Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour received a letter from him on the same day LIV Golf announced Brooks Koepka was leaving the league asking if he could rejoin the circuit he left in 2022, and the process for him to return began, Woods says.
But the 15-time Major winner also said the Tour has “been running through scenarios for a long time” about players returning to the Tour from the rival circuit. And as to whether he would contact three LIV golfers who could also return to the Tour soon, Woods said only this Tuesday evening:
They should also write a letter to Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and commissioner Jay Monahan.
Woods’ comments came after playing at TGL, the simulator-based league he co-founded — and a day since the Tour announced Koepka would return in two weeks under the newly created “Returning Member Program.” Under that policy, Koepka and three current LIV players — Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith — will be readmitted to the PGA Tour because of their major championship victories over the past four years, but will have to agree to a series of conditions, including making a $5 million charitable donation and not receiving access to the Tour’s stock program for five years or a bonus program until 2026.
As part of the announcement, Rolapp said Koepka had agreed to those terms, a process that Woods said began on December 23 and continued through the start of the new year. Koepka’s letter was quickly passed on to the PGA Tour Policy Board, the board of the PGA Tour Enterprises, a pair of leadership committees where Woods works.
“We took that letter,” Woods said, “and then took it to both boards and tried to implement a plan that would be fair and adequate, that would justify the time Brooks was away from our tour, the penalties imposed, the fines if necessary, what the integration would look like on our tour, and of course the bonus payouts, yes or no.
“We had a lot of back-to-back meetings and worked all the way through the holidays. There were no days off. We just worked on it day in and day out, and we came up with a plan that we unveiled.”
However, Koepka was welcomed back, Woods said.
He also ranked him.
“We’re probably getting back a top-three player of his generation who went to another tour,” Woods said, “played there, and was adamant about coming back here and set out early to get back.
“That says a lot about the PGA Tour, where we’re going, what we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished and the players who have stayed and who have supported the Tour. To have another world-class player that these guys are going to try to beat, that’s what the fans demanded. That’s what the fans wanted for our fan initiative program, and I think we’ve addressed that.”
PGA Tour invited 3 LIV players. Here’s how they responded
By means of:
Dylan Dethier
LIV begins its fifth season next month, and Koepka was among those who received large, guaranteed payments to leave the Tour and join the Saudi-backed circuit. Talks about reunifying men’s professional golf have largely stalled, although Woods said Tuesday that a meeting held at the White House 11 months ago that also included President Donald Trump revived talks to “make our sport united again.”
“But this is a first step,” Woods said, “and it’s a great move.”
There is also potential for more.
Under the Returning Member Program, DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith could also return to the PGA Tour, and the circuit set a Feb. 2 deadline for them to decide. Notably, they were all part of a preview press conference of the LIV season on Tuesday, and they all had different answers to a moderator’s question about Koepka.
DeChambeau said, “Yeah, I mean, look, I’m under contract through 2026, so I’m excited about this year.”
Rahm said: “Yes, I don’t plan on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focusing on the competition and my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again.”
Smith said: “I mean, I really have no thoughts. I haven’t had much time to think about it. But I know I’m here to stay. I’m here to support LIV. I’m a captain of a great team and a great group of people. I’m happy where I am. I’m proud of where I am. I think we’re doing a lot of great things, especially in Australia, and I can’t wait for this league to continue to grow.”
However, can they be persuaded by Woods?
In response to a reporter’s question on Tuesday evening, he said exactly this:
“Actually, Brian is the CEO, so they need to talk to Brian and write a letter to Jay and Brian to get the ball rolling.”
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