Brooks Koepka Rejoins PGA Tour via New Program After Leaving LIV Golf

Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour in 2026 through a Returning Member Program created for recent major champions who left for LIV Golf. Koepka had announced in December 2025 that he agreed with LIV Golf officials to forgo the final year of his contract and applied for reinstatement to the PGA Tour.

The program, introduced in January 2026, allows golfers away from the PGA Tour for at least two years who won majors between 2022 and 2025 to return.

Koepka’s return comes with restrictions: he will not receive any payment from the FedEx Cup bonus program for the 2026 season and is ineligible to earn equity from the player equity program through 2030. The PGA Tour estimates Koepka could miss out on $50 million to $85 million in potential equity earnings depending on his performance and the Tour’s growth.

He also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution to an agreed-upon organization.

Koepka must qualify for signature events and is ineligible for sponsor exemptions, though other tournament fields have been expanded to accommodate his presence without displacing current PGA Tour golfers. The Returning Member Program was created in response to Koepka’s reinstatement application and would have allowed other players such as DeChambeau, Rahm, and Cam Smith to return had they applied and accepted terms before February 2, 2026.

Brian Rolapp, PGA Tour CEO, indicated in March 2026 that the program was expected to be a one-time opportunity and emphasized the importance of honoring existing contracts with LIV Golf.

Patrick Reed, who resigned from the PGA Tour in 2022 before joining LIV Golf, announced in February 2026 that he is seeking reinstatement for the 2027 PGA Tour season under the past champion category. Reed last played a LIV Golf event on August 24, 2025, and must observe a 12-month waiting period before returning.

Kevin Na, Pat Perez, and Hudson Swafford are also in the process of reinstatement through the past champion category, with Perez and Swafford eligible to return in 2027. LIV Golf, launched in 2022 with backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has spent more than $5 billion founding and operating the league. LIV Golf began poaching players and holding its own tournaments in 2022.

The 2026 LIV Golf season is proceeding as planned, with the sixth tournament of the campaign, LIV Golf Mexico City, taking place this week in April 2026 with 57 golfers in the field. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil stated in an April 15, 2026 email to staff that the season would continue at full throttle.

However, the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s April 14, 2026 news release announcing its 2026-2030 strategic vision made no mention of LIV Golf.

This omission comes amid ongoing efforts by the PGA Tour to reintegrate players who left for LIV Golf under defined terms. Brian Rolapp has stated, "Fans want the best players playing together. " He also noted, "I don't know the contractual relationship or the terms of others on the LIV Tour, and they have contracts and those should be honored.

But we do have a pathway; Patrick Reed is clearly taking advantage of that pathway as he's, I guess, out of his contractual commitment.