People Think The PGA Took A Shot At Phil Mickelson By Setting Up The 'Returning Player Program' To Have Him Miss Eligibility By A Year

We all saw Brooks Koepka come back to the PGA Tour yesterday. It's awesome. It's good news for the PGA Tour because the Tour better, makes fans happier that we get one more golfer back on the one Tour we all watch. Now, laid out in it all was this new Returning Member Program and the rules with it. One of those was welcoming back winners of majors or The Players since 2022. 

Ahh, yes, there it is. Even Phil knows

Look, I don't blame the PGA Tour here. It's all business at this point. Even if only 3 players fit the criteria 

[Source] - On Thursday, Jan. 8, new tour CEO Brian Rolapp convened his leadership board to address not just Koepka's return but the pathway for other LIV defectors. The reassimilation question has divided tour players and officials since negotiations began with LIV's financial backer, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, over two years ago. Part of the resistance stems from players who resigned or abandoned their memberships, and lingering resentment toward LIV players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tour in August 2022 (Koepka wasn't among them). But the fundamental issue is simpler: The tour wants only three LIV players back—Koepka (for his major championship prowess), Jon Rahm (for competitive credibility), and Bryson DeChambeau (for commercial appeal). The PIF/LIV contingent pushed for broader roster integration and preservation of the LIV brand. After a March 2025 White House meeting collapsed, substantive negotiations ceased.

Yeah, those are the 3 names that everyone is kind of looking at. Kind hilarious Cam Smith just isn't even mentioned. The guy won The Open in 2022. He was one of the better golfers in the world before he went to LIV and his game went to shit. I know he wants to be around Australia more, but when he had it rolling the dude was so much fun to watch, especially around the green.

 I still think if Hatton, and Niemann want to come back, they'll find a way to find a loophole. Yeah, it's having your cake and eating it too, but it's business. I don't give a shit if these guys made a ton of money and now want to come back. I just want to watch all these guys on one tour again, making regular tournaments awesome again. I just want to be entertained. I love golf (see: old man, live in suburbs) and I don't give a shit about turning on a LIV Tournament. Does nothing for me. Now, Rahm is saying he's not coming back: 

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Bryson is up in the air

Now, Phil was never coming back. They could have this set up for major winners dating back to 1990 and Phil wasn't coming back. But, this has to be a direct shot, right? That or it's just when LIV became a thing and they went 5 years for everything else. Either way, it's something people would obviously run with. 

PS: Still plays

PPS: I still can't believe Phil won at Kiawah at 50 years old. One of the wilder major wins I can remember watching.