First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh wants to try again, Charley Hull to join YouTube soon. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has officially opted out of the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains associated with the rival circuit but wants more time for his family. This is according to an official statement by LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is known as a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up only during top-level competition, something that was limited during his time with LIV. In 2022, he joined LIV primarily because he feared his career might end due to injuries and wanted to secure a solid retirement fund. Given this, his skipping the final contractual season is not surprising, although questions remain. Did he have to buy out of the contract or repay part of the guaranteed money? Does the 35-year-old remain an owner of LIV team Smash GC, which recently appointed Talor Gooch as the new captain?
Speculations abound as to which tours Koepka will compete on next. He would be immediately eligible on the DP World Tour, presumably with a penalty fee, or on the PGA Tour, where he must serve a one-year suspension since his last LIV appearance, following the significant softening of the lifetime bans imposed by former commissioner Jay Monahan. Why be vengeful when every prominent LIV returnee plays right into the hands of the longer-established tour? This key question now 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.
Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27-30. Koepka would then be eligible to play in 2027 under the PGA Tour’s new schedule concentrating nearly two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, fully stacked player fields. An ideal time for a return, perfectly suiting Koepka’s style. Investors with PGA Tour Enterprises, likely the entity behind the new top league, would surely welcome another big name.
\”He may need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,\” recently said Jon Rahm in the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably play at least the minimum, I’d say, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or can compete in high-profile events, he’d play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will cut some slack for the five-time major winner in Ponte Vedra Beach – an idea supported by the board, player directors, and the competition committee led by Tiger Woods, as well as recommended by Rory McIlroy, who wants Koepka allowed back immediately. According to a non-representative fan survey by Bunkered magazine, a majority of fans agree.
Update: \”And maybe they