In with a roar, out with a whimper. LIV Golf’s time within men’s professional golf came with contrasts, and the league’s impact on the game overall now that it is ending is fodder for everyone from golf journalists to business-school grad students.
Analysis pieces will be plentiful in the coming days—we’ve had our share already. But among the most insightful is one my colleague Joel Beall posted Thursday night regarding the biggest “What Now?” question lingering over the sport:
What does the PGA Tour do about Bryson DeChambeau?
I won’t spoil Joel’s story, but what it does well is explain just how important the next steps are for the PGA Tour—and specifically CEO Brian Rolapp. When you look at the winners and losers of the LIV Golf era, the PGA Tour rightfully should be counted in the former. And yet the tour’s actions moving forward now that LIV no longer poses an existential threat ultimately will determine whether the folks in Ponte Vedra Beach belong in the losers’ column as well.
What has the PGA Tour learned from golf’s civil war and how does it act on it? The answers are critical both in the short and long term. As Joel notes, the decision surrounding DeChambeau is where the PGA Tour’s future habits form.
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If Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter hoped the DP World Tour might change its mind and relax the rule that prohibits them from one day being European Ryder Cup captains, this story from Rory McIlroy probably killed their chances. Speaking before this week’s DP World Tour event in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy told the media about a conversation he had with then tour CEO Keith Pelley in which he said he was thinking of giving up his DP World Tour membership in 2019 to focus on playing the PGA Tour. He could do what he pleased, Pelley said, before reminding Rory of the tour regulation passed in 2017 that permanently bans players who resign or decline tour membership from serving as a Ryder Cup captain or vice captain. “So,” McIlroy noted, “I nearly made that choice and having that chat with Keith Pelley and knowing the rules, I was like, well, of course I want to be a Ryder Cup captain one day. There was no decision to be made.” Given the sacrifice McIlroy made, and the loyalty he showed to the tour, it’s hard to think tour officials will ever alter the rule for the four LIV defectors.
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Michael Block’s son, Dylan, appears to be a chip off the old, well, block. Apparently the showmanship gene runs in the family and it isn’t regressive. This week, Dylan teed it up in the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School at Soboba Springs G.C. in Southern California. The 21-year-old began his week with a nice three-under 69, but conjured some of his old man’s magic for his scintillating second round, firing a remarkable 10-under 62 to lead the field at 13-under through 36 holes. Block’s second round included seven birdies, one eagle and no bogeys. Should he hold on through the weekend, Block would earn PGA Tour Americas status in 2027. Needless to say, there might just be a new kid on the, ahem, block ...
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Save perhaps for U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Asterisk Talley (below), casual golf fans might not recognize many of the 25 boys and girls the U.S. National Development Program named to its national junior team roster for 2027. But that’s kind of the point. Support from the USGA through the USNDP is intended to provide new opportunities for these teenagers to advance themselves on and off the course (you can find the 25-player roster here). To earn their selection—Talley now for the fourth time—each has demonstrated the talent to be considered among the country’s junior elite. With access to world-class coaching and analysis, sports psychology services, sports performance training and nutritional guidance, the hope is that they take the next steps for success; last year’s team members made 41 collective appearances in USGA championships. Eleven of the 25 carry over from 2026, and six of the 14 newcomers were elevated from the USNDP’s State Junior team pathway, a program Golf Digest wrote extensively about in August.
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