria. 

Koepka’s return put the spotlight on the other three with the window to take advantage of the program closing on Feb. 2. 

“I’m contracted through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” DeChambeau said matter-of-factly on Tuesday. 

Rahm echoed a similar statement when he was asked about it on Tuesday. 

“I’m not planning on going anywhere,” he said. “I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league and my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again.”

Rahm has been consistent with his comments about LIV Golf and his happiness in the league, shooting down rumors to The Post in a conversation in 2024 that he wasn’t happy with his decision, saying claims to the contrary had “zero validity.” 

Smith also reaffirmed his commitment to LIV, saying that he stands by his decision to go to LIV Golf and that he’ll be on the circuit “for the years to come.”

DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open winner, did seem to leave the door open for a departure from LIV after this year. 

He is currently in negotiations with LIV Golf on a new contract for 2027 and beyond, and his comments on Tuesday repeatedly expressed excitement about the golf season for this year. 

In an interview with Todays Golfer published on Tuesday, DeChambeau said he had “no idea what’s going to happen in a year” but promised to try and find a deal that makes “sense for both sides.” 

Jon Rahm Getty Images

He did appear to have some fun with the whole situation, posting on his Instagram Story a picture of himself near an exit sign with a question box for his followers to answer the question, “What would you do?”

“There’s this new viral trend around exit signs, so I just wanted to show that off in a new way,” DeChambeau said when he was asked about it on Tuesday. 

Koepka made headlines this week, announcing that he would be returning to the PGA Tour, but he will do so with some hefty penalties coming his way for defecting to Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022. 

As part of the “Returning Member Program,” he agreed to “strict limitations,” which include “a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program,” and Koepka will make a $5 million charitable donation.