First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh also aiming for a comeback, Charley Hull soon launching on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf League season, which begins February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family. This was reportedly a mutual, friendly agreement according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitive type who gets motivated and fired up only by top-level contests, something that was limited in LIV. He primarily joined LIV in 2022 due to injury concerns threatening his career’s end and to secure a solid retirement fund. Given this, his skipping the final contractual season is not surprising, although questions remain such as whether he had to buy out his contract or return part of his guaranteed pay. He remains owner of his LIV team Smash GC, which already named Talor Gooch as captain.
Speculation abounds about where Koepka will next play. On the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible—possibly with a penalty payment? Or on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension following his last LIV event, now reduced from a lifetime ban imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan. Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one like Koepka, benefits the longer-established tour? This 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, to rejoin the player roster.