[Photo: Thananuwat Srirasant]
Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour later this month, and the tour has offered the same time-sensitive offer to Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and our own Cam Smith.
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The tour announced overnight, Australian time, that Koepka will play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines later this month under the “Returning Member Program”. Koepka departed for LIV Golf after the 2022 US Open. However, he split with the Saudi-backed circuit in December and recently applied for reinstatement with the PGA Tour.
In heralding Koepka’s comeback, the tour is allowing “players who have been away from the tour for at least two years and have won the Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, US Open or the Open Championship during the 2022-2025 seasons” to return. Only three LIV individuals qualify under that exemption: Smith (winner of the ’22 Players and ’22 Open), Rahm (’23 Masters) and DeChambeau (’24 US Open). Koepka was eligible for capturing the 2023 PGA Championship. Notably, Phil Mickelson (winner of the 2021 PGA Championship at age 50) falls just outside the timeline.
According to the tour’s website, “the program is open for the 2026 season only to eligible players who can comply with the PGA Tour’s regulations and accept the terms of the program by February 2, 2026.” Additionally, Koepka and anyone who accepts the offer faces a financial penalty, as they are ineligible for FedEx Cup bonus money, equity from the tour’s equity program for the next five years. Koepka has also agreed to give $US5 million to charity.
The tour stated that the program is not an indication of what the tour will do going forward and is instead a response to a “response to a unique set of circumstances”. Koepka and other players are not eligible for sponsor exemptions into signature events and must play their way into those fields through existing pathways.
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It prompted this response from LIV Golf:
Meanwhile, Koepka was effusive in response.
“I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career,” he posted on X/Twitter. “When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA Tour. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.
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“I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake. I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.
“Finally, I want to thank the fans. Your support means more to me today than ever before, and I look forward to seeing you soon at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open.”
