First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh eager to compete again, Charley Hull soon launching on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the LIV Golf League season 2026, which starts on February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the competing circuit but needs more time for his family. This was reportedly agreed upon amicably, according to the official statement from LIV CEO Scott McNeil. Koepka is a competitor who gets highly motivated and fired up in top-level sports battles, which he only partially experienced at LIV. He switched to the Saudi league mainly in 2022 because he feared his career might end prematurely due to injuries and wanted to secure a good retirement payout for his personal pension fund. Given this, his refusal to play the last contractually obligated season is not surprising, though questions remain about possible buyouts or partial repayments of his guaranteed salary. Does he still own his LIV team Smash GC, which has already appointed Talor Gooch as the new captain?
Speculation is rife about which fairways Koepka will soon appear on. The DP World Tour, where he would be immediately eligible to play – possibly against a penalty? Or the PGA Tour, where he would have to serve a one-year suspension since his last LIV appearance after the lifetime bans imposed by former commissioner Jay Monahan were significantly relaxed? Why hold grudges when every LIV returnee, especially a prominent one, plays right into the hands of the tour, which already holds the leverage? This key question now seems partially answered. According to ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach, Koepka formally submitted an application last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership, which was not extended after 2022, and be reinstated as a tour player.
An eventual suspension would expire in August. Although the 2026 season ends with the Tour Championship from August 27 to 30, Koepka would be eligible for 2027, when the PGA Tour introduces its new schedule compressed into nearly two dozen $20 million tournaments with best-field limited events. The perfect time for a comeback, just to Koepka’s liking. PGA Tour Enterprises investors, who would presumably back the new top league, would surely 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 play at least the minimum, and why not the tournaments he likes, the big ones. If he qualifies for or can enter high-profile tournaments, he’ll play those too.” And who knows, perhaps the tour will turn a blind eye for a five-time major winner at Ponte Vedra Beach – suspension decisions involve not only the board but also player directors and the competition committee led by Tiger Woods and follow Rory McIlroy’s recommendation to let Koepka play again directly.
Update: Just as anticipated, news spread like wildfire on Monday evening local time that Koepka is immediately eligible to play on the PGA Tour and will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January. His participation at the WM Phoenix Open in TPC Scottsdale