Following the withdrawal of the Saudi Arabian funding, leaving the LIV Golf circuit in disarray, Donald Trump has voiced a damning stance in the direction of the PGA Tour for 'when' they accept the returning players, rather than 'if'.
President Trump has long advocated the LIV Golf circuit, and is even set to host the elite players at his Trump National just outside Washington next week, despite the New Orleans tournament in June already being postponed.
A keen golfer himself, Trump's relationship with LIV has been divisive with PGA Tour stalwarts like Rory McIlroy, but he has insisted that there are no grudges held against those who speak out against the circuit.
"I don't agree with everything my friends or family say or do, but I still play golf with them," he wrote on X after meeting McIlroy earlier this week.
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Now, the President has claimed that the PGA should welcome back all golfers who originally left for the LIV Golf paycheck, claiming that he wants to see the greats all in one place.
Donald Trump wants all golfers together again
Despite the LIV Golf circuit claiming that it is looking for new investors to keep the events rolling, players such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm have reportedly been quick to contact the PGA Tour about a return.
Although they will be met with pushback from the PGA fans and players, Donald Trump believes it's in everyone's best interest to reunite the players.
“I’d love to see LIV. But I do believe that all of the golfers should be playing - the great golfers should be playing against each other.
"I want to see Rory [McIlroy] playing Bryson DeChambeau. I want to see big Jon Rahm play Scottie [Scheffler], who is so great.
“There’s something nice about all of the players playing together."
But Trump went one step further and revealed that this reintroduction 'will' happen, without mentioning whether the PGA is on board.
"Now they’ll all be accepted by the tour. They’ll all be back on tour, and it’ll be great,” Trump added.
And we all LIV'ed... ever after
It won't be a comfortable transition for the LIV Golf players to be embedded back into the PGA Tour, with the proud circuit already offering players a way back through a one-time returning member programme.
The programme was only taken by Brooks Koepka, costing him a rumoured $90 million in charitable donations.
Both Rahm and DeChambeau were eligible to take this, but instead chose to stick with LIV Golf, earning an estimated $380 million and $180 million in prize money and signing bonuses, respectively.
Should these two huge stars get the ball rolling, likely, everyone else will soon follow, although these players will have to take a big dip into their earnings pots to make the transition possible.
Topics: Golf, Donald Trump
Jack Marsh