Q&A: Webb Simpson on PGA Tour-PIF deal, LIV golfers’ path to return and more

“It’s been almost a month since we signed a deal with SSG. And I think it’s fair to say that SSG, the Tour, us players are all in alignment in the sense that we need to have a conversation: We need to figure out what is the game of golf going to look like in two, three, four, five years? We need to figure that out with PIF.”

They also need to figure out how LIV players will be welcomed back. Simpson is well aware that starts are precious these days on the Tour and bringing back LIV players is going to create a conundrum with too many players and too few playing opportunities.

“That’s where I scratch my head because somebody’s gonna lose here. Somebody’s gonna have to lose for us to solve this problem,” Simpson said. “Either there’s less spots, but we create a more competitive product, right? Like field sizes, for example of 156, in my opinion, are just a terrible thing. Overall, it does give guys more playing opportunities, but it dilutes our product … And it’s easy for me to say, because I’ve never been in a position where I’m struggling to get starts, so I’m sympathetic in the sense that, like, I will admit, that will rub people the wrong way. But at the end of the day, as a board member, I need to do what I think is best for the product of the PGA Tour both what’s best for the players, and both what’s best for the tour.

“And so I think field sizes need to go down to 144. So sure, it’s hard to think about taking spots away from guys, but in terms of a path back for LIV guys, if LIV goes on two more years, you’re only left with five or six guys with any kind of exemption left — two of those being life members in Phil (Mickelson) and Dustin (Johnson). And then you got a few guys like Bryson Brooks, Rahm and Cam Smith, who were under a major exemption. So I don’t know how that’s all going to work.

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