Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf.
Now he’s coming back to the PGA Tour — in just two weeks.
And the Tour is cracking open the door for three other LIV stars to return, too.
On Monday, as the Tour kicked off the opening week of its 2026 season, its new CEO, Brian Rolapp, met with players to announce the introduction of the “PGA Tour Returning Member Program.”
The Tour says the program comes in response to two factors:
-Fan research showing “a clear desire to see the best golfers competing together more often”
-And “timely inquiries from players not competing on the PGA Tour and expressing an interest in returning”
But it’s simpler to put it this way: The Tour wants Brooks Koepka back. And now they’re making it happen.
That second bullet point — those “timely inquiries” — presumably refers to Koepka, who gave the Tour a heads up shortly before he officially left LIV Golf on Dec. 23, 2025. That decision (plus the PGA Tour’s immediate response) suggested Koepka would return to play on the PGA Tour at some point. But Monday’s announcement means that return is coming immediately: Koepka issued a statement that he’s planning tee it up at the Farmers Insurance Open in two weeks’ time and the WM Phoenix Open the week after that.
So how is Koepka eligible, what penalties is he facing and who else could theoretically join him? Here’s what we know so far, outlined in the form of 10 questions and answers.
Who is eligible for this “Returning Member Program”?
The Tour says its program is targeting players “who have achieved elite performance-based criteria.” Its definition? Winners of a major championship or the Players since the beginning of the 2022 season.
To be eligible, players must not have been a member of the Tour for two-plus years (Koepka didn’t reapply for Tour membership following the 2022 season) and must be able to comply with Tour regulations around media and conflicting events. They must meet a 15-event minimum. And players are required to apply for reinstatement in the next couple weeks; the window for this program closes Feb. 2, 2026.
Okay, so who specifically are we talking about?
Four players in total. Koepka is eligible thanks to his 2023 PGA Championship win. Bryson DeChambeau is, too, thanks to his 2024 U.S. Open win. Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters. And Cameron Smith won the 2022 Open Championship as well as the 2022 Players
That’s not to say any of the other three will pursue reinstatement. But it’s an interesting move by Tour leadership to crack open the door — and it’ll be even more interesting to see if anybody else walks through.
So who aren’t we talking about?
LIV has scooped up a number of major champions, but the 2022 cutoff eliminates a few notables from eligibility. Specifically these four:
Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA Champion)
Dustin Johnson (2020 Masters champion)
Patrick Reed (2018 Masters champion)
Sergio Garcia (2017 Masters champion)
It also provides no access for other talented LIV pros who haven’t won majors — guys like Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann.
Wait, I thought LIV players faced suspensions if they wanted to return to the PGA Tour?
Yeah — that had been the deal. We’ve heard that from Hudson Swafford and from Wesley Bryan and even from pros competing in this past week’s LIV Promotions event. But this is essentially an acknowledgement from the Tour the rules are different if you’re Brooks Koepka. Why? Because the Tour is stronger with him playing on it. Here’s how Rolapp concluded his open letter to fans:
“We will continue to aggressively pursue anything that enhances the fan experience and makes the PGA Tour stronger. This is part of our commitment to fans, who expect the world’s best players to compete on the PGA Tour week in and week out.”
So Koepka’s just waltzing back in like nothing happened?!
Not quite — although the Tour knows plenty of players will be asking that exact question. Here’s a relevant excerpt from the Tour’s memo to players, which called it a “direct response to a unique situation”:
“We recognize there may be questions about how this policy holds a returning player accountable, especially after earning substantial compensation elsewhere. Ultimately, by accepting membership in the Returning Member category, Brooks is making the decision to return to the PGA TOUR now—something our fans want, and something that strengthens both the game and our organization.”
But Koepka — and anyone who follows him — will be different than your regular Tour player in two meaningful ways:
1. Returning Members are ineligible to earn equity from the Player Equity Program for the next five years (2026-30)
2. Returning Members will not receive any payment from the FedExCup Bonus Program for the 2026 season
So he’s giving up money? How much?!
For starters, Koepka has agreed to the Tour’s request that he donate $5 million to charity, “the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly.”
The forfeiture of five years of equity is tougher to quantify, although Rolapp told players that, based on performance, a player of Koepka’s caliber could be giving up in the range of $50-$60 million.
Koepka’s ineligibility for FedEx Cup Bonus money theoretically costs him between $0 and $23 million, depending on his play.
But apart from the $5 million donation, Koepka’s punishment from the Tour comes in the form of limiting potential earnings rather than taking money from his pocket. He’ll still be eligible for prize money — even at the Tour Championship, should he qualify.
What did Brooks have to say about all of this?
Koepka has been notably mum since LIV’s announcement, letting others fill the void. But he released a statement coinciding with the Tour’s announcement — which included the fact that he’ll be back at the Farmers Insurance Open as well as the WM Phoenix Open. Here’s the rest of what he said:
I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career.
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 to the PGA TOUR. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.
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. I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.
Finally, I want to thank the fans. Your support means more to me today than ever before, and I look forward to seeing you soon at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open.
Will this encourage other players to leave for LIV, knowing they could just come back?
It’s possible someone would take a calculated gamble, but I don’t think so. The Tour is keeping this VIP-only — four players is a tight eligibility category — and with an open window of about three weeks, this isn’t suddenly a two-way street. Rolapp wants to make sure that doesn’t happen; this line in his letter made that clear:
This is a one-time, defined window and does not set a precedent for future situations. Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.
Still, it would be interesting to see what would happen if a non-major winner reached out to the Tour between now and Feb. 2 — or if this will affect the upcoming disciplinary rulings around players like Pat Perez, who hopes to play the PGA Tour Champions.
Will Koepka’s return bump other players from fields?
No. The Tour is clearly going out of its way to prevent a midfield rebellion; it’s already trimmed eligibility and field sizes, so bringing in an ex-LIV player and booting a loyal Tour pro from a field would ruffle some feathers.
Instead when Koepka plays he’ll be added to the field in a separate category “and will not impact any other player’s eligibility.” The memo even suggested an additional player or players could be added to fields alongside “Returning Members” to balance tee times as needed.
Returning Members can’t receive sponsor exemptions for Signature Events; they’d only make it in through play-in categories like the Aon Next 10 or Swing 5 (or by cracking the OWGR top 30.)
And Returning Members are eligible to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs but wouldn’t take the spot of someone else who did; they’d expand the field by a player.
So — what does this mean?!
It means Brooks Koepka is coming back. It means Brian Rolapp is willing to shake things up. It means other players in Tour leadership (Tiger Woods notable among them) are glad to welcome him back. And it means that, for the first time since LIV’s inception in 2022, the PGA Tour is welcoming one of its stars back.
Whether it means more than that? We’ll have to wait and see.
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