In an unprecedented move in LIV Golf’s brief history, the league announced it had split “amicably” with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka who, via the statement, said he wanted to prioritize spending more time with family. What does the domino effect — for LIV, the PGA Tour, and Koepka — look like? And which one of those is more intriguing to you?
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): We at GOLF had a conversation in late 2022 about which LIV defector the PGA Tour would miss the most. There were strong arguments for Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson (and we mostly whiffed on Bryson, who is probably the current answer) but I said Brooks Koepka for two reasons: He was, at the time, this generation’s greatest major champ (Rory McIlroy has since tied him). And because of that alpha-dog major record, he could have stayed and doubled down on the idea that the PGA Tour is where the fiercest competitors play. In other words, when he left the PGA Tour, that was a massive blow — and it’s a massive deal that he’s leaving LIV.
What’s next? DeChambeau now has an unthinkable amount of leverage as he renegotiates his own contract with LIV. The PGA Tour is clearly eager to get Koepka back — but will have to strike a delicate balance when it comes to actually bringing him into the fold. But what does Koepka himself want?! I’m most interested to hear where his priorities are and what he thinks of the pro golf ecosystem, if we get him speaking freely.
Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe):The most intriguing part of this to me is what it means for the PGA Tour and how they handle bringing Koepka back. There has understandably been a lot of talk about Koepka’s exodus potentially being the start of a death blow for LIV, but I think it’s more likely this is just Brooks Koepka being Brooks Koepka. He was never fully bought into LIV. When he won the PGA in 2023, he was famously uninterested in letting LIV share the credit for the win. He has been open that he might have made a different decision had his health situation — or knowledge of his future health — been different in 2022. This might end up only being about Brooks Koepka not being interested in going through the LIV motions anymore.
He was never all that interested in run-of-the-mill PGA Tour events when he was a member, either. But how the PGA Tour works to bring him back and the punishment (or lack thereof) they hand out will be telling as the fracture makes its way into Year 5.
As Dylan noted, Bryson has a lot of leverage now in contract negotiations and clearly knows it based on his recent comments. It will be fascinating to see how it all unfolds over the next handful of months.
Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): I would hardly be shocked if Koepka and DeChambeau have been in touch about their concurrent decisions. They’re somewhat linked, as discussed above. I think DeChambeau will now rightfully ask for a major, major payday — or insist that LIV be serious about the major, major payday he was already asking for. There’s a difference, though — Koepka ended his deal with LIV. It sounds like DeChambeau is at least interested in playing his out for one more season, if not more.
The PGA Tour released a somewhat cryptic response to the Koepka news. Would Koepka returning to the PGA Tour be bigger for the Tour, or most disastrous for LIV?
Dethier: It would be a much bigger deal for the PGA Tour if he came back. Koepka has already struck LIV a massive blow by leaving — the next step is bigger for the Tour.
Schrock: Agree with Dylan. Koepka becoming the first big name to leave LIV with time still on his contract has already done damage to the breakaway league but the bigger deal is how and if he returns. If the PGA Tour gets Brooks Koepka back, which we assume they will at some point, that’s a big deal for the Tour.
Zak: Devil’s advocate time. LIV hasn’t added anyone of note in two years. It now lost a major name and team captain for the first time. On paper, that looks like a plateau and then a step in the wrong direction. If 2024/2025 was LIV’s plateau, how high was the league’s peak? I know that sounds awfully premature, but where is the momentum entering season 4?
This week, on Dec. 30, Tiger Woods turns 50. Easy one: what’s been your favorite Tiger moment you’ve seen or been a part of?
Dethier: I was lucky enough to cover a bunch of Tiger tournaments in the 2018-2019 range when he was showing signs of a comeback underway. The 2018 Valspar Championship, for example, was an unexpected blast. The 2018 PGA at Bellerive was electric. There was also a moment in 2020 — perhaps his last as a major championship contender — that has stuck with me. But yeah, it was obviously the 2019 Masters. Arguably the greatest golf tournament of all time, we got the result everybody wanted to see and you could taste the euphoria in the air.
Schrock: How could it not be the 2019 Masters? A perfect storybook finish to a legendary golf career. We can hope there’s one more moment for Tiger, but he already gave us it in 2019.
Zak: Watching Woods win the 2019 Masters from inside the Augusta National locker room was fun. Standing between Martin Kaymer and Rickie Fowler as they watched the broadcast, unable to look away, realizing they were now victims to the same scheme the old-heads always told them about. He did it again and he did it to a new generation of stars: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and others, who all had a chance that Sunday. Still feels hard to believe.
Tiger’s role in pro golf is much different now than it was 30 years ago. Decades from now, how will we look back at Tiger post-50 and where will we notice his biggest influences?
Dethier: I think we’ll marvel at the fact that he went from being arguably the greatest golfer in history to an in-the-weeds administrator. But I guess I also still hope we’re marveling at the truly unthinkable comeback he made after his sixth back surgery.
Schrock: His on-course feats will always top the list but I do think that in 30 years we could look back on Tiger post-50 and see how he shaped what we will then know pro golf to be. He and Brian Rolapp are going to be the architects of the PGA Tour’s new reality and it’s clear that TIger is very focused on that being part of his legacy. Let’s also not forget much money Tiger made everyone else during his career — our James Colgan had a great piece on the financial Tiger effect that is worth your time.
Zak: I think he has a chance to do something big with the Ryder Cup — to grab the reigns from the PGA of America and lead the Americans back to glory. But as I wrote the other day, it doesn’t seem likely to happen soon. In the meantime, I suppose he’ll be grinding on reshaping the structure of the Tour’s competitive platform. That should keep him plenty busy.
Season 2 of TGL kicked off Sunday on ESPN. What’s your prediction for this next chapter? Will it continue to gain steam? Lose its following? What changes will be important for its growth?
Dethier: On the one hand, I still can’t believe we’re doing TGL again. On the other hand, I went to the SoFi Center last week and found myself drinking the Kool-Aid — that place rocks! The tech is ridiculous, the atmosphere is weird and cool, the players seem bought in and it’s a nice place to spend a couple hours. This is a lukewarm prediction but I’d expect numbers to be flat year over year. The new holes are the most promising development.
Schrock: The biggest development from Season 1 is that the players bought in and, by the end, it was a pretty fun event on what are normally sleepy, winter weekdays. I’m not sure how much growth is possible given golf’s place as niche sport but I think with the new holes — and hopefully more to come — and continued player buy-in it should maintain its momentum from last year.
Zak: I think the adjustments to the green were subtle but will be a much bigger deal in terms of creating highlights. More putts made, more chips holed, and a sim that might even allow for an ace or two. I think that could help make it a bit more mainstream, but there’s a ceiling on that entity, and it looks about as popular as Duke – Boston College hoops on a Tuesday night.
