Brooks Koepka (Srixon Z-Star Diamond) is back with the PGA Tour after bolting to LIV Golf, taking advantage of a new Returning Member Program. That’s great for fans who follow pro golf at the highest level. 

Koepka left the PGA Tour a broken person, someone whose game and prowess had disappeared, to go to LIV in June 2022. He was ranked 19th in the world at the time, but if you remember the candid comments he made on Netflix’s Full Swing he didn’t have the confidence to make a 10-foot putt. So he took advantage of a financial offer he couldn’t refuse. 

But what of other players on the PGA Tour who pledged their allegiance, turning down the riches of LIV Golf, say Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5) for example? The PGA Tour made some financial overtures to them for their fidelity, but not enough to match the money had they jumped to LIV Golf.  

Much has changed since Koepka took the money and ran, despite saying he wouldn’t bolt. LIV Golf has changed, as has the PGA Tour, in terms of leadership. There seems to be a softening of the war between the two. 

To return to the PGA Tour, Koepka has to pay a $5 million fine to the charity of his choice, will be restricted from some tournaments this year and will be ineligible for any money from the Player Equity Program for the next five years. That has been estimated to be between $50-85 million, depending on his play. But clearly the combination of the three were satisfactory enough to return to the PGA Tour. While he originally said he was leaving LIV for family reasons with a year left on his LIV contract, we now know that is not necessarily true. He was willing to make sacrifices to play on the PGA Tour. 

He was already eligible to play in all the majors, but his return means more in instead of just four tournaments a year with PGA and LIV golfers. It could be valuable in terms of marketability, pending his play. 

Money makes people challenge themselves in terms of what really matters. As Dustin Johnson (TaylorMade TP5x) said on Full Swing, if someone offered you more money to do the same job without having to put in as many hours, would you take it? LIV offered guaranteed money and the chance to play in a reduced number of tournaments with three rounds of play instead of four. Johnson realized he could no longer be an elite player on the PGA Tour and cashed in on his name and fame while still playing in majors. He could also spend more time with his wife and kids, which he said was a factor in his decision. He had amassed enough money playing on the PGA Tour and won enough tournaments that jumping to LIV made perfect sense to him. 

Would Johnson want to return to the PGA Tour at some point? I’m guessing he doesn’t have the same desire. Why come back to it if you don’t feel you can’t be as competitive as you were before you left?  

Cleary, Koepka feels he still has that burning competitive desire right now.  

The PGA has made the same offer of returning to the Tour to players who have won a major championship or Players’ championship since 2022, but they will also suffer the same financial penalties and tournament restrictions. The players include Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot), Jon Rahm (Callaway Chrome Tour X) and Cameron Smith (Titleist Pro V1x). DeChambeau is the most interesting of the three. He has clearly put his game back together since leaving for LIV, evidenced by his solid play in majors. He has also become a marketing machine, far bigger than in his PGA Tour days, as a social media star. He has ditched the non-traditional clothing he once wore in favour of a more traditional look and is no longer obsessed with protein shakes and bulking up. He still has a scientist’s mind the way he calculates things on the  course, but in general has changed his image. He has become more of a likeable person. Maybe it’s maturity, or perhaps a new outlook on life since losing his father. 

Rahm seems content to stay with LIV. It would be surprising if he left because it allows him to spend more time with his wife and children, which is important to him. Even though he doesn’t appear as confident playing in majors, he has done enough in his career where that might not be a concern anymore. He still has his fiery temper but doesn’t show it as much. He seems to have found a comfort level in his career and his life. Call it balance. I guess it is all about legacy and comfortability. He doesn’t have to worry what critics say, assuming that was even a concern about leaving for LIV.  

As for Smith, he left the PGA Tour at the top of his game. The man with the mullet had the profile, swagger and game, but he chose to leave, nonetheless. It will be interesting if he decides to take the penalties and return. He was a top, young star when he left.