Brooks Koepka is officially returning to the PGA Tour, and there’s a possibility he won’t be the only one making the move back from LIV Golf.
On Monday, the PGA Tour announced the creation of the Returning Members Program, which is a limited-time pathway back to the PGA Tour for select players who have called another tour home for at least the past two years. Koepka, who parted ways with LIV Golf on Dec. 23, will use the new program to return to the PGA Tour as a full-time member this season. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced that the pathway back will be limited to players who meet an “elite performance-based criteria.” Players who won either the Players Championship or any major between 2022 and 2025 are free to apply for reinstatement as a returning member through Feb. 2, 2026.
That means the list of LIV players eligible to use the pathway, if they choose, is extremely limited.
Only Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith meet the criteria for the Returning Members Program. Rahm won the 2023 Masters, while DeChambeau beat Rory McIlroy at the 2024 U.S. Open. Smith won both the Players and Open Championship in 2022 before he made the move to LIV Golf.
Other big names like Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson do not meet the program’s limited criteria.
In a memo to PGA Tour membership, Rolapp noted that this pathway might not return after the Feb. 2 headline.
“This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations,” Rolapp wrote in the memo. “Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”
While the PGA Tour opened a pathway for Koepka to return and compete immediately, the five-time major champion will face a financial penalty for leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
“Its strict limitations, which Brooks has agreed to, include a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $55-90 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour,” Rolapp wrote in a memo to players announcing Koepka’s return and the Returning Members Program. “At the request of the PGA Tour, Brooks has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly.”
Koepka, who will play at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open, agreed to the stiff penalty.
“When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA Tour,” Koepka said in a statement. “Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.
“I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake. I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”
As for the “Big Three” who can also use the limited-time pathway, it is currently unknown whether any are interested in following Koepka back to the PGA Tour.
DeChambeau, whose contract with LIV Golf ends after the 2026 season, said Koepka’s exit threw a curveball into his negotiations to re-sign with the Saudi-backed league. Rahm and Smith have not openly discussed their contract situations.
In an interview on GOLF’s Subpar Podcast last week, Rahm told co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that he “had an idea” Koepka was going to leave LIV and hopes they can share the course more in the future.
“I wish him the best; I’ve had some great times with Brooks on the golf course,” Rahm said. “Obviously the ’23 Masters (when they were in the final pairing), we were in that playoff in ’24 at Greenbrier, going at it at the Ryder Cup a few times. He’s always fun to play with, fast, honest guy. Wish him nothing but the best. Obviously wish he’d stay and I could keep playing with him, but hopefully we can compete for other events or majors in the future.”
Rahm, DeChambeau and Smith now have the option to follow Koepka back to the PGA Tour should they choose, but the clock is ticking.