First start already at the Farmers; Vijay Singh ready for another run; Charley Hull soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for family. This amicable agreement was stated by LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is known as a competitor who thrives in top-level competition, something LIV provided only to a limited degree. He switched to LIV in 2022 mainly because of injuries threatening to end his career and to secure a considerable retirement fund. Therefore, skipping the final contracted season is not surprising, though questions remain whether he had to pay a buyout or return part of his guaranteed salary. The 35-year-old also remains owner of the LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculation is rife about which fairways Koepka will target next—immediate eligibility on the DP World Tour, possibly subject to a penalty, or a return to the PGA Tour where he must serve a one-year suspension since his last LIV event, after the lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan were significantly softened. Why be vindictive when a returning LIV player, especially one as prominent as Koepka, benefits the tour holding the stronger leverage? This key question seems partially answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not renewed after 2022, and to be reinstated as a player.
Update: \”And maybe the PGA Tour will give a break to the five-time major winner in Ponte Vedra Beach\” – that’s exactly what happened. News spread quickly that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January. He is also confirmed for the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
This was made possible by a newly introduced rule called the \”Returning Member Program,\” allowing selected LIV players to regain PGA Tour membership without suspension.
Any potential suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27-30. Koepka would also be eligible to play in 2027 when the PGA Tour introduces its new schedule with about two dozen $20 million tournaments featuring limited fields of top players, a perfect time for a comeback that suits Koepka’s preferences. The investors behind PGA Tour Enterprises, likely the new top league’s operators, would welcome another star name.
\”He might need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently said on the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably at least play the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies for or gets invites to big events, he would play those too.\” There is a possibility that the PGA Tour, its board, player directors, and the Tiger Woods-led competition committee could bend the rules on Koepka’s suspension, following Rory McIlroy’s