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 Cam Smith.

The tour announced Monday that Koepka will play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January under the “Returning Member Program.” Koepka departed for LIV Golf after the 2022 U.S. Open. However, he split with the Saudi-backed circuit in December and recently applied for reinstatement with the 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, U.S. 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 U.S. Open). Koepka was eligible for capturing the 2023 PGA Championship.

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 Feb. 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 $5 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

“I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career. 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.

“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.”

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Mike Ehrmann

The post Brooks Koepka reinstated by PGA Tour; same offer given to Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith under new program for LIV members appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Brooks Koepka, just weeks after his split with LIV Golf, has applied for reinstatement with the PGA Tour. ESPN was the first to report the move.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Golf Digest Middle East (@golfdigestme)

The five-time major winner has been with LIV Golf since the summer of 2022, serving as one of the marquee names for the Saudi-backed league. Koepka secured arguably the biggest win for LIV by capturing the 2023 PGA Championship, proof that players could remain competitively relevant after jumping to the circuit. However, despite a nine-figure contract, Koepka never fully aligned himself with the league, even acknowledging at the 2023 Masters that he might not have defected had his game and health been in a better state the previous year. He never wore LIV’s team outfits and was vocal in his frustrations with LIV’s struggles to garner an audience. Although he still had a year on his deal, Koepka parted ways with LIV days before Christmas last month.

The process for Koepka’s return is unclear. The PGA Tour has given one-year bans to non-members for playing in LIV events, but several LIV players who are past PGA Tour members have said they believe their punishments are longer. Koepka’s situation could be different. Unlike Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, Koepka was not among the players who filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour, a move that has still left hard feelings between tour leadership and current membership. Koepka is also considered in good standing with other tour stars, particularly Rory McIlroy, who earlier this month advocated for Koepka to return.

Moreover, Koepka’s return could be an inflection point in professional golf’s civil war. LIV’s deep coffers continue to make it a viable threat, especially as the league petitions for world-ranking reconsideration. But Jon Rahm has been the only star who has defected in the past four years, and LIV has failed to make itself relevant with the golf populace. Since talks with LIV’s financial backer, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, hit a wall in spring of 2025, the tour’s brass feels it has strengthened its position. Beyond Rahm (coveted for competitive integrity), DeChambeau (valued for commercial magnetism) and Koepka (for his major championship resume), no substantive appetite exists to reintegrate other LIV members. There has been the belief at tour headquarters that, should the tour extract one from the Rahm/DeChambeau/Koepka triumvirate, it could serve as a blow that LIV would be unable to answer. In short, there are other matters that could factor into the Koepka decision.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have told Golf Digest that the decision will ultimately be made by new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp. He is expected to take guidance from his Future Competition Committee (helmed by Tiger Woods), along with the tour’s policy board.

Koepka is coming off one of his more frustrating years in 2025, missing the cut in three of the four majors. Though he is outside the top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking, he is still eligible for all majors this year thanks to a five-year exemption from the 2023 PGA Championship win.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: LIV Golf

The post Brooks Koepka applies to return to PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Golf Digest Middle East (@golfdigestme)

Koepka, 35, has been one of the Saudi-backed circuit’s marquee names since 2022, when the upstart league became play. However, unlike Bryson DeChambeau, Koepka was never one to publicly bang the drum for the league in its war against the PGA Tour, and acknowledged at the 2023 Masters he might not have defected had his game and health been in a better state the previous year. Koepka has also not been shy about his frustrations with LIV as the league continued to struggle to garner an audience. “I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that’s no secret,” Koepka remarked this spring.

Conversely, Koepka scored arguably the biggest win for LIV Golf by capturing the 2023 PGA Championship, proof that players could still remain competitively relevant after jumping to the league. Jon Rahm joined LIV later that year, with DeChambeau winning the U.S. Open the following summer.

There have been rumors for years that Koepka was mulling a return to the PGA Tour, although those whispers didn’t hold much weight given the length of his deal with LIV. Yet, despite another year left on his LIV contract, the league revealed that Koepka will not return to the league in 2026.

“We have amicably and mutually agreed that Brooks Koepka will no longer compete in the LIV Golf League, following the 2025 season,” read a statement from LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil. “Brooks is prioritizing the needs of his family and staying closer to home.”

There has been no direct statement from Koepka, although his representatives offered, “Brooks Koepka will be stepping away from LIV Golf. He is deeply grateful to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Scott O’Neil and the LIV Golf leadership team, his teammates, and the fans. Family has always guided Brooks’s decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home. Brooks will continue to be a huge supporter of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf and will keep fans updated on what’s ahead.”

Koepka is coming off one of his more frustrating years in 2025, missing the cut in three of the four majors. He finished 31st in LIV’s individual standings.

What Koepka will do next is unclear. The PGA Tour has remained adamant about suspensions regarding LIV defectors, with players facing at least one year sidelined from the last LIV outing. Koepka, who was not part of the contingent that sued the tour in the onset of golf’s civil war, could receive an exemption, or he could compete on the DP World Tour in 2026 until it resolves its appeal case regarding LIV suspensions.

The PGA Tour posted the following statement regarding Koepka’s decision. “Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional, and we wish him and his family continued success. The PGA Tour continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”

The move is another blow to LIV Golf, which is down to DeChambeau and Rahm as its tentpole players. With its 2026 season starting in February, LIV has failed to garner new star talent for the third time in its last four offseasons. Additionally, the PGA Tour has turned down recent overtures from LIV’s financial backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, regarding a possible unification of the professional game.

Koepka was the captain of the Smash G.C. on the LIV circuit. With his departure, LIV Golf announced that Talor Gooch has been elevated to team captain in 2026. Koepka’s spot on the four-man team roster will be replaced in advance of the February start to the 2026 season.

RELATED: LIV Golfer announces retirement from golf at 30 years old

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf

The post Brooks Koepka parts way with LIV Golf ahead of 2026 season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sources told Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter that Koepka may not play on the LIV tour in 2026, forfeiting nearly $20 million but remaining eligible to play on the DP World Tour and in the year’s majors thanks to his PGA Championship win 2023. Furthermore, it has been suggested that Koepka may use this gap year to serve a 12-month PGA Tour suspension, potentially rendering him eligible to return to the sport’s (still) premier golf league in August 2026.

In an interview published on Monday, Carpenter asked LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil about the rumours. Here’s what he had to say:

“I know you’re not going to want to hear this one, just the individual players, and this goes back to our policy, we’re just going to run it through. So, we haven’t made any announcements on players, but he is signed for 2026.”

This Is by no means a confirmation, but as golf pot-stirrers have been quick to point out, it’s not a denial either. Conventional wisdom suggests that if O’Neil had assurances of Koepka’s return in 2026, he would have used this opportunity to shut the rumours down for good. Part of O’Neil’s role as CEO, however, is to protect his company, shareholders and self against financial devaluation and public embarassment. This could just be a matter of not overcommitting until they cross the T’s and dot the I’s.

Either way, this situation bears watching over the next several weeks. Koepka was one of LIV Golf’s biggest coups when they poached him from the PGA Tour in 2022 to the tune of $100 million. Despite his Wanamaker win at Oak Hill in 2023, Koepka’s form has suffered, posting his first winless LIV season in 2025 while missing the cut at three of the year’s four majors. Though the PGA Tour and LIV Golf battle lines remain hard drawn, golf fans can all agree that no matter where he ends up, a happy, healthy and competitive Brooks Koepka is what’s truly best for the sport.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Andrew Redington

The post LIV Golf CEO responds to rumours that Brooks Koepka will sit out 2026 season, return to PGA Tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.