LIV adds Thomas Detry and increases total purse to $30M among 2026 changes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Thomas Detry of Belgium is joining LIV Golf for 2026, the fifth year for the Saudi-funded league that is increasing its total purse to $30 million and got statements from Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm that they're not about to leave.

LIV Golf wrapped up a week of previews — the season starts Feb. 4 in Saudi Arabia — that concluded Wednesday with CEO Scott O'Neil saying he had no problem with Brooks Koepka leaving and that those who remained were committed to the league.

He also held out hope the Official World Golf Ranking, which has been reviewing the LIV application for more than six months, will decide whether to include LIV before its season opener.

The preview week began with blockbuster news that Koepka, a five-time major champion and former No. 1 in the world, had been allowed to rejoin the PGA Tour without having access to equity in the tour for five years and by making a $5 million charitable donation.

O'Neil would not discuss any financial terms of Koepka's departure.

''I don't think this is where he wanted to be,'' O'Neil said, adding that he is rooting for Koepka.

''I will tell you I've got 57 guys that are running towards the light, and they understand the mission,'' he said. ''They understand what's expected of them, and they jump in and dive it and do it extraordinarily well.''

Rahm and DeChambeau had not given any indication of wanting to return to the PGA Tour and they affirmed that on Tuesday.

''Right now I've got a contract. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do at LIV Golf this year,'' DeChambeau said.

''I'm not planning on going anywhere,'' Rahm said.

O'Neil said prize money would increase from $25 million to $30 million, which includes the team performance. He said just over $22 million would go toward the individual result.

Changes to some of those teams include players and team names. Detry, who won his first PGA Tour title last year in the Phoenix Open, joins the 4 Aces team led by Dustin Johnson, who signed an extension to stay with LIV.

Trevor Immelman, the former Masters champion and now CBS Sports lead golf analyst, said in December that one of the obstacles to receiving ranking points was that the majority of LIV members were invited with contracts to join the league, different from the 24 tours that are part of the OWGR.

LIV, which began with 48 players in 2022, now has 57 players, including five wild-card players.

''The intention is to get this done before the season starts. That's the intention. But hey — I don't have a vote, ironically enough,'' O'Neil said. ''Hopefully that that news comes through and true, and I'm still going to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize if we get this thing done.''

___