PGA Tour: Doors are open for only six of them, the rest will have to play their way in

The “barricade statements” do not stop in the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf conflict. From the less mediatic players to the main executives of both circuits, everyone seems to have something to say.

In this sort of “press release war,” it was Webb Simpson’s turn to launch a missile, and he did it by putting a number on how many players the PGA Tour has a real interest in bringing back.

This is not just any opinion. Webb Simpson is one of the player directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board, who is also a major champion (2012 US Open) with six other PGA Tour victories, three Ryder Cup appearances and other accomplishments in his 15-year career on the circuit.

LIV players returning to the PGA Tour: What did Webb Simpson say?

Webb Simpson gave an interview to Golfweek in which he said the following:

“What we’re really talking about is probably six players (who will be desirable to the Tour). The rest will have to go to Q-school or if they want to do something on the DP World Tour.”

Simpson did not put names to “the six,” but he did mention cases that are currently exempt from most majors, such as Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith and Dustin Johnson.

However, LIV Golf has an interesting group of young players who have yet to make their mark. Some of them are potential stars and the total would exceed the number Simpson mentioned.

What else did Webb Simpson talk about?

Webb Simpson addressed one of the key issues facing the PGA Tour in a scenario of returning LIV players, that of what will happen to the players who took the place of those who left for the Greg Norman-led league. Here’s what Simpson had to say (via Golfweek):

“That’s where I think as board members, player directors, we have to get on the ground a little bit and talk to players and see how they feel. Sure, they’re gonna be mad at first if we even hint that we need those guys to come back. I imagine a lot of the guys if LIV didn’t continue would not want to go to Q-school. They would be done playing golf, as you know, for their career. That’s kind of where my head is.”

Simpson’s comments come amid a climate of great tension between the two circuits. The PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia have been negotiating a deal since June 2023, but have yet to reach a final agreement. LIV Golf’s status as a circuit is part of the negotiations.