First start at the Farmers, Vijay Singh returns, Charley Hull to launch on YouTube. The Back Nine.
Expected: Brooks Koepka has officially withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major champion remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. This was amicably agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitor who thrives under top-level challenges, something he lacked in LIV. He switched to LIV in 2022 mainly due to injury concerns about ending his career and to secure retirement funds. His opting out of the final contract year is therefore not surprising, though questions remain about possible buyouts or partial repayments. He still owns the LIV team Smash GC, which appointed Talor Gooch as captain.
Speculation is rife about Koepka’s future playing venues. On the DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible, likely against a penalty? Or back on the PGA Tour, where he faces a one-year suspension after his last LIV appearance, now significantly reduced from a lifetime ban originally imposed by former commissioner Jay Monahan? Since every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, benefits the PGA Tour wielding considerable leverage, this pressing question seems partly 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 ranks.
An eventual suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27-30. Koepka would then be eligible to play in 2027 when PGA Tour introduces a condensed schedule of roughly two dozen $20 million events with elite limited fields—the ideal timing for a comeback by Koepka’s standards. PGA Tour Enterprises’ investors, likely the owners of the new top league, would welcome another big name.
‘He might need some time, but I think he’ll return to the PGA Tour,’ recently said Jon Rahm on the ‘Subpar’ podcast. ‘He’ll probably at least play the minimum and why not his preferred big events? If he qualifies or is invited to high-profile tournaments, he’d play those too.’ Perhaps at Ponte Vedra Beach, leniency toward the five-time major winner will be shown—the suspension decision involves the board, player directors, and Tiger Woods-led competition committee, following Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to allow Koepka immediate return.
Update: As expected, Koepka is now immediately eligible to compete on the PGA Tour and is set to tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January at Torrey Pines. His participation at the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona, is also confirmed.
This is enabled by a new rule dubbed the ‘Returning Member Program,’ introduced last Thursday, allowing selected LIV players to regain PGA Tour membership without suspension. Koepka’s recent PGA Championship victory in 2023, his fifth major, was a key factor.
The PGA Tour states this special rule applies to major winners and Players champions from the past three years, expiring February