First start already at Farmers, Vijay Singh ready to compete again, Charley Hull launching on YouTube soon. 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family. This was a friendly agreement, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitive athlete who gets highly motivated and fired up during top-level competition, which he rarely found in LIV. He joined LIV in 2022 primarily due to injury concerns about the end of his career and to secure a substantial retirement fund. Thus, skipping the last contracted season is not surprising, although questions remain about whether he had to buy out his contract or return part of his guaranteed pay. He remains the owner of the LIV team Smash GC, which has appointed Talor Gooch as the new captain.
Speculation abounds about where Koepka will play next — the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible, perhaps with a penalty; or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension after his last LIV appearance, since the lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan were significantly reduced. It makes sense not to be vindictive, especially as every returning LIV player strengthens the well-established PGA Tour. This key question now seems partially answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership that wasn’t renewed after 2022 and to be reinstated as a player.
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Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026