First start at the Farmers, Vijay Singh makes a comeback, Charley Hull launches a YouTube channel. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season beginning February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for family. This is the official statement from LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka, a competitor by nature, thrives on high-level competition, something he found limited at LIV. He moved in 2022 primarily due to injury concerns about his career and to secure a solid retirement fund. Thus, skipping the final contracted season is not surprising, although questions remain about financial settlements and his ownership stake in the LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
The big speculation centers on where Koepka will play next: immediately eligible for the DP World Tour, possibly with a penalty, or on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension after his last LIV event, following softened lifetime bans. Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee benefits the stronger Tour? This question partly answered: according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which wasn’t renewed after 2022.
Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. Koepka would be eligible to play in 2027 with the PGA Tour’s new schedule of about two dozen $20 million events featuring limited, top fields—a perfect timing for his return. Investors behind PGA Tour Enterprises would certainly welcome another big name.
\”He might need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,\” said Jon Rahm recently on the \”Subpar\” podcast. \”He’ll probably play at least the minimum to start, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones? If he qualifies or gets invited to high-profile events, he’d play those too.\” Perhaps the PGA Tour will be lenient toward the five-time major champion; the player directors and the competition committee, led by Tiger Woods, have say on the suspension, following Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to let Koepka play immediately.
Update: It happened just like that. On 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 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 regain PGA Tour membership without suspension. Koepka’s sporting merits, especially his 2023 PGA Championship win, a fifth major, were considered.
The PGA Tour states this special rule applies