{"id":425114,"date":"2026-01-20T08:58:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425114\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T08:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:58:17","slug":"brooks-koepkas-pga-tour-return-was-all-about-timing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425114\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour return was all about timing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brooks Koepka\u2019s return to the PGA Tour <\/a>was made possible by a myriad of factors, but it really boiled down to timing.<\/p>\n

The five-time major champion officially parted ways with LIV Golf<\/a> on December 23 and notified the PGA Tour that he wanted to return to the place that he used to call home. As the first star to leave LIV Golf, Koepka\u2019s 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 to new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, rather than outgoing commissioner Jay Monahan, was an important factor.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of GOLF\u2019s Subpar Podcast, co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz discussed how Rolapp being in charge made Koepka\u2019s return possible<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why I think it\u2019s great timing with Brian Rolapp coming in,\u201d Stoltz said. \u201cThere\u2019s none of the pettiness like when the PGA Tour and LIV first happened. There was basically two camps \u2014 PGA Tour or LIV. It got heated. The people who left, the social media messages they would get, it was bad. Rolapp wasn\u2019t around for any of that. He has been an NFL guy. He\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, I can bring back one of the preeminent players in the world to our Tour, who is currently not on our Tour, and that makes us better? Yes do it. All the other stuff be damned.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that would happen if the same leadership was in place right now. It it wasn\u2019t Brian Rolapp, I don\u2019t think that would be the case.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n \"Brooks <\/a><\/p>\n

LIV CEO\u2019s response to Brooks Koepka\u2019s PGA Tour return said something unheard<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Josh Schrock <\/a><\/p>\n

Added Knost: \u201cThis guy doesn\u2019t care about the past. He says, \u201cWhat can I do to make this product the best?\u2019 You know what? Bringing Brooks Koepka back improves our product. It\u2019s interesting, man. It\u2019s the right move for the PGA Tour. Making him sit out a year? What good does that do for anybody? It hurts Brooks Koepka from a competition standpoint. Let\u2019s get him back. Let\u2019s get him going. He\u2019s a huge name. He\u2019s a five-time major champion. I\u2019m sorry, not everyone is treated the same. That\u2019s why this little category they just created, there is four people in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

To bring Koepka back, Rolapp created a limited pathway called the Returning Member Pr<\/a>ogram. That program allows any player who won a major or the Players between 2022 and 2025 to return to the PGA Tour, with a financial penalty. The pathway, which is open for Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, closes on February 2. <\/p>\n

All three of those players have already stated they will remain with LIV Golf, but Stolz believes elite players will be able to return to the PGA Tour at another time should they choose. If Rolapp can make the PGA Tour product better, he will. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s say they don\u2019t jump during the window, but later in the season they are like, \u2018Hey, I think I\u2019m ready to come back.\u2019 If the name is big enough, and there is only a few of them over there, I think they will acquiesce to whatever they want to get them back,\u201d Stoltz said.<\/p>\n

To hear more from Stoltz and Knost, check out the full Subpar below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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