First start at the Farmers, Vijay Singh back in action, Charley Hull launching a YouTube channel soon. 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As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the 2026 LIV Golf season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. This was mutually agreed upon, according to LIV CEO Scott McNeil’s official statement. Koepka is a competitive type who thrives on high-level competition, which he found limited in LIV. He joined LIV in 2022 mainly because of injuries threatening his career and to secure a comfortable retirement payout. Hence, his skipping the last contract year is unsurprising, though questions remain whether he had to buy out or repay part of his guaranteed fee. He still owns the LIV team Smash GC, with Talor Gooch as the new captain.
Speculations abound about which fairways Koepka will appear on next. The DP World Tour, where he would be eligible immediately, likely for a penalty fee? Or the PGA Tour, where he’d serve a one-year suspension from his last LIV event—though previous lifetime bans imposed by former Commissioner Jay Monahan have been significantly softened? Why hold grudges when returning LIV players, especially high-profile ones, benefit the already more powerful Tour? This key question seems partially answered: ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reported Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which had not been renewed after 2022, and to rejoin the player ranks.
See this post on Instagram
Any suspension would expire in August, coinciding with the end of the 2026 season at the Tour Championship from August 27-30. Koepka would be eligible for 2027 when the PGA Tour introduces its revamped schedule comprising about two dozen $20 million tournaments with limited, top-tier fields—a perfect reentry scenario fitting Koepka’s style. PGA Tour Enterprises investors, likely backing this new league, would welcome another prominent name.
Jon Rahm recently said on the ‘Subpar’ podcast, \”He might