Bubba Watson and Anthony Kim: the LIV return debate that could reshape golf's next move

SportLocation Golf Desk · 23 Aug 2026

A new debate around Bubba Watson and Anthony Kim asks whether the PGA Tour should welcome former LIV players back if the breakaway league folds, with Watson's name back in the frame as golf weighs reconciliation, precedent and the shape of the sport's future.

Bubba Watson has been pulled back into one of golf's most awkward modern questions: if LIV Golf were to fold, should the PGA Tour take him back? That debate is no longer just about one player's career path. It has become a test of how much the sport is willing to forgive, how it handles fractured loyalties, and whether a reunified men's game would be built on fresh terms or old grudges. The issue has resurfaced in coverage from HITC, which places Watson alongside Anthony Kim in a wider discussion about possible returns to the traditional circuit.

Watson's name carries weight because he is not a marginal figure. He is a major champion and one of the more recognisable personalities to leave for LIV, which means any talk of a comeback would land far beyond the usual roster chatter. The sight of a golfer working through a full driver swing on a practice area, with bags lined up nearby and temporary event-style structures in the background, fits the broader sense of a sport still in motion rather than settled. Golf's split has never been only about contracts; it has also been about identity, and Watson remains part of that argument.

The return question

The reported question is simple to ask and hard to answer. If LIV disappeared, would the PGA Tour be expected to reopen the door to players who left, or would it insist that departure had consequences? For some, a return would be a practical way to restore the strongest possible field. For others, it would look like a quiet reset that rewards those who walked away from the established tour when the money and structure elsewhere proved attractive. Watson sits at the centre of that tension because his profile makes any decision feel symbolic, not merely administrative.

Anthony Kim's inclusion in the same discussion adds another layer. His name evokes a different kind of comeback conversation, one shaped by absence, curiosity and what might have been. Putting Kim and Watson in the same frame shows how golf's future is being discussed through both nostalgia and policy: who gets a second chance, on what terms, and who decides whether the sport has moved on enough to make room. The answer would affect not just individual players but the tone of any reunification.

Why Watson matters

That is why this story matters beyond the headline. If the PGA Tour were ever to absorb former LIV players again, it would need a clear stance on eligibility, status and the message sent to current members. A simple yes or no would not be enough. The tour would be balancing competitive strength against institutional memory, and every high-profile name would become part of the public case study. Watson's presence in the debate makes it more immediate because he is the sort of player fans recognise instantly and administrators cannot ignore.

There is also a commercial reality underneath the sporting one. Golf has spent years dealing with divided schedules, split loyalties and the uncertainty created by competing tours. Any scenario in which LIV folds would not automatically solve those problems; it would merely move them into a new phase. The question would shift from whether the game can survive division to how it rebuilds trust after it. Watson's potential return would be one of the first visible signs of that process.

What golf is weighing next

For now, the discussion remains hypothetical, but it is a revealing one. The sport is already being forced to think about what reconciliation would look like before any formal change arrives. Bubba Watson's name at the heart of the debate tells you how serious that reckoning is: this is not just about filling tee times, but about deciding what kind of golf world comes next.

If LIV does fold, the next decision will be whether the PGA Tour wants a clean break from the past or a carefully managed welcome back.

Sources & further reading

hitc.com — Bubba Watson and Anthony Kim: Should the PGA Tour take them back if LIV folds?