Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour was all about timing

Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour was made possible by a multitude of factors, but it really came down to timing.

The five-time major champion officially retired from LIV Golf on December 23, letting the PGA Tour know he wanted to return to the place he used to call home. As the first star to leave LIV Golf, Koepka’s name value and the symbolism of his defection were reason enough for the PGA Tour to find a way to open the door for him. But the fact that the decision was left up to the PGA Tour’s new CEO Brian Rolapp, rather than outgoing commissioner Jay Monahan, was a major factor.

In the latest episode of GOLFs Subpar podcastco-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz discussed how Rolapp’s leadership made Koepka’s return possible.

“This is why I think it’s great timing with the arrival of Brian Rolapp,” Stoltz said. “There’s none of the pettiness like when the PGA Tour and LIV first happened. There were basically two camps: PGA Tour or LIV. It got heated. The people who left, the social media messages they got, it was bad. Rolapp wasn’t there for that. He’s been an NFL guy. He says, ‘Oh, I can bring back one of the premier players in the world to our Tour, who isn’t on our Tour right now, and that makes us better? Yeah do it. All other things be damned.’

“I don’t think this would happen if there was the same leadership now. It wasn’t Brian Rolapp, I don’t think that would be the case.”

Knost added: “This guy doesn’t care about the past. He’s saying, ‘What can I do to make this product the best?’ You know what? Bringing back Brooks Koepka improves our product. It’s interesting, dude. It’s the right move for the PGA Tour. Letting him sit for a year? What good does that do to anyone? From a competitive standpoint, it hurts Brooks Koepka. Let’s bring him back. Let’s get him going. He’s a big name. He’s a five-timer. grand champion. I’m sorry, not everyone is treated the same. That’s why this little category they just created consists of four people.

To bring Koepka back, Rolapp created a limited path called the Returning Member Program. That program would allow any player who won a major or the Players between 2022 and 2025 to return to the PGA Tour, with a financial penalty. The route, which is open to Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, closes on February 2.

All three of these players have already stated that they will remain with LIV Golf, but Stolz believes elite players can return to the PGA Tour at another time if they wish. If Rolapp can make the PGA Tour product better, he will.

“Let’s say they don’t jump during the period, but later in the season they say, ‘Hey, I think I’m ready to come back.’ If the name is big enough, and there are only a few out there, I think they will agree to whatever they want to get them back,” Stoltz said.

If you want to hear more from Stoltz and Knost, check out the full album Substandard below.

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