First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh eager for a comeback, Charley Hull launching YouTube channel. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the LIV Golf League for the 2026 season beginning February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family. According to LIV CEO Scott McNeil, this was a mutual agreement. However, Koepka, known as a competitor who thrives in top-level competition, had limited motivation at LIV. He primarily joined LIV in 2022 due to injury concerns, expecting to end his career early and secure a solid retirement payout. Given this, his skipping the last contracted season is unsurprising, though questions linger regarding potential buyouts or guaranteed money repayments, and whether he remains an owner of his LIV team, Smash GC, which has named Talor Gooch as its new captain.
Speculation mainly revolves around where Koepka will play next. On the DP World Tour, where he could compete immediately, presumably with a penalty? Or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension for his last LIV start, following the significant reduction of previously imposed lifetime bans by former Commissioner Jay Monahan? Why foster resentment when every returning LIV player ultimately benefits the PGA Tour, which holds the upper hand? This key question appears partly answered: according to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership that lapsed after 2022 and to be reinstated as a player.
An eventual suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the 2026 season’s conclusion at the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. However, Koepka would be eligible to play in 2027, when the PGA Tour introduces its compressed schedule of about two dozen $20 million tournaments with top-tier limited fields, perfectly timed for his return. Investors in PGA Tour Enterprises, expected to back the new top league, would also welcome another marquee name.
\”He might need some time, but I think he will return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently said on the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He will likely at least play the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or is eligible for big events, he would play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will be lenient with the five-time major champ—the PGA Tour board, player directors, and