This week, American James Piot marks a small milestone by becoming the first former LIV Golf player to receive a sponsor’s invitation to compete in the Rocket Classic, a PGA Tour tournament held at the Detroit Golf Club, Michigan.
Laurie Canter, who played in LIV, has already competed in North American circuit tournaments, but Piot is the first to receive an invitation. It’s not a minor detail. Coincidence or not, this news comes just days after Jay Monahan’s departure as CEO of the PGA Tour.
Piot, 26 years old and a native of Farmington Hills, won the U.S. Amateur 2021 before turning professional. That same year he debuted on the PGA Tour but in 2022 he signed a two-year contract worth around 6 million dollars with LIV Golf. However, his performance was modest, achieving only one top 10 and ending up relegated to the Asian Tour at the end of 2023.
The PGA Tour regulations require a one-year suspension for those competing in unauthorized tournaments, which made Piot eligible again since last October, and it took a few months to extend this invitation. He also hasn’t managed to secure the rights during this time. Thanks to several last-minute withdrawals, he has received the invitation to compete in the Rocket Classic, at home.
In his initial reactions, Piot stated: “This is the most incredible thing that has happened to me, I am excited. Since the tournament was created, I always wanted to be here.” Meanwhile, Mark Hollis, the event director, assured that the young player was a bet from the start: “It was one of the happiest calls I’ve made… he’s someone we wanted from the beginning”
