LIV rebel edges closer to PGA Tour return after being dumped by rival league

30 October 2023 , 16:52

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Turk Pettit is targeting a return to the PGA Tour

Former LIV Golf star Turk Pettit has kicked off his quest to return to the PGA Tour through Qualifying School, one year after being dropped by the breakaway circuit.

Pettit played in all eight LIV events in their maiden campaign in 2022, and won £858,000 in the process for Niblicks GC. The team led by captain Bubba Watson re-branded as the RangeGoats for 2023, and Pettit was replaced by Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters and Talor Gooch.

To compete on the breakaway circuit, the American was forced to resign his membership from the PGA Tour following the lengthy dispute between the two rival tours.

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Having lost his spot on the LIV setup this year, Pettit has played his golf on the Asian Tour - with his best performance coming at the St Andrews Bay Championship where he finished in a tie for eighth in Scotland. Ahead of 2024, the 24-year-old is hoping to play PGA Tour golf once more.

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The American entered into one of 10 PGA Tour Q-School events taking place across the United States, and enjoyed plenty of success after finishing at 10-under-par in Texas to book a place in the next stage. If Pettit is successful in regaining his card he could well be followed by a number of his fellow LIV stars.

Turk Pettit has played in eight LIV Golf events (Getty Images)

In June the PGA Tour announced they had reached a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), that would see them work in unison with their LIV rivals. Part of the agreement stipulated that the previously banned players could reapply for their PGA Tour membership cards.

As things stand though, the agreement between the two parties is yet to be finalised having been handed a deadline of December 31 to sign off the deal. In recent weeks doubts over the deal being completed have emerged, with the Tour said to also be weighing investment from elsewhere, away from PIF.

In a leaked memo to players, the Tour said: "We remain focused on reaching a Definitive Agreement with PIF and the DP World Tour, but not surprisingly, these negotiations have resulted in unsolicited outreach and proposals from a number of other interested investors. All of this activity reinforces the Tour's strong position and our potential for growth."

Joshua Lees