First start already at the Farmers Insurance Open, Vijay Singh returns, Charley Hull to launch YouTube channel. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf League season starting on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for his family. This was reportedly mutually agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who thrives on high-level competition, something he found limited at LIV Golf. Having joined LIV in 2022 primarily as he feared his career was nearing its end due to injuries and to secure a solid retirement fund, it is not surprising he declined the last contractual playing season, although questions remain about financial settlements and his ownership status of LIV’s Smash GC team, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculation abounds about where Koepka will compete next. He is immediately eligible to play on the DP World Tour—likely with a penalty—or pursue a return to the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV event, a ban that has been significantly softened from previous lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan. Why hold grudges when every returning LIV player strengthens the already powerful PGA Tour? ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported Koepka formally applied last Friday to reinstate his PGA Tour membership after not renewing in 2022.