Is Brooks Koepka coming back to the PGA Tour? The 35-year-old five-time major winner has reportedly taken the first step to do so.
According to a report by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Koepka applied for reinstatement of his PGA Tour membership on Friday.
Koepka is LIV Golf’s highest profile departure to date, announcing his intention to part ways with the league on December 23 with a year left on his contract. Koepka was captain of his team, Smash GC, and posted five individual wins over four seasons.
“Family has always guided Brooks’s decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home,” Koepka’s representatives said in a statement. “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.”
What will it take for Koepka to tee it up on the PGA Tour once again? The situation is largely unprecedented, especially for a player of Koepka’s caliber.
Several LIV players have paid hefty fines to be reinstated on the DP World Tour, and last year, Laurie Canter became the first LIV player to earn a PGA Tour card via his performance on the DP World Tour. (As part of the Strategic Alliance between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, the top 10 players on the final Race to Dubai Rankings, not otherwise exempt, earn PGA Tour membership for the following year.)
Canter was also allowed to compete at last year’s Player’s Championship after his performance in DP World Tour events pushed his ranking into the top 50. And 2021 U.S. Amateur champion James Piot, who competed on LIV from 2022-23, accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play in last year’s Rocket Classic on the PGA Tour.
But Koepka’s PGA Tour path forward remains unclear. Fines and a suspension seem likely, but as GOLF’s Dylan Dethier pointed out, Koepka is a somewhat special case. As a five-time major winner, he is exempt at the Masters, Open Championship and U.S. Open through 2028, plus the PGA Championship for life.
Koepka has nine career victories on the PGA Tour. His most recent finish in a non major on the PGA Tour was T12 at the 2022 Valspar Championship.
