The PGA Tour welcomed Brooks Koepka back from LIV Golf this week, but the five-time major champion had to pay a price to get back through the doors of the global house.
Koepka was officially reinstated on Monday through the newly created Returning Members Program process. The one-time clause allows any player who won a major or the Players between 2022 and 2025 to return to the PGA Tour, but the road back comes with a heavy financial penalty.
To return to the PGA Tour, Koepka agreed to pay $5 million to charity and agreed to forfeit potential shares in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program for a period of five years. According to the PGA Tour, it could cost Koepka anywhere from $55 million to $90 million. Koepka is also ineligible for the 2026 FedEx Cup Bonus payouts. That bonus pool initially included the $40 million handed out during the Tour Championship, but a rules adjustments the PGA Tour announced Thursday changes the equation for Koepka.
As part of an adjustment to the FedEx Cup points allocation, the Tour Championship’s $40 million is now “official money,” separate from the “FedEx Cup Bonus Pool.” Koepka is eligible to play his way into the FedEx Cup Playoffs. While he won’t be able to collect any of the FedEx Cup bonus money, he can compete for the $40 million purse at the Tour Championship if he plays his way to East Lake.
The winner of the Tour Championship will receive $10 million.
The nine-time PGA Tour winner said in a statement that he fully agrees with the financial penalty imposed by the PGA Tour and is excited to make his return at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
The Returning Member Program also opens the door for Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith to return on February 2, but all three committed to staying with LIV this week at the breakaway league’s media day in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Yeah, I mean, look, I’m under contract through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” DeChambeau said.
Rahm added: “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.”
“I know I’m here to stay. I’m here to support LIV,” Smith said. “I’m the 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.”
Koepka was one of the first PGA Tour players to defect to LIV, joining the Saudi-backed league for its second event in 2022. Koepka had admitted that he made the decision due to the uncertainty surrounding his health and long-term prospects as a top player. But Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship and said he might have made a different choice had he known his health and play would bounce back after a difficult stretch.
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