First start at the Farmers, Vijay Singh returns on PGA Tour, Charley Hull to launch YouTube channel. 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion will stay connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. This friendly agreement was officially stated by LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitor who thrives on high-level competition, which he only somewhat found at LIV. He joined LIV in 2022 mainly due to injury concerns about ending his career and securing a solid retirement fund. So renouncing the last contracted season is not surprising, though questions remain: Did he buy out his contract or repay part of his guaranteed salary? Is he still an owner of LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch?
Speculations are rampant on which fairways Koepka will appear next. On the DP World Tour, where immediate eligibility is possible, possibly with penalties? Or on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension from his last LIV appearance, albeit with lifetime bans by former Commissioner Jay Monahan significantly softened? There’s logic in avoiding spite when prominent LIV returnees benefit the established tour hegemony. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reinstate his PGA Tour membership, which lapsed after 2022, aiming to rejoin the players’ circle.