First start already at the Farmers; Vijay Singh eager to compete again; Charley Hull launching a YouTube channel soon. 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for family. This was amicably agreed upon according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitive type who gets highly motivated and fired up only in top-level sporting challenges, something he found limited in LIV. He had switched to the Saudi entity in 2022 mainly due to concerns about his career ending from injury and wanted a solid retirement fund. Given this, his skipping of the contractually last season is not surprising, although questions remain about any buyout or partial refund of guaranteed money. Does the 35-year-old remain owner of his LIV team Smash GC, which has already named Talor Gooch as captain?
Speculations run high about where Koepka will soon tee off next. On the DP World Tour where he would be instantly eligible—likely with a penalty? Or on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year ban since his last LIV event, although lifetime bans imposed by former commissioner Jay Monahan have been greatly reduced? Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, plays into the hands of the more powerful, longer-established Tour? This key question seems partly answered now. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which had not been renewed after 2022, and be reinstated as a player.
An eventual ban would expire in August. That coincides with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27–30. However, Koepka would be eligible for 2027 as the PGA Tour plans a new schedule compressing almost two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, well-staffed fields. The perfect timing for a comeback, fitting Koepka’s style. The investors behind PGA Tour Enterprises, likely the new top league’s operators, would surely welcome another strong name.
\”He might need some time, but I think he will return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently said on the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably play at least the minimum, I’d say, and why not the events he likes, the big ones. If he then qualifies or is invited to top events, he would play those as well.\” And who knows, the five-time major winner might get leniency at Ponte Vedra Beach—besides the board, the player directors and the Tiger Woods-led competition committee hold say on bans and they follow Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to allow Koepka to play immediately.
Update: That’s exactly what happened. 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 in the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona is also confirmed.
This was made possible by a new