First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh also eager to play again, Charley Hull soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season, which begins on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will stay connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for family. This was amicably agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who thrives on top-level competition and gets fired up during challenges, something that he found limited in LIV. He joined LIV in 2022 mainly because injury doubts threatened his career end, aiming to secure a comfortable retirement fund. The decision to skip the final contracted season is therefore not surprising, though questions remain—did he buy out his contract or repay part of his guaranteed salary? Does the 35-year-old remain an owner of his LIV team Smash GC, which has appointed Talor Gooch as new captain?
Speculation is rife about where Koepka will play next: the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible—likely with a penalty? Or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension after his last LIV start, the lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan having been significantly eased? Why be vindictive when every LIV returnee, especially a high-profile one, ultimately benefits the long-dominant PGA Tour? This key question now seems partially answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not extended after 2022, seeking readmittance into the players’ circle.
An eventual suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 PGA Tour season at the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30. Koepka would then be eligible for 2027, when the PGA Tour plans a compressed schedule of about two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, top-tier fields—an ideal time for his comeback. PGA Tour Enterprises investors, likely running this new top league, would certainly welcome another big name.
\”He might need some time, but I think he will return to the PGA Tour,\” Jon Rahm recently said in the podcast ‘Subpar.’ \”He will probably play at least the minimum, the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies or gets invited to high-profile events, he’d play those as well.\” Moreover, a fiver-time major champion might get leniency in Ponte Vedra Beach—besides the board, player directors and the competition committee led by Tiger Woods have a say in suspension matters, and Rory McIlroy has endorsed letting Koepka play immediately again. Likewise, a majority of fans apparently agree, as surveyed nonscientifically by \”Bunkered\” magazine.
Update: \”And perhaps a five-time major winner gets a break in Ponte Vedra Beach\” – just so it happened. News spread rapidly that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January at Torrey Pines. His participation at the WM Phoenix Open in TPC Scottsdale, Arizona, is also confirmed. This was