First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh making a comeback, and Charley Hull soon launching on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for family. This was amicably agreed, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who is motivated and fired up mostly through top-level competition, something he experienced only partially in LIV. He originally moved there in 2022 due to injury concerns about his career’s end and to secure a solid retirement fund. Thus, skipping the last contractual season is unsurprising, although questions remain—did he have to buy out or return part of his guaranteed pay? Does the 35-year-old remain the owner of LIV team Smash GC, which named Talor Gooch as new captain?
Speculations flourish about which fairways Koepka will appear on next. The DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible to play—likely with a penalty? Or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV event after former Commissioner Jay Monahan’s previously imposed lifetime bans were substantially reduced? Why hold grudges if every LIV returnee benefits the longer-established PGA Tour? This key question seems partly answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which had not been renewed after 2022, to rejoin the player ranks.