PGA Tour Teams In LIV Golf? Ian Poulter Suggests Blockbuster Move

Ian Poulter says it was a "mercenary" move to allow Brooks Koepka back from LIV Golf that shows the two factions are still fighting - but had a solution that involved PGA Tour players joining the team-based competition.

Koepka left LIV Golf to head back to the PGA Tour, which introduced a limited-time Returning Member Program with a criteria that fitted only him, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

Poulter saw that as more of a "hostile" move rather than a conciliatory one - and one aimed at just trying to take LIV Golf's biggest assets away from it.

So with hostilities still ongoing, Poulter says that a way of moving forward could be to turn the tables and include PGA Tour players in LIV Golf teams.

As while LIV Golf's future is reportedly up in the air, Poulter says the PGA Tour faces its own "stress" to make more money, so could do with a boost.

Why Koepka return was 'hostile' PGA Tour move

Speaking to Peter Finch on the Rough Cut Golf Podcast, Poulter was pretty clear on his opinions of Koepka's PGA Tour return.

“What did they really open up?” said Poulter. “They gave an opportunity to four players and four players only.

“That’s not really opening up. You’ll only take back players - Brooks, five majors, Cam Smith, who’s won The Players Championship and the Open Championship. You would take back Bryson DeChambeau, and you gave the opportunity to Jon Rahm. F*** everyone else.

“We just wanted the biggest four assets that we can nick back from LIV and we don’t want any of you lot.

“How does that look? I don’t think it looks very good. It’s a mercenary way to turn around to say we’ll just scoop a load of your assets back or try to scoop a load of them back. There’s a still a fight. That’s a hostile offer in my opinion.

"There's a share option to the [PGA Tour] members, so if they take back two or three players their share option becomes more valuable, so they're doing it for their back pocket, so it's still messy."

Why couldn’t they be PGA Tour teams?

With continuing reports about the future of Saudi PIF funding for LIV, PGA Tour boss Brian Rolapp has said he will monitor the situation but keep an open mind on more possible returning players.

When asked for a way forward for both tours, Poulter reversed the direction of travel and suggested what would be a blockbuster move of including PGA Tour stars in LIV Golf.

“There’s an opportunity to have two or three more teams in LIV. Why couldn’t they be PGA Tour teams?" said Poulter.

"Why couldn’t you give 12 players – the top 12 or the 12 who want to play a certain number of events?

“The PGA Tour are shortening the schedule. They need to monetise their business as soon as possible. Brian Rolapp has said the TV deal is up for negotiation.

“They want to reduce some of the tournaments. They want those events to be big events so everyone can play the same events. The investment made into the PGA Tour – they want this thing to make money.

“There’s a lot of stress and pressure on the PGA Tour for them to make this make money.

"I don’t have the perfect fix but we could take in three more teams so surely there’s a bit of give and take on both sides to a point to go, surely there’s space for 12 guys - not just four - to be able to play in a chunk of tournaments on the PGA Tour.”