Koepka Leaves LIV Golf, Returns to PGA Tour at End of Month

PGA Tour Launches 'Reinstatement Member Program'
Returns Without Absence After Donating 7.4 Billion Won to Charity
Set to Compete at Farmers Insurance Open on January 29

'Major Hunter' Brooks Koepka (USA) will compete in a PGA Tour event in the United States at the end of this month.

On January 12 (local time), the PGA Tour announced, "We have established a 'Reinstatement Membership Program' that provides a pathway for top-level players to return to the tour," and added, "Through this program, Koepka will make his comeback at the Farmers Insurance Open (total prize money of 9.6 million dollars) on January 29."

Koepka, who has nine career PGA Tour victories (including five majors), left for LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabian capital, in 2022, but mutually agreed to terminate his contract with LIV Golf in December last year. Since then, speculation about his return to the PGA Tour has surfaced. However, the PGA Tour had imposed a roughly one-year suspension on players who moved to LIV Golf, making it unclear whether Koepka would be able to participate in a PGA Tour event within this year.

Brooks Koepka, who parted ways with LIV Golf, will play his PGA Tour comeback at the end of this month. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

However, with the introduction of the Reinstatement Membership Program, the PGA Tour has opened the door for Koepka to return to competition without a lengthy hiatus. Koepka will play in a PGA Tour event for the first time in nearly four years since the Valspar Championship in March 2022.

The PGA Tour explained, "The Reinstatement Membership Program was created in response to survey results showing that fans want to see the best players compete together," adding, "This is an effort to strengthen the PGA Tour and a promise to our fans who want to see the world's top players compete on the PGA Tour every week."

According to the PGA Tour, eligibility for this program is limited to players who have been inactive on the tour for at least two years and who have won one of the four major championships or The Players Championship (the 'fifth major') between 2022 and 2025. The PGA Tour added, "This program will only be applied for the 2026 season, and eligible players can accept the program's terms until February 2 of this year."

Koepka, the 2023 PGA Championship winner, will compete in the Farmers Insurance Open at the end of this month and the WM Phoenix Open (total prize money of 9.6 million dollars) in early February. Through his social media, Koepka shared, "I've dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour since I was a child," adding, "I'm happy to be returning to the PGA Tour today."

However, players admitted through this Reinstatement Membership Program will be excluded from this year's FedEx Cup bonus pool. They will also be ineligible for bonuses under the Player Impact Program for the next five years. In Koepka's case, he will contribute 5 million dollars (approximately 7.36 billion won) to charity, with the recipient to be determined in consultation with the PGA Tour.