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Brooks Koepka understands the punishment he’s facing in order to facilitate his return back from LIV Golf.
It’s not fun, but Koepka couldn’t fight it. He know’s that’s the cost of making it back to the PGA Tour after spending several years with LIV Golf.
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“There was no negotiating,” Koepka told the Associated Press’ Doug Ferguson on Monday night. “It’s meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It’s not supposed to be an easy path. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that's part of coming back.”
Koepka announced on Monday that he would officially return to the Tour, just weeks after he got out of the end of his current contract with LIV Golf. That contract was reportedly worth more than $100 million when he first signed with the league.
The deal was done as part of the new “Returning Member’s Program,” something the Tour created last week and announced on Monday in an effort to allow Koepka and a select few others to get back to the Tour. Players who have either won a major championship or The Players Championship between 2022 and 2025 are eligible to apply for reinstatement — which only applies to Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith — before Feb. 2.
As part of the penalties handed down, Koepka will have to make a $5 million donation to charity. He will not be eligible to FedExCup bonus money in 2026, he can’t receive sponsor exemptions into signature events, and he won’t be able to receive equity grants in the Tour over the next five years.
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In total, the Tour estimates that Koepka could miss out on anywhere between $50 to $85 million in potential earnings.
That plan was approved by the PGA Tour’s board last week. Koepka, per the Associated Press, spoke with new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp on the phone on Thursday night and then showed up by himself to the Tour’s headquarters on Friday to further discuss the plan.
With how his time with LIV Golf was going — Koepka had publicly complained about the league last summer before the two sides officially split in December with one year left on his deal — Koepka wanted out. Even with what it’s costing him, he clearly thinks it’s worth it.
“I needed to be there with my family over the last few months. I needed to be closer to home,” Koepka said. “I was able to get out of the LIV contract, everything lined up perfectly and I was able to get back on Tour.
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“I’m happy and grateful it was able to come to this.”
So, how will he be welcomed back?
Koepka is set to make his official return later this month at the Farmers Insurance Open. He said he will play in the Phoenix Open next month, too, which is where he won his first Tour event back in 2015.
Koepka has won nine times on Tour in his career, most recently at the PGA Championship in 2023. That marked his fifth major championship win.
While the tone regarding LIV Golf has undoubtedly shifted in recent months and years — it’s nowhere near as hostile as it once was when the Saudi Arabian-backed venture first started — Koepka knows he is still going to have to put in some time with Tour members in the near future.
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“I’ve got a lot of work to do with some of the players,” Koepka said. “There’s definitely guys who are happy, and definitely guys who will be angry … If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships.”
When it comes time for his outing at Torrey Pines in a few weeks, Koepka knows it’ll be a weird feeling.
But he’s ready for it. And after seeing how everything played out between the Tour and LIV Golf, he had to have known this was coming.
“The first week I’ll be a little bit nervous,” Koepka said. “There’s a lot going on than just golf. I’ll be glad to put the first week behind me — dealing with the media, dealing with the players, and then getting some of those tougher conversations. But I’m looking forward to it.
“Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Yes. In a weird way, I want to have those conversations.”
English (US) ·