First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh returns, Charley Hull launching on YouTube soon. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has opted out of the 2026 LIV Golf League season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain affiliated with the rival circuit but needs more family time. This was amicably agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up only in top-level contests, something that was limited in LIV. He primarily joined LIV in 2022 expecting his career to be over due to injuries and to secure a solid retirement fund, so skipping the last contractual season is not surprising, though questions remain. Did he have to buy out or repay part of his guaranteed fee? Does he still own his LIV team Smash GC, which recently named Talor Gooch as captain?
Speculation abounds on where Koepka will next compete. DP World Tour would allow immediate eligibility, probably with a penalty, or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension following his last LIV start after previous lifetime bans were substantially reduced. Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a star, benefits the longer leverage of the established tours? This key question seems partially answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not renewed after 2022, and to rejoin the player ranks.
Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 PGA season at the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. Koepka would be eligible for 2027 when the PGA Tour introduces a compressed schedule of about two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, top-tier fields—perfect timing for his comeback, just his style. Investors in PGA Tour Enterprises, the likely operator of the new premier league, would certainly welcome such a high-profile name.
\”He may need some time, but I think he will return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently said in the ‘Subpar’ podcast. \”He will probably at least play the minimum and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or gets into high-profile events, he will play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will ease restrictions for a five-time major champ—alongside the board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee, following Rory McIlroy’s advice to reinstate Koepka directly.
Update: That has indeed occurred. Monday evening local time brought news spreading fast that Koepka is immediately eligible again for the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January. Participation in the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, Arizona, is also confirmed.
This was made possible by a new rule called the ‘Returning Member Program’ created last Thursday, allowing selected LIV players to resume PGA membership without suspension. Koepka’s sporting merits, notably the 2023 PGA Championship as his fifth major, were taken into account.
The PGA Tour stated