The PGA Tour welcomed Brooks Koepka back from LIV Golf this week, but the five-time major champion had to pay a price to come back through the doors of the global home.
Koepka was officially reinstated on Monday via the newly-created “Returning Members Program” pathway. 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 stiff financial penalty.
In order to return to the PGA Tour, Koepka agreed to pay $5 million to charity and agreed to forfeit potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program for a period of five years. The PGA Tour projects 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 given out at the Tour Championship, but a rules tweak the PGA Tour announced on Thursday changes the equation for Koepka.
As part of an adjustment to the FedEx Cup points allocation, the Tour Championship’s $40 million purse is now “Official Money,” which is separate from the “FedEx Cup bonus pool.” Koepka is eligible to play his way into the FedEx Cup Playoffs. While he will not be able to collect any of the FedEx Cup bonus money, he will be able to compete for the $40 million purse at the Tour Championship should he play his way to East Lake.
The winner at the Tour Championship gets $10 million.
The nine-time PGA Tour winner said in a statement that he is fully onboard with the financial penalty the PGA Tour imposed 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 by Feb. 2, but all three committed to staying with LIV at the breakaway league’s media day in West Palm Beach, Florida, this week.
“Yeah, I mean, look, I’m contracted through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” DeChambeau said.
Added Rahm: “I’m not planning on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league 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 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 do many great things, particularly in Australia, and I can’t wait for this league to keep growing.”
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 he made the decision due to the uncertainty surrounding his health and long-term outlook as a top player. But Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship and has said that he might have made a different choice had he known his health and game would rebound after a difficult stretch.
Koepka won five times on LIV but is now the first elite player to return from the rival league. He’s paying a price for cutting ties with the PGA Tour, but that penalty is a little less severe now that he is eligible to collect a piece of the massive, season-ending prize at the Tour Championship — should he punch his ticket there.
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