First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh ready to play again, Charley Hull launching on YouTube soon. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion will remain connected to the competing circuit but needs more family time. This was amicably agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. However, Koepka, known as a competitive athlete who thrives on high-level competition, was less motivated in LIV. He switched mainly in 2022 due to injury concerns late in his career, securing a solid retirement income. Thus, his skipping the final contracted season is not surprising, although questions remain about any financial settlements or his ownership of the LIV team Smash GC, which has named Talor Gooch as its new captain.
Speculation is rife about which tours Koepka will play on next — the DP World Tour, where he could play immediately perhaps against a fine, or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV appearance, as lifetime bans were softened by former Commissioner Jay Monahan. Why hold grudges when every returning LIV player, especially a prominent one, benefits the more powerful PGA Tour? This key question seems partly answered: ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported that Koepka formally applied last Friday to reinstate his PGA Tour membership not extended after 2022.
Any suspension would end in August, coinciding with the season finale of the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. Koepka would then be eligible for 2027 under the PGA Tour’s revamped schedule comprising nearly two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, top-tier fields — the perfect timing for his comeback. PGA Tour Enterprises investors, likely backers of the new league, would surely welcome another star name.
\”He may need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently stated in the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably play at least the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or gets invites for top events, he’ll play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will be lenient with the five-time major winner; the decision involves the board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee, reportedly siding with Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to reinstate Koepka immediately.
Update: Indeed, on Monday evening local time, it spread like wildfire that Koepka is reinstated on the PGA Tour effective immediately and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January. His