Brooks Koepka has returned to the PGA Tour and he may not be the only big LIV Golf star who returns before a February 2 deadline
The PGA Tour has changed the rules to allow Brooks Koepka to return after he left LIV Golf last month.
Players who have joined the Saudi-backed tour have been hit with bans. But a new Returning Member Program will allow the immediate return of stars who have won a Major or The Players since 2022, who have been away from the PGA Tour for more than two years.
It would also apply to Bryson DeChambeau. Jon Rahm and Cam Smith before a February 2 deadline. The new LIV Golf season starts in Riyadh on February 4. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in a memo to Tour members: “This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations. Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”
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Koepka, the five-time Major winner, who joined LIV in 2022, said: “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.”
Koepka dropped a bombshell last month by quitting LIV Golf with a year of his contract remaining, stating he wanted to spend more time with his family. He immediately applied for his PGA Tour membership to be reinstated, and his availability and high profile effectively caused officials to rewrite their own rules.
“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,” Koepka said on X. “I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”
Rolapp said the new policy has “strict limitations, which Brooks has agreed to, (including) a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program… with estimations that he could miss out on approximately 50-85 million US dollars in potential earnings.”
The letter added: “At the request of the PGA Tour, Brooks has also agreed to make a five-million dollar charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly.”
