PGA Tour
The main U.S. men's professional golf tour
- Entries
- 24
- On the record
- 7
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Nov 10, 2026
The record
- 17current and former members suspended on June 9, 2022 for playing LIV Golf's first event
- 11players who sued the Tour for antitrust violations in August 2022; all claims were dropped with prejudice in June 2023
- $1.5BStrategic Sports Group investment in the Tour's for-profit arm, valuing the Tour at about $12.9 billion
- $5Mcharity donation Brooks Koepka made to rejoin under the January 2026 Returning Member Program
The PGA Tour's antitrust record is the LIV Golf fight. On June 9, 2022 the Tour suspended 17 members who played LIV's first event. A month later it confirmed a Justice Department inquiry into whether it was acting anti-competitively. On August 3, 2022, 11 LIV players sued it in federal court in San Jose; LIV Golf later joined, and the Tour countersued, claiming LIV interfered with its player contracts. In February 2023 a magistrate judge ordered Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, LIV's backer, to produce documents and its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to sit for a deposition.
The so-called merger was a framework agreement made public on June 6, 2023: a deal to reach a definitive deal with the PIF within about seven months. Ten days later both sides dropped every claim with prejudice. The Justice Department and two Senate panels opened reviews. No definitive agreement followed. The Tour instead set up PGA Tour Enterprises and took $1.5 billion from Strategic Sports Group, and a February 2025 White House meeting was the last time the two sides met, Golf.com reported in November 2026.
In 2026 the contest ended without a deal. The Tour, under chief executive Brian Rolapp, let Brooks Koepka return in January through a one-time program. The PIF said in April it would stop funding LIV after the season. LIV filed for Chapter 11 in New Jersey on September 8, told the court on November 5 that it would wind down, and filed a liquidation plan on November 10. The Tour has not set a path back for the remaining LIV players. Its earlier Supreme Court case, PGA Tour v. Martin in 2001, held that disability law required it to let Casey Martin ride a cart.
Questions people ask
What happened to the PGA Tour and LIV merger?
There was never a completed merger. The framework agreement signed with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and made public on June 6, 2023 set a deadline of about seven months to reach a definitive deal, which did not happen. Talks in the Bahamas in March 2024 produced no results, and a White House meeting in February 2025 was the last time the two sides met, Golf.com reported. source
How did the LIV Golf antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour end?
On June 16, 2023, ten days after the framework agreement was announced, the parties filed a joint stipulation in federal court in San Jose dismissing all claims with prejudice: LIV's antitrust claims against the Tour, and the Tour's counterclaims against LIV, the PIF and Al-Rumayyan. Neither side can refile them. source
Did the Justice Department investigate the PGA Tour?
Yes. In July 2022 a Tour spokesperson confirmed a Justice Department inquiry into whether the Tour acted anti-competitively toward LIV, and said the Tour expected an outcome similar to 1994. That year Federal Trade Commission staff concluded that two Tour policies, including its rule on releases to play other events, violated antitrust law, but the commissioners declined to bring a case. source
What is the Strategic Sports Group investment in the PGA Tour?
After filing paperwork for its for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises, in late 2023, the Tour announced about two months later a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group, valuing the Tour at roughly $12.9 billion, Golf.com reported. source
Can LIV golfers return to the PGA Tour?
Not on set terms as of November 2026. The Tour has said it cannot discuss a return until former LIV players show they are out of their LIV contracts, and that it will not necessarily offer what Patrick Reed got when he returned as a non-member in August 2026. Sources told ESPN that players who sued the Tour may face more than a one-year suspension. source
What was the PGA Tour's Returning Member Program?
A one-time window announced in a January 12, 2026 memo from chief executive Brian Rolapp, open to LIV players away for at least two years who had won the Players Championship or a major since 2022. Brooks Koepka accepted, donated $5 million to charity at the Tour's request, gave up player equity for five years and the 2026 FedEx Cup bonus program, and committed to at least 15 events. source
Is LIV Golf shutting down?
Yes. LIV filed for Chapter 11 on September 8, 2026, and on November 10 filed a plan for an orderly wind-down, saying no restructuring was available after BC Partners Credit ended its support. A final hearing proposed for January 7, 2027 would begin the liquidation. The PIF had said it would stop paying for LIV after the 2026 season. source
Roles and honours on the record
- 2001 Petitioner, PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, U.S. Supreme Court No. 00-24 source
- 2022-2023 Defendant and counterclaimant in the LIV players' and LIV Golf's antitrust suit, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose source
- as of 2025 Parent of PGA Tour Enterprises, its for-profit arm, both led by CEO Brian Rolapp source
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Announced a framework agreement with DP World Tour and PIF to combine commercial businesses and end pending litigation. LIV Golf tells court it will wind down after $5B+ Saudi cash
- Filed
Filed a lawsuit against the Public Investment Fund and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, per AP's timeline. LIV Golf tells court it will wind down after $5B+ Saudi cash
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
LIV antitrust litigation (2022-2023)
- 2022-08-03 Filed Eleven golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, sued the Tour on antitrust grounds over the LIV suspensions. Mickelson and seven others later withdrew, and LIV Golf joined as a plaintiff; the Tour countersued, claiming LIV interfered with its contracts with members. All claims were dropped in June 2023. ESPN report
- 2023-02-16 Ruled In a 58-page ruling, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen ordered the Public Investment Fund to produce documents and its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to sit for a deposition, rejecting their sovereign immunity defence under the commercial-activity exception and describing the PIF as the moving force behind LIV. The PIF sought review by District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. ESPN report
- 2023-06-16 Filed The Tour, LIV Golf, the PIF and Al-Rumayyan filed a joint stipulation in federal court in San Jose dismissing all claims with prejudice: LIV's antitrust claims against the Tour and the Tour's counterclaims against LIV, the PIF and Al-Rumayyan. Neither side can refile them. By then the Justice Department had opened a review of the planned alliance, and the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had opened reviews of the partnership. ESPN report
PIF framework agreement and government review
- 2022-07-11 Reported The Wall Street Journal reported, and a Tour spokesperson confirmed, that the Justice Department was investigating whether the Tour engaged in anti-competitive practices against LIV. The spokesperson said the news was not unexpected and cited a similar situation in 1994. Golf.com report
- 2023-06-06 Official The Tour and the PIF made public a framework agreement, a deal to reach a definitive deal within about seven months, under which the two sides would also end their legal action against each other. Talks had begun in April 2023 when Tour board member Jimmy Dunne contacted a representative of Al-Rumayyan, Golf.com reported. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2024-03 Reported Tiger Woods hosted Al-Rumayyan and the Tour's player directors in the Bahamas; the meeting produced no results, Golf.com reported. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2025-02 Reported Donald Trump hosted a White House meeting with Tiger Woods, the fund's governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Monahan and Adam Scott, described as constructive. Golf.com reported it was the last time the two sides met. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
Player suspensions and returns
- 2022-06-09 Official The Tour suspended 17 current and former members playing in LIV Golf's first event at the Centurion Club outside London, and Monahan's memo said future LIV participants would face the same penalty. ESPN report
- 2026-01-12 Official Rolapp opened a one-time Returning Member Program for LIV players away for at least two years who had won the Players Championship or a major since 2022. Brooks Koepka accepted, donating $5 million to charity and giving up player equity for five years and the 2026 FedEx Cup bonus program; Rolapp said the window set no precedent. ESPN report
- 2026-08-25 Reported Patrick Reed returned to Tour events as a non-member. ESPN reported that under the penalty applied to him, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and others could not return before August 24, 2027. ESPN report
- 2026-11-05 Reported The Tour has said it cannot discuss a return until former LIV players show they are out of their LIV contracts, and that it will not necessarily offer Reed's terms; Rolapp has said the Returning Member Program will not be repeated. Sources told ESPN that players who sued the Tour, including DeChambeau, may face more than a one-year suspension. ESPN report
PGA Tour Enterprises and investors
- 2023-11 Reported The Tour filed initial paperwork for PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit arm, about five months after announcing the framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Golf.com reported. The same month Jon Rahm signed with LIV in a deal reported at $300 million to $400 million. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2024 Reported About two months later the Tour announced a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group, valuing the Tour at roughly $12.9 billion, Golf.com reported. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2025-06-17 Official The Tour named Brian Rolapp, the NFL's chief media and business officer, CEO of PGA Tour, Inc. and PGA Tour Enterprises. Monahan handed him day-to-day duties and will step down as commissioner at the end of 2026. PGA Tour release
- 2026-06-22 Official The Tour's Policy Board and the PGA Tour Enterprises board approved splitting the Tour from 2028 into a Championship Series of up to 24 events and a Challenger Series, with promotion and relegation between them and no sponsor exemptions. ESPN report
LIV wind-down (2026)
- 2026-04 Reported The Public Investment Fund said it would stop financing LIV after the 2026 season, ESPN reported. ESPN and AP put the fund's total investment in LIV at between about $5 billion and $6 billion. ESPN report
- 2026-06 Reported During the U.S. Open the PIF moved from equity injections to a secured loan, which reached $495 million by LIV's bankruptcy filing, Golf.com reported. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2026-08 Reported BC Partners Credit proposed a $300 million investment to fund a restructured LIV, Golf.com reported. Golf.com report, republished by Yahoo Sports
- 2026-09-08 Filed LIV Golf filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition, listing $100 million to $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities. The case is before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael B. Kaplan. ESPN report
- 2026-11-05 Reported LIV's lawyer told the bankruptcy court the league could not secure enough money or player support for a LIV 2.0 and would move to a wind-down, a day after BC Partners decided not to invest the $300 million. ESPN report
- 2026-11-10 Filed LIV filed a Chapter 11 plan for an orderly wind-down in the New Jersey bankruptcy court, saying no restructuring remained available. A conditional hearing on the disclosure statement was set for November 24 and a final hearing proposed for January 7, 2027, which would begin the liquidation. LIV players remain banned by the Tour. Associated Press report via ESPN
Earlier cases
- 2001-05-29 Ruled The U.S. Supreme Court held 7-2, in an opinion by Justice Stevens, that Title III of the ADA barred the Tour from denying Casey Martin equal access because of his disability, and affirmed the injunction letting him use a golf cart. U.S. Supreme Court, PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, No. 00-24 (LII syllabus)
Documents
- PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, U.S. Supreme Court syllabus (May 29, 2001)
- PGA Tour release naming Brian Rolapp CEO (June 17, 2025)
- ESPN report on the LIV suspensions (June 9, 2022)
- Golf.com report on the Justice Department antitrust inquiry (July 11, 2022)
- ESPN on the order for PIF documents and an Al-Rumayyan deposition (Feb. 17, 2023)
- ESPN on the joint dismissal of the LIV lawsuits (June 16, 2023)
- Golf.com timeline of the Tour-LIV fight, via Yahoo Sports (Nov. 5, 2026)
- ESPN on the Returning Member Program and Koepka's return (Jan. 12, 2026)
- ESPN on the 2028 two-series Tour structure (June 23, 2026)
- ESPN on LIV's wind-down in bankruptcy court (Nov. 5, 2026)
- AP via ESPN on LIV's liquidation plan (Nov. 10, 2026)