Brooks Koepka reportedly applies for PGA Tour reinstatement
Koepka and LIV Golf split on December 23rd. Now, the 5-time major champion wants back on the PGA Tour.
After a three year relationship between Brooks Koepka and LIV Golf, the pair split on December 23. Now, the five-time major champion is reapplying for PGA Tour membership, according to an ESPN report on January 9.
When Koepka split ways with LIV Golf in December, a statement from his representatives credited family to the decision that was made to leave the league that he joined three years ago.
“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” — Statement from Brooks Koepka’s representatives
It was somewhat expected for Koepka to re-apply for PGA Tour membership when he left LIV, but it was certainly not out of the cards that he would truly step away from golf in the year of 2026.
Now, the move that many anticipated is here, but questions still remain: what does the next move look like?
The ball is in the court of the PGA Tour, mainly regarding the timeline for Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour.
Currently, the PGA Tour has a one-year ban for any player that jumped ship to LIV a few years ago. That ban is effective from the player’s last LIV event they played, which for Koepka, is August 17. A full one-year ban would lead right up to the BMW Championship, the second-to-last event on the PGA Tour schedule, and an event that requires good FedEx Cup Standings to earn admission into.
The only real guarantee is that we will see Koepka in at least four events this season, the four major championships that he is automatically admitted into until 2028, a five-year exemption he earned with his 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
Fans, fellow golfers, and media have started to speculate, though, that the PGA Tour may revoke the ban in order to have Koepka back on tour as soon as possible.
“They’ve made the money, but they’ve paid their consequence in terms of, you talk about the reputation and some of the things they’ve lost by going over there,” said Rory McIlroy on The Overlap. “If it made the overall (PGA) Tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it. But again, it’s not just me, and I recognize that not everyone is in my position. So, it would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision.”
The PGA Tour released a statement almost immediately following Koepka’s split with LIV saying, “Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional, and we wish him and his family continued success. The PGA TOUR the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”
Koepka has been fairly quiet on the decisions in the last few weeks, but it’s quite possible that the timeline in which we see him next will be decided by a player vote by PGA Tour players.