Jon Rahm doesn't know if he has 'path back' to PGA Tour from LIV in 2027, is willing to accept same penalties as Brooks Koepka

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

Rahm spoke with media on Tuesday for the first time since his decision to leave LIV Golf. He'd like to play on the PGA Tour in 2027, but he's not sure if he has a "path back."

If he doesn't, Rahm says that he'll 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 unclear on his 'path back' to PGA Tour

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'd likely be willing to accept the same penalties that Brooks Koepka did upon his return to the tour from LIV Golf. But he doesn't 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."

"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's return came at a cost of up to $85 million in earnings

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 approximately $50-85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour. "At the request of the PGA Tour, Brooks has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly."

"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 approximately $50-85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour.

"At the request of the PGA Tour, Brooks has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly."

Patrick Reed's path includes DP World Tour and equity penalty

Koepka was the only player to return from LIV Golf under those terms before the Feb. 2 expiration date the PGA Tour set on its "Returning Members Program." Rahm would have qualified for the program's terms due to his 2023 Masters win had he chosen to accept them when they were offered.

Patrick Reed was not eligible for the "Returning Member's Program." Instead, he left the LIV tour in Aug. 2025, and has since been playing the DP World Tour as he served what was essentially a one-year suspension, which ended on Aug. 25. He's ranked No. 2 as of Tuesday and has officially earned his PGA Tour card. When he returns to the PGA Tour, he'll be subject to the same forfeiture of the player equity program as Koepka.

Rahm on Tuesday floated skipping the DP Tour World Tour path that Reed is taking, but is understandably skeptical in the PGA Tour's interest in such a proposal.

Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, has indicated that he plans to take part in LIV Golf 2.0. DeChambeau has arguably been the league's most prominent player and was also eligible for the PGA Tour's "Returning Members Program."

The penalties for returning LIV golfers are in place due to the significant rift caused by players defecting from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf starting in 2022. LIV was an upstart golf league offering lucrative pay packages to siphon players off the PGA Tour in a threat to the U.S. tour's health and bottom line.

The initial iteration of LIV Golf was funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, bringing with it concerns of sportswashing the nation's human rights violations . The fund has since withdrawn its financial support, putting LIV Golf's future in peril.