DP World Tour opens door for LIV players’ return, family joy for Oban’s MacIntyre, Fox’s error-filled LIV graphic, and Fleetwood’s new look. The Back Nine.
Brooks Koepka has completed his first week back on the PGA Tour with dignity. Although finishing T56 at Justin Rose’s victory at the Farmer Insurance Open was not a stunning performance, the journey was the main goal. Koepka started with a one-over-par 73, played a 68 in the second round to make the cut, and closed the weekend at Torrey Pines with rounds of 73 and 70 strokes. Mission accomplished. On Friday after making the weekend cut, the five-time major champion spoke about falling in love with the game again. That was what he missed at LIV: the competition, the tough battle. Fighting for a three-meter putt even 20 strokes behind the lead. Every shot counts, especially when a hundred or more players share the same goal. ‘I’m glad to be out there grinding again,’ said Koepka.
However, elsewhere, Koepka’s comeback is still drawing criticism for seeming too easy and smooth. Not only from Wyndham Clark. In a conversation with Golf Digest Japan before the Farmers, Hideki Matsuyama spoke unusually candidly. Considering his normally polite demeanor, one might say the 2021 Masters champion is furious.
\”I have nothing against Koepka. I actually find it quite impressive that Brooks had the courage to make this decision and cancel his LIV contract.\”
Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama said he was shocked to hear about the LIV star’s return. The Japanese player declined a nine-figure offer from the rival circuit in 2022, partly due to potential PGA Tour consequences. ‘I thought: Wait, he can just come back like that? What happened to the idea that players who joined LIV are banned from PGA Tour for a year? And now there is a Returning Member Program?’
He added that he was unaware of such a rule: ‘I wonder why the PGA Tour did not explain the situation to players in advance? But we are just supposed to play and have no say otherwise.’ Matsuyama finished eleventh at La Jolla, well ahead of Koepka. Did that calm him down?
DP World Tour: Dropping Penalties for LIV Players?
In a turnaround, the DP World Tour is reforming sanctions for rogue members. From the 2026 season, no penalties will be imposed on players competing in unsanctioned tours like the LIV Golf League. According to Flushing It, players such as the returning Patrick Reed or Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who have appealed their fines, must