LA JOLLA, Calif. – The most interesting part of Brooks Koepka’s first PGA Tour press conference back? How nervous he said he was to be there.
“I’m definitely a little more nervous this week, coming back,” he said as he settled in before a group of reporters at the Farmers Insurance Open media center just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday. “But it feels good. I’m super grateful to be back.”
It’s understandable that someone in Koepka’s position would be nervous. He is the first LIV golfer to return to the PGA Tour. He is at the center of golf’s geopolitical battle. He knows some Tour pros feel he got off easy. And he’s not sure how fans will greet his return. Of course he would have some butterflies.
“I think the nervousness was probably more for this, to get this out of the way to be honest,” he said, referring to his media duties.
That was the only surprising part; this is Koepka, who, reputationally, doesn’t worry about what other people think. Although there were signs of it That Koepka – “I don’t regret anything I’ve done… I’ve always enjoyed the ride, wherever I am,” he said – mostly understated, modest and hopeful. And he acknowledged that what other people think weighs heavily on him.
“I’m just excited to — maybe a little anxious to get to Thursday so I can get back to golf and that’s where I feel most comfortable. But I was definitely nervous about this,” he said.
“Just my family”
What brought Brooks back? That was the question on everyone’s mind. His LIV departure was undoubtedly complex; the departure meant an early end to his contract and the termination of his team captaincy. There were layers to the negotiations and the decision. But he kept his explanation relatively simple and steeped in heartache.
“Just my family. A lot has happened with my family in the last five or six months. That played a big role in my return,” he said.
Last fall, Koepka’s wife Jena Sims posted about a miscarriage she had at 16 weeks. “Too often these struggles happen in silence,” she says wrote. “We are devastated but remain hopeful to give [their son] One day man a brother or sister.
Koepka seemed to reference that loss.
“It’s very important to have my family nearby,” he said. “I have matured enormously in recent years and especially in recent months. Just the fact that I can be close to them is super important to me.”
While playing on the PGA Tour doesn’t necessarily mean playing fewer tournaments than on LIV, Koepka said the U.S.-focused Tour would allow the whole family to travel together more often.
“I think about the possibility of having my family outside all the time,” he said, asking what he missed about the PGA Tour. “Because they haven’t traveled that much in recent years, but they’re coming out this week, so I’m super excited to be able to release them.”
“I called Tiger”
Koepka made it clear he was not interested in stirring the LIV-PGA Tour pot. He thanked LIV’s leadership and stated that he was “super grateful for Yasir [Al-Rumayyan, PIF governor and LIV chairman] and Scott [O’Neil, LIV CEO] for the way they handled things.”
He also didn’t want to talk about dollars, cents or negotiating terms.
“I want to keep that all internal,” he said.
But he did provide a rough timeline of events.
In the fall, he said, he started having conversations about “what’s best for my family.” Ultimately, he and the LIV leadership reached an agreement on December 23; he was released. And then?
“I called Tiger [Woods] right away, and that process got the ball rolling,” Koepka said.
Why Bos?
“I’ve always had a good relationship with Tiger… That was the first person that came to mind,” he said. ‘I didn’t know [PGA Tour CEO] Brian [Rolapp]Obviously I didn’t have a relationship with him just because he’s quite new. And Jay [Monahan] would be the next call. I felt like Tiger was someone I’ve relied on in the past for questions and answers and how to handle things, and I felt like that was maybe the most comfortable call for me.
As for Woods’ response? Koepka expanded on that in one interview with SiriusXM’s Gravy and the Sleeze.
“Uh, I don’t know,” he said, laughing. “He’s pretty good at keeping a game face, as we all know if we’ve watched him over the years. So his voice didn’t really change when I told him. But yeah, it was an interesting conversation. And I think in the end he was very happy to be able to try to get me back and get me out. I think he played a big role in this and, you know, I owe him a lot.”
According to Koepka, he had no timeline or specific expectation of return, but Rolapp had no interest in waiting. On Thursday evening, January 8, Koepka received a call from the CEO, who asked if he could meet the next day in Ponte Vedra Beach, where he entered Tour headquarters through a side door.
“I was willing to do whatever would happen, whatever the punishment would be,” Koepka said. A few hours later, the Tour made their offer and introduced the Returning Member Program to welcome him back; Koepka said he was “obviously very happy with the decision they made.”
And here he is.
“An incredibly wonderful thing”
Koepka sounded nervous about the reception from some of his peers; he expects some tough conversations. But most of all, he’s been pleasantly surprised by how excited players are to have him back.
“I think it says more about Brooks than anything,” Rory McIlroy said after TGL on Tuesday. “He’s obviously a very competitive person and he wants to compete at the highest level. I think he made the decision where he felt competing at the highest level meant returning to the PGA Tour… and that’s obviously a great thing for the PGA Tour.”
Next to him, Keegan Bradley was even more exuberant.
“I’m incredibly excited to have Brooks back. When I heard the news, I was thrilled. Brooks is an incredible competitor and someone who is really helping the PGA Tour,” he said. “I’m just very happy for him, happy for the Tour, and [he’s] another man who I think can help the Tour get to a different place. I am very happy for him.”
While others were less enthusiastic – “I actually don’t like it that much, I have too big an opinion about it,” said Shane Lowry – watching Koepka run through Torrey Pines was a reminder that Tour players generally see his return as a victory for their circuit.
“It was really nice to see you, glad you’re back.” Yeah, I’d say maybe 15 guys,” Koepka said Tuesday morning. “When I saw guys, I mean, I was a little overwhelmed by the text messages I received from guys on both sides and it meant a lot to me. Like I said, I’m grateful, I’m excited and I just want to get back into golf.”
Now comes the golf. Koepka tees off on Thursday alongside Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg. Not counting the majors, it will be his first start on the PGA Tour since March 2022, when he finished T5 at the WGC Match Play. In that case, his last two matches were against Jon Rahm (he won) and Dustin Johnson (he lost). Those two are now on LIV. So was Koepka.
Now he’s back.
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