Just a few years ago, upstart league LIV Golf was a serious threat to the PGA Tour and the legendary tour’s long-term future. However, on Tuesday, the PGA moved another big step closer to winning the expensive war that began in 2021.
Yesterday, LIV filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. The move was expected after LIV announced that the Saudi Public Investment Fund was out as their financial backer earlier this year. Nevertheless, it feels like the league is one step closer to death.
In the filing, it was revealed that LIV has $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities. And league stars Jon Rahm ($7.5 million), Bryson DeChambeau ($5.7 million), Dustin Johnson ($5.5 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million), Tyrrell Hatton ($3.4 million), and Brooks Koepka ($1.7 million) are among the players with the most money still owed to them.
If LIV wants to survive, they can’t afford to hold on to many of their top players. Furthermore, most of them would probably welcome getting out of their deals and beginning the process for a return to the PGA Tour next year. With that in mind, we look at 10 big-name LIV golfers we hope to see in the PGA in 2027.
Aug 20, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Bryson DeChambeau tees off on hole three during the first round of the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the top names PGA fans want to see return to the tour that made him a star. The two-time major winner is one of the most popular players in the sport (he has close to 3 million subscribers for his YouTube channel) and has been playing some of his best golf over the last couple of years, including a US Open win in 2024.
Johnson’s return to the PGA would be welcomed by millions of fans.
Not all the major returns from LIV to the PGA will be proven stars. Before leaving the Tour in 2022, Joaquinn Neimann was seen as a talented young golfer with a lot of potential. However, in the Saudi-backed league, he has become an elite talent and finished among the top three earners the last three years. If not for Rahm, he would be a multi-time LIV champion.
PGA fans definitely want to see if Neimann has elevated his game to a point where he is not just a star in LIV but can prove he is among the best in the world.
Dustin Johnson was one of the early departures in the early days of the LIV-PGA war that really stung Tour fans. While the 41-year-old is no longer in his prime, the two-time major winner is still a notable name in the sport. Because of that name recognition, Johnson is a player that Tour decision-makers and fans will want to see back in the PGA next year.
Aug 23, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Jon Rahm acknowledges the crowd after hole 13 during the final round of the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Jon Rahm left the PGA at the height of his powers a couple of years ago, and nothing has changed as he has dominated LIV over the last two seasons. To truly be the best golf league on the planet, you must have the best players. Bringing the 2023 Masters winner back would solidify that fact because the Spaniard is still among the elite golfers on Earth after winning LIV championships the last three years.
Aug 23, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Tyrrell Hatton tees off on hole two during the final round of the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Tyrrell Hatton was another of the early departures from the PGA to LIV, and the 34-year-old has emerged as one of the latter’s top stars. This season, the English golfer finished fifth in the LIV Golf standings. He seems to be rounding into his best form and is better than he was during his early days in the PGA. He would be a very nice addition to the Tour.
Aug 20, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Taylor Gooch tees off on hole 15 during the first round of the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Taylor Gooch made the jump to LIV in 2024 and has been a solid member of the roster since. Finishing in the top 10 of the standings in 2024 and 2025. Depth is a good thing in any league, and bringing the Oklahoma native to the PGA would make the tour as a whole better.
Anthony Kim’s return to the sport two years ago was one of the great comeback stories golf has ever seen. After looking like a rising star in the PGA in the previous decade, he was forced out of the game in 2012 because his body had shockingly broken down, and he was battling mental health issues.
He has rebuilt his body, mind, and game since his return in 2024 and finished seventh in the standings this year. He is a player who should definitely be targeted by the PGA if he soon becomes available.
Aug 21, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Cameron Smith tees off on hole 15 during the second round go the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Cameron Smith taking the bag from LIV in 2022 was a huge gut punch for the PGA because he was one of the Tour’s brightest young stars after winning The Open and the Players Championship that season. While there may still be hard feelings about his exit, bringing him back could be just as important as the return of a star like Rahm because he is at the beginning of his prime and still has all the talent to be a top name on the Tour for the next five years.
A key element of the PGA Tour is having stars of the future, present, and past mixing it up. With Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson done as PGA players, there are few great stars left from that era of the tour. Except one: Sergio Garcia.
At 46, he is far removed from his prime, but Garcia is still a solid player, having finished in the top 10 of the LIV standings the last two years. But more than anything, having a legend from a previous era back on the Tour helps bring back the roster richness the PGA had before the war started.
Another player the PGA is already set to get back from LIV Golf is nine-time Tour winner Patrick Reed. The Texan still has a lot left in the tank and finished seventh in points for the Saudi league last year. Reed recently became eligible for a return to the Tour after departing the rival league earlier this year. His exit was no doubt affected by the losses LIV has been incurring since its inception.
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