First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh aiming for a comeback, 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As expected: Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner will remain connected to the rival circuit but needs more time for his family, according to a friendly agreement as stated by LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Considering Koepka is a competitor who thrives on high-level competition, this decision comes as no surprise since he found limited motivation in LIV. He joined LIV in 2022 mainly due to injury concerns late in his career and to secure a substantial retirement fund. Questions remain whether he had to buy out his contract or return part of his guaranteed salary, or if he retains ownership of his LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculation abounds about which fairways Koepka will soon appear on — the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible to play, possibly with a penalty, or the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension since his last LIV event. This suspension was reduced from a lifetime ban previously imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan. This issue seems partly resolved as ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported that Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which had not been renewed after 2022.