First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh aiming for a comeback, Charley Hull soon launching 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season, starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will stay connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for family. This was amicably agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. But Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated only through high-level competition, something he found limited in LIV. He originally joined LIV in 2022 mainly because injury had made him consider ending his career, and he wanted a solid retirement fund. Thus, skipping the last contractually required season is not surprising, though questions remain about whether he had to buy out or repay part of his guaranteed salary, and if he remains owner of the LIV team Smash GC, which has named Talor Gooch as new captain.
Speculations abound about which tours Koepka will appear on next: the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible — possibly after a penalty payment? Or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV appearance, after the lifetime bans imposed by former commissioner Jay Monahan were significantly softened? Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, benefits the stronger-established tour? According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not renewed after 2022, to rejoin the playing group.
An eventual suspension would end in August, coinciding with the close of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship running from August 27 to 30. Koepka would then be eligible for 2027 under the PGA Tour’s new compressed schedule featuring nearly two dozen $20 million events with limited, top-tier fields — the perfect timing for a comeback. PGA Tour Enterprises’ investors, likely backers of the new top league, would no doubt welcome another strong name.
\”He may need some time, but I think he will return to the PGA Tour,\” said Jon Rahm in a recent ‘Subpar’ podcast. \”He will probably play at least the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones? If he then qualifies for or gets into high-profile events, he would play those too.\” And who knows, a five-time major winner might be given some leniency in Ponte Vedra Beach — the suspension decisions involve the board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee, following Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to let Koepka play immediately.
Update: Exactly that happened. On Monday evening local time, news spread rapidly that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January. His participation at the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona is also confirmed.
This was enabled by a new rule created last Thursday called the ‘Returning Member Program,’ allowing selected LIV players to regain PGA Tour membership without suspension. Koepka’s