Thursday was a historic day for the PGA Tour as Brooks Koepka’s return became official.
After spending more than four years with LIV Golf, the five-time major winner announced earlier this month that he was returning to the Tour, teeing off Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Koepka cited more family time as the main factor in his decision to prematurely terminate his contract with the Saudi-backed league. Ironically, that was the main reason people defected to LIV, but Koepka’s attorney and advisor, Bryan Freedman, provided some context in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Brooks felt over the years that the travel was so intense and so international that it kept him away from his family, and I think as time went on he longed to spend more time with his family and be closer to the U.S.,” Freedman said. LIV has traveled to Australia, Singapore and other places around the world.
Koepka has long been rumored to have buyer’s remorse, and there were times over the past year when he was quite mum about his future at LIV.
“I don’t know if Brooks really made the decision that he wanted out until he made that decision, right? It had very little to do with golf and a lot to do with family,” Freedman said. “Maybe all athletes are like that, right? A happy life, a happy home. You can excel as an athlete in your best form. That’s the key, to make sure he’s happy and comfortable.”
Despite the separation between Koepka and LIV, Freedman said that “everyone was respectful in the process and everyone was attentive to the needs of each party.”
Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the first tee during the final round of the US Open golf tournament on June 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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“Brooks and I worked with other people on the team and LIV people to try to come up with a structure that would work for everyone,” Freedman said. “And for Brooks to get the outcome he wanted, I think Brooks has nothing but respect for LIV, it was a respectful process, and I think everyone saw the benefit in Brooks being able to be happy and do what he wanted to do, which was be closer to home, closer to his child, closer to his wife. He went through some personal things and really wanted to address them from a human standpoint.”
Freedman also praised the PGA Tour for welcoming Koepka back with half-open arms.
“I think the response has been very positive. It’s great. The PGA has been great, they welcomed him back. There are certainly limitations that he has, and he’ll adhere to those. But I think they’ve been great in welcoming him back,” Freedman said. “I think he’s very excited. I think he’s excited to make it right with the players and do his best to just kind of be a golfer among golfers, like a worker among workers, and really go in and be humble and walk in with the humility and the grace that Brooks walks around with.”
Koepka certainly seems happy to be back on the PGA Tour, but Freedman doesn’t believe he has any regrets about playing in LIV.
Brooks Koepka of the United States poses for photos after winning the 2019 PGA Championship on the Bethpage Black course with a score of 8 under par on May 19, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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‘I don’t think he had any regrets about going to LIV. I think everyone at least wishes everyone could get along better, right?” Freedman said. That there was an opportunity where people actually had to play together in the sandbox, and that this was a situation that didn’t cause too many problems for people. I think if there’s any regret, it’s probably that.”
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