First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh eager for more, Charley Hull soon launching on YouTube. 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion will stay connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for his family. This was reportedly agreed upon amicably according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitor who gets motivated and fired up by top-level contests, something he lacked in LIV. He switched in 2022 mainly because he feared injury might end his career and wanted a good retirement fund. So his decision to skip the last contractual season is unsurprising, though questions remain: Did he have to buy out? Return part of his guaranteed earnings? Is he still an owner of LIV team Smash GC, which made Talor Gooch captain?
Speculation grows about where Koepka will next compete. The DP World Tour would presumably allow immediate play, possibly with a penalty? Or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension from his last LIV event after previous lifetime bans by commissioner Jay Monahan were softened? Why hold grudges when every returning LIV player, especially a star like Koepka, benefits the tour that holds more power? This question seems partially answered now: ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reports Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership and be reinstated.