First start already at the Farmers, Vijay Singh back in action, Charley Hull launching soon on YouTube. The Back Nine.
As expected, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the LIV Golf league’s 2026 season starting February 7 in Riyadh; the five-time major winner remains connected to the rival circuit but needs more family time. LIV CEO Scott McNeil stated this was an amicable agreement. Koepka is known as a competitor who thrives in top-level contests, something he found somewhat lacking in LIV. Originally joining in 2022 due to injury concerns and securing a good retirement fund, his choice to forgo the last contractual season raises questions about potential buyouts or repayments. Koepka remains owner of his LIV team Smash GC, now captained by Talor Gooch.
Speculation abounds regarding Koepka’s next playing venues: the DP World Tour, where he’s immediately eligible likely with a penalty fee, or the PGA Tour, where a one-year suspension has loomed following his last LIV participation—the lifetime bans from former commissioner Jay Monahan having been drastically softened. Returning LIV players, especially high-profile ones, benefit the more dominant PGA Tour, and this essential question is now partially answered. ESPN journalist Mark Schlabach reports Koepka formally applied last Friday to reactivate his PGA Tour membership not renewed after 2022.
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