The golf world is buzzing, and not just about who's leading the leaderboard. Recent news that the Saudi Public Investment Fund has pulled its financial backing for LIV Golf's next season has sent shockwaves through the sport. LIV is now scrambling for new investment, and if they can't find it, the league could be teetering on the brink of collapse.
This uncertainty has sparked a heated debate: should LIV Golf players be allowed to return to the PGA Tour? Two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly among those looking for an "off-ramp," even spotted chatting with PGA Tour officials at The Masters to explore his options. But not everyone thinks a return should come without consequences.
Enter ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who fired off a passionate take on First Take. "If the PGA decides to punish these golfers, we should stay in their a-- like white on rice," Smith argued. "The players didn't want to leave the PGA, they were forced to." It's a bold claim that immediately drew a sharp response from PGA Tour pro Michael Kim.
Kim, never one to shy away from sharing his thoughts on social media, didn't hold back. "What a horrendous take," he posted on X. "Players were 'forced' to take massive multi-million dollar checks and then sue the very tour that gave them the platform to make names for themselves, mostly because they weren't paid their PIP money. Was everything perfect? Obviously not, but to say they were forced? That's laughable."
Kim makes a compelling point. For context, the Player Impact Program (PIP) is a bonus pool the PGA Tour created to reward its top stars based on metrics like Google Search volume and social media engagement. While it wasn't perfect, it's hard to argue that players were "forced" into taking LIV's lucrative offers—often worth tens of millions—knowing full well it meant leaving the PGA Tour behind.
At the end of the day, it was a tradeoff. These players made a choice, and now, as the landscape shifts, the conversation around redemption, consequences, and loyalty is only heating up. Whether you side with Smith or Kim, one thing's for sure: golf's offseason drama is far from over.