First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh wants to compete again, Charley Hull soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the LIV Golf League 2026 season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for family. This was reportedly agreed upon amicably according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitive athlete who thrives on top-level competition, which he found limited at LIV. He originally joined LIV in 2022 likely due to injury concerns and the opportunity to secure a solid retirement fund. Questions remain about whether he had to buy out or return part of his guaranteed salary, and if he remains an owner of the LIV team Smash GC, which has appointed Talor Gooch as the new captain.
Speculation is rife about which tours Koepka will appear on next: the DP World Tour, where he would immediately be eligible to play, possibly with a penalty, or the PGA Tour, where a one-year suspension from his last LIV event currently stands, but has been significantly softened from previous lifetime bans. This major question seems partly answered as ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reported Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership and be reinstated.
An eventual suspension would expire in August 2026, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship. Koepka would then be eligible for 2027, ideally timed with the PGA Tour’s new schedule featuring nearly two dozen $20 million events with limited elite fields—a perfect moment for his return. Investors in PGA Tour Enterprises would likely welcome such a marquee name.
Jon Rahm recently expressed in the podcast \”Subpar\” that Koepka might take time but will return to the PGA Tour, likely playing his preferred big tournaments. The PGA Tour leadership, including Tiger Woods’s competition committee and player directors, might grant leniency on his suspension, following Rory McIlroy’s recommendation for his immediate return.
Update: It has happened: news spread quickly Monday evening that Koepka is immediately eligible to compete on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open in Torrey Pines at the end of January, with entry also confirmed for the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, Arizona.
This is enabled by the \”Returning Member Program,\” a new policy created last Thursday allowing select LIV players to rejoin the PGA Tour without suspension, considering Koepka’s recent sporting merits, including his 2023 PGA Championship win.
The PGA Tour states this special rule applies to major champions and Players winners from the past three years and expires February 2. CEO Brian Rolapp says this is a one-time opportunity with no guarantee of recurrence, which surely gives Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith much to consider and unsettles the LIV Golf League.
Koepka’s penalty is mild: a $5 million donation to PGA Tour charity, exclusion from the 2026 FedEx Cup bonus system, and a five-year bar from the PGA Tour Enterprises capital participation program.
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