PGA Tour Allows Brooks Koepka at Farmers, Extends Offers to Three Others

Brooks Koepka's Return to the PGA Tour: A Costly Comeback

Just three weeks after leaving LIV Golf, Brooks Koepka is making a surprising return to the PGA Tour. This move comes sooner than many anticipated, but it’s not without significant financial and competitive consequences.

On Monday, the PGA Tour announced that Koepka will be eligible for the entire 2026 season. He will make his debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, which begins on January 29. This marks his first appearance in a regular PGA Tour event since the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play in March of 2022. The Tour also extended similar offers to three other LIV golfers.

Financial Implications of the Return

Under the new Returning Member Program, Koepka will face several restrictions. He will not be eligible to earn equity from the Tour’s Player Equity Program for the next five years, an estimated loss of between $50 million and $80 million. Additionally, he will not receive any FedEx Cup bonus payment in 2026 and must make a $5 million donation to an agreed-upon charity.

Despite these penalties, Koepka remains exempt into all full-field events on the 2026 schedule and The Players. He is also eligible for the U.S. Presidents Cup team this year. However, he will need to qualify for the lucrative signature events on the schedule, as he is ineligible for sponsor exemptions into those fields.

Koepka acknowledged the severity of the situation during a phone call on Monday. “The penalty is significant, but I understand why they’ve done it. It hurts, but it’s supposed to,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do with the players, and I want to do that one-on-one. I want to have those conversations, but behind closed doors.”

Ensuring Fairness for Current Members

The details of the Returning Player Program were shared with the Player Advisory Council at a meeting on Monday and have already been approved by the Tour’s board. In an era where maintaining status on the PGA Tour is increasingly difficult, CEO Brian Rolapp has created a system that ensures returning players like Koepka do not negatively impact their peers in 2026.

To accommodate Koepka, the Tour will expand its fields to ensure he doesn’t take a spot from another member. In some cases, players will be added from the alternate list to maintain even groupings. Additionally, Koepka’s performance will not affect any player’s ability to earn a place in the FedEx Cup playoffs or secure status for 2027.

Eligibility Criteria and Future Implications

The criteria for the Returning Member Program are clearly defined. Players must have been away from the PGA Tour for more than two years and must have won either a major championship or The Players during the 2022 to 2025 seasons. This means only four men qualify: Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith.

While Koepka announced his departure from LIV on December 23 — with a season remaining on his contract — the others remain tied to the Saudi-backed league. It’s unclear if the terms of their LIV contracts would allow them to consider the Tour’s offer, but they must decide quickly. The deadline for accepting the terms is February 2, just two days before the LIV Golf season begins in Saudi Arabia.

Rolapp emphasized the importance of the program in a memo to the membership. “The Returning Member Program ensures that only those who have recently achieved the highest accomplishments in the game are eligible to return to the PGA Tour, where the best players in the world compete, week in and week out,” he stated. “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.”

Koepka’s Path Forward

Koepka is now considered exempt through the 2028 season due to his win in the 2023 PGA Championship, which came less than a year after he left the PGA Tour for LIV. He will play both the Farmers Insurance Open and the following week at the WM Phoenix Open, where he won in 2015 and 2021.

His return to the PGA Tour marks a significant shift in the ongoing rivalry between the two tours. While the financial costs are high, Koepka’s decision reflects a desire to compete at the highest level once again.