Golf’s biggest fight just took a huge turn that nobody saw coming this year. The PGA Tour finally opened its heavy doors for Brooks Koepka. Koepka paid the fine and will start playing on the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines at the end of January 2026. Now the clock is ticking loudly for other big names like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith. It created massive pressure on the already struggling LIV Golf. However, the first big answer came from Cameron Smith.

The LIV league still has a bright future because Cameron Smith chose to stay loyal. The Aussie star confirmed that he will play for Ripper GC for many years in the years to come. “To be honest, you know, I decided to come out here and spend more time at home, and I’m not giving that away. So, I’ll be on LIV for the years to come,” Smith said.

Cameron Smith was the world number two back when he joined the rival league after his historic win at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews and the 2022 Players. But Smith’s form has slid since joining LIV. And the results show it plainly. He missed cuts at key events in 2025, including a painful exit at The Open Championship and all the other major events. Those misses cut into his confidence and match practice against deep PGA fields.

The Official World Golf Ranking has tumbled, leaving Smith far from the top fifty and away from easy major entry. This drop matters because world rank controls major starts and invitations. But the LIV Golf players are outside of this opportunity due to their controversial format. The LIV format changed to 72 holes and larger fields to chase legitimacy for the 2026 season, ongoing, but world ranking points still remained uncertain for much of the 2026 season and beyond.

Smith now relies mostly on past-champion exemptions to get into majors. Those exemptions expire, and without fresh OWGR points, his path to the Masters and the other major events narrows fast. And Smith stopped winning individual events and lost his edge even inside the LIV events. He went two seasons without a solo win on the LIV schedule.

Furthermore, the financial future of the LIV league looks very shaky and uncertain for the players. The league lost over four hundred sixty-one million dollars during the last fiscal year alone. Total losses for the Saudi-backed tour have now grown to over one billion dollars since starting. These massive financial holes, along with LIV’s declining television audience, make Smith’s decision more crucial.

The tour boss, Brian Rolapp, also warned that this return window would close forever and doesn’t gurrantee for any return after the Feb. 2 deadline.

Looking at all of the above, one might feel like Smith is essentially burning his only lifeboat while standing on a ship that has many leaks. But the bridge back to the old home comes with a very heavy price tag.

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Players who choose to return must face some very harsh financial penalties. The PGA Tour offered a narrow, elite-only reentry plan that punished returning stars financially and competitively. Brooks Koepka already accepted and agreed to pay a five-million-dollar fine to return to his old tour. The five-time major winner also loses access to nearly eighty-five million dollars in equity. He cannot earn any bonus money from the FedEx Cup for 2026.

“It’s a harsh punishment financially,” Koepka told the Associated Press. “I understand exactly why the Tour did that — it’s meant to hurt; it does hurt, but I understand. It’s not supposed to be an easy path.”

Smith holds no grudge about Koepka leaving the circuit. Rather, he felt a bit sad when he heard about his friend’s departure. “Is it a shame to have him go? Absolutely, he’s a star of the game,” Smith said. But he still feels very confident about LIV and believes that 2026 will bring the strongest field the league has seen. And his loyalty to the Ripper GC keeps him from feeling any real temptation to return to the PGA Tour.

And he’s not alone; John Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau also decided to snub the return offer. Rahm told reporters that he is not planning on going anywhere for this season. Meanwhile, the Scientist is reportedly in deep talks to extend his massive contract with the LIV tour. Both players seem to find more value in the LIV Golf’s franchise model than the traditional PGA Tour.