First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh back on the course, Charley Hull soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for family. This was a friendly agreement according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up during top-level competition, which was limited at LIV. He originally joined LIV in 2022 mainly due to injury concerns and securing a retirement fund. Therefore, skipping the last contracted season is not surprising, though questions remain about buyouts or repayment of guaranteed fees. It is unclear if Koepka, 35, remains owner of his LIV team Smash GC, already captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculation is rife about which tour Koepka will play on next — the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible, possibly with a fine, or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension after his last LIV event, as previous lifetime bans have been softened. Considering that every big-name LIV returnee benefits the PGA Tour, this key question has partial answers now. ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported that Koepka formally applied to reinstate his PGA Tour membership last Friday.
An eventual ban would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27-30. This timing also sets Koepka up for eligibility in 2027 under the PGA Tour’s new schedule of about two dozen $20 million events with limited elite fields — a perfect timing according to Koepka’s style. PGA Tour Enterprises investors would welcome another marquee name.
Jon Rahm recently stated in the \”Subpar\” podcast that Koepka might take some time but is expected to return to the PGA Tour, likely playing a minimum schedule and the big events he prefers. The player board and Tiger Woods-led competition committee oversee suspensions, and Rory McIlroy supports lifting Koepka’s ban immediately.
Update: It happened just as expected. On Monday evening local time, news spread rapidly that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour again and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January. His participation in the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona is also confirmed.
The new \”Returning Member Program,\” created last Thursday, allows selected LIV players to rejoin the PGA Tour without suspension. Koepka’s sporting merits, notably his 2023 PGA Championship win as his fifth major, were recognized.
The PGA Tour statement says this special rule applies to major and Players Championship winners from the last three years and expires February 2. CEO Brian Rolapp calls this a one-time, clearly defined opportunity with no precedent for the future. This will surely concern Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, and unsettle LIV Golf.
Koepka’s penalty is mild: a $5 million donation to the PGA Tour’s charity fund, exclusion from the 202