Some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour are letting their voices be known after Brooks Koepka was welcomed back to the circuit following a four-year stint with LIV Golf. Able to come back through the newly established Returning Member Program created by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp — with the help of player directors such as Tiger Woods — Koepka’s return has brought mixed reactions from players with whom he will be sharing the tee sheet in 2026.
“There are opinions from both sides,” Woods said. “We’re not going to satisfy everyone. We know that. But the whole idea is to make our tour better than what it was. With Brooks’ addition to the Tour, it … makes it a better place to play. Now, with players who have earned equity, and there are four more years of potential earning of equity for these players, the fact that they own the Tour, if Brooks plays, it puts more money in their pocket. It’s a win for everyone.”
Players such as Ben Griffin, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and other high-end members of the PGA Tour have similarly come out in support of the decision. Playing on the DP World Tour in Dubai this week, Rory McIlroy echoed those sentiments while also offering his holistic view of LIV Golf.
“This is great as it gets Brooks back to where he belongs,” McIlroy told The Telegraph. “He is one of the best players in the world, and anything that makes the traditional tours stronger is a good thing in my book.”
Koepka’s departure from LIV Golf came at the tail end of an offseason during which the league largely struck out in its recruiting efforts. Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im, Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia all reportedly turned down LIV Golf; the league instead signed Byeong Hun An, Thomas Detry and Elvis Smylie as it appears to be focusing more on country-based teams. An will captain an all-Korean team that was formerly known as Iron Heads GC but has since rebranded to the Korean Golf Club.
Although Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith all committed to play on LIV Golf in 2026 despite being eligible for the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program on the PGA Tour, the future is not set in stone. DeChambeau is in the middle of negotiations and is playing his hand hard, refusing to commit beyond 2026 and calling the possibility of playing only on YouTube and in major championships “a viable option.”
“It’s not as if they made any huge signings this year, is it?” said McIlroy about LIV Golf’s recruiting attempts. “They haven’t signed anyone who moves the needle, and I don’t think they will. I mean, they could re-sign Bryson for hundreds of millions of dollars, but even if they do, it doesn’t change their product, does it? They’ll just be paying for the exact same thing.”
McIlroy and Woods were both offered astronomical paydays from LIV Golf at various stages, as was Wyndham Clark. The former U.S. Open champion had made jabs at LIV Golf in the past, noting the league only played 54 holes.
However, with Koepka being allowed to return in relatively smooth fashion, Clark wonders whether he should have jumped ship, too.
“I personally really like Brooks, and I think it’s ultimately really good for the PGA Tour,” Clark said on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “But also, [as] a guy that had an opportunity to go to LIV, it’s kind of frustrating that he’s able to get the cake and also eat it. And if you would have told me that I could have gone for a year-and-a-half, make a boatload of money and then be able to come back, play on the Tour, I think almost everyone would have done that.”
“At the end of the day, I want whatever is best for the PGA Tour, and I think if guys come back, especially top guys like Brooks, it’s only going to help the Tour, which is ultimately going to help me.”
A key point in the Returning Member Program is that Koepka’s addition to PGA Tour fields will not come at the cost of any other player, meaning the five-time major champion will be added to fields as an extra golfer. He will have to play 15 events and qualify for signature events while being ineligible for sponsor exemptions in those tournaments, all while working his way back up.
“That was one of the main concerns and one of the big things that myself and the other player directors demanded,” Woods said. “He’s an additive. … The alternate list, I think they’re going to be impacted getting in one or two more events, which is a positive thing. And on top of that, we get a probably top-three-of-his-generation player back that went to another tour, played over there, and was adamant about coming back here and got out early to come back.
“That says a lot about the PGA Tour, where we’re headed, what we have done, what we accomplished and the players who have stayed and who have supported the Tour. Having another world-class player that these guys are going to try and beat, that’s what the fans demanded.”
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