The tension between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf had simmered since the breakaway league’s inception, but this week, it boiled over.
As confirmed by SI Golf, the PGA Tour has officially barred its members from participating in LIV Golf’s upcoming Promotions event in Florida, drawing a hard line that could reshape the competitive landscape heading into 2026.
On Monday, the Saudi-backed club announced that its Promotions tournament will be held Jan. 8–11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida.
The event offers a $1.5 million purse, with $200,000 going to the medalist and $150,000 to the runner-up. Two players will earn spots in the 2026 LIV Golf League, while the top 10 will secure fully exempt status on the International Series.
But the location is the flashpoint. Because the tournament is being held in North America, the PGA Tour has deemed it an unauthorized event.
According to Tour regulations, players will not be granted conflicting event or media releases for tournaments staged in North America. That means any player with PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, or Korn Ferry Tour status who elects to compete will be subject to disciplinary action.
This rule isn’t new. It dates back to LIV’s inaugural season in 2022, when its second tournament was held in Portland, Oregon. No PGA Tour member was granted a release for any U.S.-based LIV event then, and the policy remains unchanged.
What’s different now is the scope.
The Tour also clarified that players without current status, including those hoping to compete on PGA Tour Americas, will face a one-year ban from all PGA Tour-sanctioned events if they attempt to qualify for LIV. That includes Monday qualifiers, sponsor exemptions, and the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
That rule has also been in play since 2022. But previous Promotions events were held in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, where players with PGA Tour status were allowed to compete if they sought a release before the Tour’s deadline.
LIV Golf has yet to respond to questions about whether it anticipated this regulatory clash.
The league’s silence adds to the uncertainty surrounding how the top four finishers, two from the Promotions event and two from a nine-event point series concluding later this month, will be assimilated into the 2026 LIV Golf League.
Speculation suggests they could form a 14th team under LIV’s franchise model, but nothing has been confirmed.
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