HONOLULU — Brooks Koepka becomes the first LIV Golf player to return to the PGA Tour under a one-time program for elite players.
It's not a free pass back to the PGA Tour. Koepka has to make a $5 million charitable donation. He won't be able to receive PGA Tour equity grants for five years. He isn't eligible for FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026. And he can't receive sponsor exemptions into the $20 million signature events.
He plans to return in the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 29 at Torrey Pines in San Diego. He is eligible to reach the lucrative FedEx Cup postseason. He also is eligible for the Presidents Cup and for the indoor TGL circuit in Florida.
But the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, Brian Rolapp, said this was not a precedent and that only three other LIV Golf players were eligible to return.
Here's a rundown on Koepka's return and what it means for other players and the rest of golf.
How is Brooks Koepka able to come back to the PGA Tour?
The PGA Tour board developed a “Returning Member Program” that applies to players who have won majors or The Players Championship since 2022 and have been away from the PGA Tour for at least two years. Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, one year after he defected to LIV Golf for what Koepka had said was a deal worth at least $100 million. Koepka had one year left on his LIV contract when he and the Saudi-backed group agreed to an amicable split. Koepka is exempt through 2028 because of his PGA Championship win.
What are the financial repercussions?
That depends. The out-of-pocket expense is the $5 million donation to charity, which the tour will help decide. By not having access to equity grants, the tour estimates that could deprive him up to $63 million. That's based on Koepka averaging a top-30 finish the next five years, a 10-12% equity appreciation and Koepka holding his shares until age 50.
He also cannot get FedEx Cup bonus money from the $20 million pool distributed to the top 10 players after the regular season, and $23 million awarded to 50 players after the BMW Championship. But the Tour Championship is now official money, and that $40 million purse counts as official. Tommy Fleetwood earned $10 million in official money from winning the Tour Championship last year.
Who else is eligible?
Bryson DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open. Jon Rahm wont he 2023 Masters. Cameron Smith won the British Open and The Players Championship in 2022. They are the only other players who can return to the PGA Tour. They have until Feb. 2 to accept. That's two days before LIV Golf begins a fifth season in Saudi Arabia.
Who does it leave out?
The PGA Tour did not clarify why it chose the 2022-25 window. LIV Golf began in 2022. But that rules out major champions Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA Championship), Dustin Johnson (2020 Masters), Patrick Reed (2018 Masters) and Sergio Garcia (2017 Masters).
Also ineligible to return are Joaquin Niemann, a seven-time winner on LIV Golf, and Tyrrell Hatton, who has played on the last three Ryder Cup teams for Europe.
None of those players has expressed any desire to leave LIV.
Is this a precedent for future LIV players who want to return?
No. Rolapp described Koepka as a unique situation and made clear this would not be a precedent, rather a one-time program that applies only to elite champions. He also said there were no guarantees such a pathway would be available in the future.
What events can Koepka play on the PGA Tour?
Koepka is eligible for the four majors and The Players Championship (through his PGA Championship win), along with any full-field event on the schedule. He would have to qualify for the $20 million signature events through winning a tour event or through the two performance-based pathways, such as being among top 10 in the FedEx Cup not already eligible. But he cannot get a sponsor exemption to the signature events. He also is eligible for the FedEx Cup postseason if he qualifies.
If Koepka gets into a signature event, or if he qualifies for the postseason, the PGA Tour would add him to the field and take whoever would have been next in line. For example, he finishes among the top 70 to qualify for the postseason, the tour would take No. 71 in the FedEx Cup standings.
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