First start at the Farmers Insurance Open, Vijay Singh returns, and Charley Hull launches 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. This amicable agreement was announced by LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is known as a competitor who gets motivated and fired up at the highest level, which LIV hadn’t fully provided. He originally joined LIV in 2022 due to injury concerns and to secure a strong retirement fund. His skipping the final contractual season raises questions about buyouts or paybacks, and whether he remains an owner of his LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculations are rife about where Koepka will play next—DP World Tour where he’s instantly eligible, possibly with a penalty, or PGA Tour where he faces a one-year suspension post-LIV participation. The PGA Tour’s lifetime bans have been significantly softened. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not extended after 2022.
An eventual suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season. Koepka would be eligible for 2027, aligning with the PGA Tour’s new schedule featuring nearly two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, top-player fields—the perfect return timing for Koepka. PGA Tour Enterprises investors would welcome another marquee player. Jon Rahm recently remarked on the \”Subpar\” podcast that Koepka will likely return to PGA Tour, possibly playing selectively the big tournaments he prefers. The PGA Tour’s board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee—following Rory McIlroy’s recommendation—may overlook suspensions for a five-time major champion.
Update: It has happened. Monday evening local time, news spread rapidly that Koepka is immediately eligible to compete on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January at Torrey Pines. His participation at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is also confirmed.
This is enabled by the recently introduced \”Returning Member Program\” allowing selected LIV players reinstatement without suspension. In Koepka’s case, his sporting merits, especially his 2023 PGA Championship win as a fifth major, were recognized.
The PGA Tour states this special rule applies to major and Players winners in the last three years. The deadline is February 2. \”This is a one-time, clearly defined opportunity and does not set precedent,\” said PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp. This development may concern Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith and unsettle LIV Golf.
Koepka’s penalty for crossing to LIV is mild: a $5 million donation to PGA Tour charity, exclusion from 2026 FedEx Cup bonus and a five-year ban from PGA Tour’s capital participation program.