In 2026, saying no to LIV Golf earns you something money can’t buy — locker-room respect. Akshay Bhatia has rejected a “lucrative” offer to join LIV Golf, opting to remain on the PGA Tour, multiple sources told Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard. The 23-year-old, two-time PGA Tour winner walked away from guaranteed millions.
What happened next mattered just as much as the decision itself.
Michael Kim, a PGA Tour veteran, reposted the news on X with a telling reaction.
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“It’s very cool seeing younger guys say no to the upfront money to chase more career goals,” Kim wrote. “I obviously understand it from the other side as well but it’s one thing to talk about it, another to say no to a big check that’s right in front of you.”
The validation was public. The message was clear. In the current PGA-LIV landscape, staying now comes with peer respect attached.