Former LIV player set for surprise PGA Tour return

In a break from convention in a landscape that very much remains divided, a former LIV Golf player will return to the PGA Tour this week.

Players on the American circuit who left for the breakaway league in the last three years have been handed indefinite suspensions, leading to a split playing pool at the elite level of the men’s game.

Yet there will be a reprieve for an unheralded but promising talent who played on the LIV circuit but is now ready to play in this week’s Rocket Classic in Detroit.

• Brandel Chamblee claims unseen Tommy Fleetwood moment cost him title

• Tommy Fleetwood reacts to heartbreaking Keegan Bradley defeat

The American pro James Piot, who was relegated from LIV in 2023, will tee it up in the $9.6million PGA Tour event due to a string of late withdrawals.

Piot has been awarded an ‘unrestricted sponsor’s exemption’ in the 156-player field, which will also include Travelers Championship winner Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler.

After recovering from shoulder surgery, the 26-year-old has spent time globetrotting on the Asian Tour this season and missed the cut in a solitary Korn Ferry Tour start in April.

Before that, Piot, who won the US amateur in 2021 before joining LIV in 2022, was a member of Phil  Mickleson’s HyFlyers GC outfit.

• English golfer claims £400k payday hours after ambulance treatment

• Keegan Bradley changes Ryder Cup playing stance

He made the move to LIV after missing six straight cuts on the PGA Tour, including his debuts at The Masters and the US Open.

According to The Detroit News, Piot was set to tee it up in the Monday Qualifier in Detroit before being told he had an exemption into the tournament.

“For it to actually happen is the coolest thing in the world,” he said. “It’s awesome. Just the fact I finally get to play in the Rocket Classic, it’s a dream come true.

“Ever since the event was created on the schedule, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.