First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh wants to give it another go, Charley Hull soon launching 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As expected: Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. This was reportedly agreed amicably, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up only during top-level sports confrontations, which was somewhat limited with LIV. He initially joined LIV in 2022 mainly because he thought his career might be over due to injury and wanted to secure a solid retirement fund. So his opting out of the final contractual season is not surprising, though questions remain. Did he have to buy out? Return part of his guaranteed money? Is the 35-year-old still an owner of his LIV team Smash GC, which has already appointed Talor Gooch as new captain?
Speculations abound on which fairways Koepka will appear next. On the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible—probably paying a penalty? Or on the PGA Tour, where he would face a one-year suspension after his last LIV appearance, after former commissioner Jay Monahan lessened lifetime bans? Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, benefits the already dominant Tour? This key question seems partly answered. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not renewed after 2022, to rejoin the playing field.