Commissioner Jay Monahan would welcome a conversation with Phil Mickelson about returning to the PGA Tour, despite the six-time major winner's strident criticism of the organisation.
Mickelson lost numerous sponsors and is taking a break from golf after accusing the PGA Tour of acting like a "dictatorship" and admitting he was using the threat of a breakaway Saudi-backed league as "leverage" to reshape how the Tour operates.
The 51-year-old apologised for his "reckless" comments but still insisted the way the sport is run needs to change and praised the "visionaries" he had worked with on the rival league, which is being spearheaded by Greg Norman.
Monahan pointedly began his traditional press conference ahead of this week's Players Championship by stating that the PGA Tour would no longer be "distracted" by talk of rival leagues and remained focused on "legacy, not leverage".
He said: "I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away.
"I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. But it's hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out.
"Listen, he's a player that's won 45 times on the PGA Tour. He's had a Hall of Fame career. He's won here at The Players Championship. He's inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.
"So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he's ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it as well."
Monahan was not asked directly if Mickelson had in fact been suspended by the PGA Tour, but did concede that "every player is accountable for their actions out here".
He added: "He stepped away on his own accord and he's asked for time. He's been given that time. We don't comment on disciplinary matters, potential matters or actual matters."
Although Rory McIlroy declared the potential new league as "dead in the water" after Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson became the latest players to commit to the PGA Tour, Norman subsequently insisted "this is just the beginning" in an open letter to Monahan.
The two-time major winner also accused Monahan of "bullying" players with "unenforceable" threats of a lifetime ban if they joined a rival league.
"Our PGA Tour rules and regulations were written by the players, for the players," Monahan said. "They've been in existence for over 50 years.
"I'm confident in our rules and regulations, my ability to administer them, and that's my position on the matter.
"We're at The Players Championship. We're back here and we're going to have full capacity, full crowds, the world's best players, and we're going to accelerate into our season of championships and continue to grow this Tour.
"And when we do that, all that other stuff doesn't matter because we're in a position where no-one can compete with what we have."
