First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh ready to compete again, Charley Hull soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
It was expected: Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family. This is the official statement from LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up by top-level competition, something that LIV only partially provided. He moved there in 2022 mainly because of injuries threatening his career end and to secure a good retirement fund. Therefore, skipping his last contracted season is not surprising, although questions remain about possible buyouts or partial salary repayments. At 35, he remains owner of his LIV team Smash GC, which has appointed Talor Gooch as the new captain.
Speculations are rife about where Koepka will next play. On the DP World Tour where he would be immediately eligible, possibly with a penalty? Or on the PGA Tour where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV appearance, after former commissioner Jay Monahan reduced previously lifelong bans? Why be vindictive if every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, benefits the already stronger tour? This key question seems partly answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership not extended after 2022 and to be reinstated in the player field.
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