First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh eager to compete again, Charley Hull launching a YouTube channel. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh. The five-time major champion will remain connected to LIV but needs more time for family, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitive player who thrives on high-level competition, something he lacked at LIV. His 2022 move to LIV was motivated by injury concerns and securing a retirement fund. Questions remain about whether he had to buy out his contract or repay part of his guaranteed salary. Meanwhile, Koepka remains an owner of the LIV team Smash GC, with Talor Gooch as the new captain.
Speculation is rife about where Koepka will appear next—on the DP World Tour, where he might pay a penalty to play immediately, or on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension from his last LIV event, following softened lifetime bans imposed by ex-Commissioner Jay Monahan. Returning LIV players, especially high-profile ones like Koepka, favor the PGA Tour. ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not renewed after 2022.
A potential suspension expires in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season and Tour Championship. Koepka could be eligible for 2027, aligned with the PGA Tour’s revamped schedule featuring nearly two dozen $20 million events with exclusive fields—a perfect comeback moment. PGA Tour Enterprises investors would welcome a big name like Koepka.
Jon Rahm recently told the \”Subpar\” podcast he believes Koepka will return to the PGA Tour, likely playing minimally at first and choosing his preferred big events. The PGA Tour’s board, players’ directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee, who hold say on suspensions, might grant Koepka leniency, with Rory McIlroy publicly supporting a swift return.
Update: It happened: On Monday evening local time, it spread rapidly that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January at Torrey Pines. His participation in the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is confirmed.
This was enabled by the newly created \”Returning Member Program\”, allowing select LIV players to rejoin the PGA Tour without suspension, acknowledging Koepka’s recent merits, notably his 2023 PGA Championship win.
The PGA Tour statement clarifies this special rule applies to major and Players winners from the past three years and expires February 2. CEO Brian Rolapp emphasized this is a one-time, clearly defined opportunity with no future guarantees, causing concern among LIV Golf and other players like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith.
Koepka’s penalties for defecting to LIV are mild: a $5 million donation to PGA Tour charity, exclusion from the 2026 FedEx Cup bonus and a five-year ban from the