PGA Tour Rocket Classic Sees Former LIV Golfer in the Field

Newsweek

7 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Regarding LIV Golf players, the PGA Tour has its position perfectly clear: they cannot return until one year has passed since their last appearance in the Saudi-backed league.
Although there are cases of former LIV golfers who have already met that deadline, it is still notable that they have not sought to return to the PGA Tour, at least not on a permanent basis.
One such case is that of James Piot, a 26-year-old who will be making his first PGA Tour start since 2022 next weekend. Piot has played only seven American-based circuit events in his career, four of them as an amateur.
The player received a sponsor's exemption to play in the Rocket Classic, which is held at the Detroit Golf Club, in his hometown.
James Piot of the United States in action on the 10th hole during the second round of The International Series Japan presented by Moutai at Caledonian Golf Club on May 9, 2025 in Yokoshibahikari, Chiba,...
James Piot of the United States in action on the 10th hole during the second round of The International Series Japan presented by Moutai at Caledonian Golf Club on May 9, 2025 in Yokoshibahikari, Chiba, Japan. MoreMark Hollis, one of the directors of Rock Ventures and the Rocket Classic, told the Detroit News details about this decision:
"There was a lot of support, and it was one or the happiest calls I've made. He's somebody we wanted in from the get-go as we were going through the process. It had to play out the way it played out," Hollis said.
Piot, for his part, described the idea of ​​being able to play in his hometown:
"For it to actually happen is the coolest thing in the world. 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," he said.
A very revealing detail is that Piot was preparing to play in the Monday qualifier to try to win a spot in the event when he received the call from the sponsors.
James Piot had a distinguished amateur career, highlighted by his 2021 US Amateur title. He graduated from Michigan State in 2022, beginning his professional career in May of that year.
🚨👀⛳️ #NEW — James Piot has been added to the field at The Rocket Mortgage Classic on an unrestricted sponsors exemption. The move is significant as he completed a 2-year stint with LIV Golf, before being relegated at the end of 2023. Piot is a Michigan native. pic.twitter.com/189HbJBfnf — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 23, 2025
Opportunities to play on the PGA Tour immediately arose, and he teed off at the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Memorial Tournament. However, after playing in the 2022 US Open, he decided to answer the call of LIV Golf, effectively closing PGA Tour's door to date.
Piot played 21 individual LIV Golf events in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. His results were generally poor, and he was relegated at the end of his second season.
Since then, he has been playing primarily on the Asian Tour.
Piot had already played one tournament under the PGA Tour umbrella in April of this year: the LECOM Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The list of former LIV Golf players who have returned to the PGA Tour is extremely short. Bernd Wiesberger and Laurie Canter played in the 2024 Scottish Open, but only because it's a co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour.
Canter himself became the first former LIV player to make the field of a tournament run solely by the PGA Tour when he played in the 2025 Players Championship.
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