Tom Watson Criticizes PGA Tour for Allowing LIV Golf Defectors to Return

Golf legend Tom Watson has expressed his disappointment with the PGA Tour's decision to permit players who defected to the LIV Golf League to return to the tour. The PGA Tour introduced a program allowing a select group of top performers to return, with Brooks Koepka taking advantage of the opportunity after parting ways with the Saudi-backed circuit. Koepka made a $5m charitable donation as part of his reinstatement, while Patrick Reed is also set to return after leaving LIV Golf. Watson stated that the PGA Tour reneged on its promise to ban players who left for LIV Golf, saying that if he were commissioner, he would have banned them for life. Instead, he suggested that players who want to return to the PGA Tour should have to play on the Korn Ferry Tour for a year to qualify. The Returning Member Program was also offered to other notable players, including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, who all remain with LIV Golf. Watson emphasized that the players who left for LIV Golf violated the rule of protecting sponsors, who need top players to promote their tournaments. Reed, who recently announced his departure from LIV Golf, is set to play on the DP World Tour until he is eligible to return to the PGA Tour, stating that he wants to compete against the best players in the world on the PGA Tour.