The PGA TOUR and Brian Rolapp Threaded the Needle With the RMP

It was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room when Brooks Koepka announced his split from LIV Golf. All eyes turned to the PGA TOUR and the man in charge, Brian Rolapp, to see if they had what it took to deliver on the promise of evolving the circuit to maximize fan interest.

But welcoming back the five-time major champion with open arms was a lot more complicated than simply opening the door.

Since the hypothetical of LIV players returning became a common talking point, some TOUR members have been outspoken about their lack of hospitality. The overall message was clear: you chose the lucrative contracts and everything that comes along with them, so what gives you the right to have your cake and eat it too?

Now, there was never a world where their disloyalty would go unpunished, but some sort of pathway back to Ponte Vedra was inevitable. Rolapp and company had to find a way to thread the needle, and they did exactly that with the “Returning Members Program.”

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The RMP provides high-achieving non-members an opportunity to return, but it comes with a considerable financial penalty. A player who chooses to come back will not earn equity from the Player Equity Program for five years and will not receive any payment from the FedExCup Bonus Program in 2026. In Koepka’s case, the TOUR estimates this number to fall somewhere between $50 and $80 million—thank God for that giant LIV check he signed a few years back, right? In addition, the TOUR requested that Koepka make a $5 million charitable donation.

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Before you think that this program could lead to a mass exodus, only three other players qualify for the RMP thanks to either a major win or PLAYERS title from 2022-2025: Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith.

The TOUR, in a genius move, has merely opened the door for players it would love to have back, while leaving over-the-hill, aging veterans and unproven youngsters to fend for themselves.

As for the 2022 cutoff, I think it’s safe to say that wasn’t an accident.

As Golf Digest reported, Rolapp was aided during the process by the Future Competition Committee and the TOUR’s policy board. Tiger Woods is the FCC’s chairman, so he no doubt contributed to the birth of the RMP. So, why 2022? Well, Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship in 2021, and after all the spewing Lefty has done over the years, why would the TOUR make it possible for him to come back?

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The window for DeChambeau, Rahm, and Smith to follow Koepka won’t last forever. The TOUR has set a hard deadline for February 2, just two days before LIV’s season kicks off in Saudi Arabia.

For Rolapp and the TOUR, it was impossible to make everyone happy. There are still going to be players who come out and denounce the move. But I think this is as good as the middle ground was ever going to be.

Koepka will miss out on an incredible amount of money, his name back in TOUR fields will only make the circuit for valuable—more money in the pockets of players eligible for the Player Equity Program, which could help silence some of the internal protest—and fans get one of the most recognizable faces in golf back on their television sets.

Rolapp was brought in to lead the TOUR’s transformation, and this is a massive step in the right direction. Now we just have to wait and see if Rahm, DeChambeau, and Smith decide to cut their loses.