Is Brooks Koepka returning to the PGA Tour? The 35-year-old player who has won five times is reported to have taken the first step to do so.
According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Koepka applied for his PGA Tour membership to be reinstated on Friday.
Koepka has been leading LIV Golf so far, announcing his intention to leave the league on December 23 with a year left on his contract. Koepka captained his team, Smash GC, and won five individual titles in four seasons.
“The family has been guiding Brooks’ decisions, and they feel this is the right time to spend more time at home,” Koepka’s representatives said in a statement. “Brooks will continue to be a huge fan of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks still loves the game of golf and will keep fans informed of what’s to come.”
What will it take for Koepka to get it together again on the PGA Tour? This situation is unprecedented, especially for a player of Koepka’s caliber.
Several LIV players have paid large fines to be reinstated on the DP World Tour, and last year, Laurie Canter became the first LIV player to earn a PGA Tour card for playing on the DP World Tour. (As part of the Strategic Alliance between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings, who would not otherwise be exempt, receive PGA Tour membership for the following year.)
Canter was also eligible to compete in last year’s Player’s Championship after his performances at DP World Tour events pushed his ranking into the top 50. And 2021 US Amateur champion James Piot, who competed at LIV from 2022-23, accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play in last year’s Rocket Classic on the PGA Tour.
But the path forward for Koepka’s PGA Tour remains unclear. Fines and suspensions seem likely, but as GOLF’s Dylan Dethier points out, Koepka is a special case. As a five-time major winner, he is exempt from the Masters, Open Championship and US Open until 2028, as well as the PGA Championship for life.
Koepka has nine career victories on the PGA Tour. His most recent non-playing finish on the PGA Tour was T12 at the 2022 Valspar Championship.
Nike Infinity Tour 2 “Brooks Koepka”
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