First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh returns, Charley Hull soon 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family. This was mutually agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who gets motivated and fired up by high-level competition, which he only partially found at LIV. He initially joined LIV in 2022 mainly because of injury concerns threatening his career and to secure a good retirement fund. Thus, it is not surprising he skipped the last contracted season, though questions remain about financial arrangements and his continued ownership of LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculations arise about where Koepka will appear next. Possibly on the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible – perhaps after a penalty payment? Or on the PGA Tour, where he would face a one-year suspension since his last LIV start, although lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan have been significantly softened. Why hold grudges when prominent LIV returnees fit perfectly into the established PGA Tour? ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reports that Koepka submitted a formal application last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which had not been renewed after 2022.
Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. Koepka would then be eligible for 2027, when the PGA Tour introduces its new condensed schedule of nearly two dozen $20 million tournaments with highly curated limited fields – ideal timing for his comeback, in his style. The investors behind PGA Tour Enterprises, likely organizing the new top league, would welcome such a high-profile name.
\”He may need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,\” said Jon Rahm recently on the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably play at least the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or gets into top events, he’ll play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will waive the suspension for the five-time major winner in Ponte Vedra Beach, where the board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee could follow Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to allow Koepka to play immediately.
Update: It happened just as expected. On 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 in Arizona is also confirmed.
This became possible through a newly created rule called the \”Returning Member Program\” implemented last Thursday, allowing select LIV players to