Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm Need to Be Allowed Back on the PGA Tour

In Fact or Fiction, the SI Golf staff debates LIV stars returning to the Tour, Dustin Johnson's PGA invite, the WTGL and whether Cam Young or Matt Fitzpatrick wins more career majors.

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau took a pass the first time the PGA Tour offered a path back through what it called a "Returning Member Program." | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we’re gearing up for PGA and Googling where the name “Aronimink” comes from.

Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp should reopen the “Returning Member Program” for Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith over the offseason so they can return to the Tour early in 2027 if desired, with the same stipulations that Brooks Koepka accepted. 

Bob Harig: FACT. They will have status as past major champions, just like Rahm, and continuing any hostility isn’t going to do the Tour or the players any good. Not being able to play in signature events is a pretty good penalty anyway, and one that in effective is similar to a ban. But their presence would help other events and they’ve still got the opportunity to qualify for the Signatures.

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Rolapp might indeed reopen that path, but does he need to? Absolutely not. He holds all the cards now. I’d guess a pathway similar to Patrick Reed is more likely, with players suspended from the Tour for a full year after their last LIV Event. 

Max Schreiber: FICTION: It’d be good for business/television ratings, but he has to show some sort of backbone here. Additional fines? Maybe a three or six-month ban? Ineligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs for a year? 

John Schwarb: FACT. Rolapp holds all the cards like Jeff said, but he also will look out for the product first—hence the creation of the RMP to begin with. Trying to get Rahm or Bryson back as soon as possible is just good business and will help as he continues to navigate a difficult overhaul of the Tour schedule. 

The PGA Championship field is out and includes 41-year-old Dustin Johnson, ranked No. 468 in the world. The PGA whiffed on that invitation. 

Bob Harig: FACT. Johnson’s major exemptions have run out and the PGA of America actually gave him a spot last year. It would have been nice to see more form from him to justify the invite.

Jeff Ritter: FACT. D.J. is of course a past major winner but he’s hardly a needle-mover and his play this season has been uninspiring. He’s currently ranked 468th in the world, and I’d probably pick about 468 players ahead of him for an exemption to Aronimink. 

Dustin Johnson's best finish in LIV Golf this year is a tie for 10th. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Max Schreiber: FACT: What has he done lately to deserve this? And does anyone actually care if he plays or not? He hasn’t had a top 10 in a major since 2023.  

John Schwarb: FACT. Never mind the world ranking—DJ is 28th in LIV points. Barring an injury we don’t know about, that is unacceptable and not worthy of this invitation. I’d love to hear the PGA brass try to explain next week.

The women’s TGL announced six more players this week for its inaugural season later this year, with 14 total now committed, but none are Nelly Korda. The league needs to pull out all the stops to get the world No. 1. 

Bob Harig: FACT. No doubt, getting Nelly is key. And so is integrating some of this with the men, which seems like a miss.

Jeff Ritter: FACT. She’s the biggest star in women’s golf by a wide margin. TGL should break out the checkbook. 

World No. 1 Nelly Korda so far has shown no interest in playing in the new WTGL indoor league. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Max Schreiber: FACT: She's the face of women’s golf. WTGL needs her and her playing in the league can only help her popularity, too. 

John Schwarb: NEUTRAL. Nelly sounds unconvinced of this product and that’s O.K. If she shows up at the last minute it would probably be only because someone wrote a big check, and we don’t need more of that in golf. But I also don’t see how this gets off the ground with any success without her.

Max broke down the argument of who is golf’s third-best player at the moment (if not even higher), Cameron Young or Matt Fitzpatrick. While Fitz has a 1–0 lead over Young right now in majors, Young will ultimately have more in his career.

Bob Harig: FICTION. There’s a good bit of recency bias in play here. Young won the Players, was in the last group at the Masters, just won the Cadillac. But he still needs that first major and there are no guarantees.

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Young looks like he’s ready to ring up majors from anywhere, but you can’t win two majors until you win your first. We have to give credit for Fitz’s 1–0 lead on Young, which is huge, simply because it’s a much smaller club of golfers who have won two majors vs. those stuck at one.

Cameron Young is among the favorites next week at Aronimink. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

Max Schreiber: FACT: Both are world class talents, but Young has the game that can match up against anyone in the world, especially if he’s putting and striking his irons well. He feels like a two or three major champion, and Fitzy perhaps gets one more. 

John Schwarb: FICTION. Winning majors is still hard and Fitz’s 1-0 lead is massive. Will Young win one at some point? Yes. Is Fitz done winning them? I say no. When we revisit this in 20 years I say they’re tied, 2-2.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk named Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard as his first two assistants for 2027. But every U.S. team should have at least one assistant who is not an active or former Tour player, like a Michael Jordan. 

Bob Harig: FICTION. Not sure having some sort of celebrity or coach outside of golf is much help. He or she simply becomes a distraction.

Jeff Ritter: FACT. This year’s team could probably use an outside voice, given that the U.S. is essentially recycling players who have a lot of experience, but a limited amount of success.

Michael Jordan is a familiar face around the pro game, here is at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. | Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Max Schreiber: FICTION: Respectfully, what would someone like Michael Jordan know about the ins and outs of trying to lead a squad to a Ryder Cup team? Pass. But he can give the team a motivational speech beforehand, though, that prob won’t do anything anyway. 

John Schwarb: FACT. Why not? Getting more champions in the team room, from any sport, can only help. One might say that MJ has been around already but just make it official and give him keys to an assistant’s golf cart. I’d say give him the team uniforms too but the GOAT isn’t likely to be caught wearing Ralph Lauren.