If and when Brooks Koepka decides to rejoin the PGA Tour, the next step will be a process that involves potential discipline and determining how long that might last.
And views on that, based on a few reactions from players who are competing on the PGA Tour, could be wide-ranging.
Koepka and LIV Golf last week announced that the five-time major champion would not be playing for the league in 2026 after a four-year run that saw him join in advance of the second event in 2022.
Speculation immediately shifted to Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour, and how short or long of a window that might entail.
“I’m on a seesaw here a little bit. I’ve been on one for a little while,” Billy Horschel told the Palm Beach Post at the opening of TGL on Sunday. “At the very beginning, I think I was on the side of there needs to be some punishment for these guys. And now I’m on the side that I think for the betterment of the game, for the quality of the PGA Tour product to continue to grow.
“Selfishly having an equity stake in the PGA Tour now, bringing Brooks back, that does add value. So I think there needs to be a process to figure out what [brings] these guys come back.
“Do I think they need to be suspended for a year or something like that? I don’t know. I’m not involved in those discussions. But I think there’s a punishment that can be put in place that isn’t too harsh, but for the guys on the PGA Tour that still feel hurt or affected ... for those guys that want to see some punishment, then I think there’s some punishment that can be worked up that isn’t too bad for the guys coming back.”
How that is decided will be up to the PGA Tour Policy Board and the new Future Competition Committee, both of which are mostly comprised of players. And chances are there will not be immediate consensus on how it is handled.
The PGA Tour has never said how it will deal with past members such as Koepka, who were considered in violation of membership rules by competing in LIV Golf events.
How suspensions differ for PGA Tour members and non-members
Misconceptions surround the one-year bans imposed upon non-members such as Laurie Canter, who played in the Players Championship this year as he qualified via the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The Englishman was eligible because he had not played in LIV Golf event for more than a year.
That would also apply to any non-member who wanted to attempt to Monday qualify, attend the PGA Tour Qualifying School or get an exemption into any event.
The rules apparently are different for those who were members of the PGA Tour. And it’s possible that each player, when applicable, would be handled differently. The PGA Tour does not typically disclose punishments, whether it be suspensions or fines, but is expected to give some clarity on this matter when it’s appropriate.
“It’s going to be a mixed bag,” Xander Schauffele said to the newspaper. “Depending on who you interview, what point in their career they are, where they sit in the standings, what the world ranking is, you’re just going to an array of different answers.”
Asked if he believed there should be some penalty for any returning player, Schauffele said: “I’m not sure. It depends what lens you look through. If you’re looking at the game as a whole. It’s going to be hard to make everybody happy, I can answer that. So do we need everyone to come back together? Absolutely.”
It was pointed out to Schauffele that last year Rory McIlroy was among those who said LIV players need to be allowed to return and that the current players need to get past the angst from a few years ago.
“Sure, like I said, depends on who you ask,” Schauffele said. “Rory just had the best year of his career, so he’s not worried about any of that stuff. You got guys who finished 105th in FedEx [Cup points] and lost their card.
“It would be cool if you could interview 100 [players] and however many guys are on Tour, that would take some time but that would be the easiest way to get an honest answer.”
Koepka is coming off perhaps the worst year of his career. He did not win a LIV Golf event—he captured five in the first three years—and missed the cut in three of the major championships.
His original intent for leaving for LIV Golf was due to concern over injury issues he faced in 2022.
But he finished runner-up at the 2023 Masters and won the 2023 PGA Championship, although he has not posted a top-10 in a major championship since that victory.
“I wasn’t shocked. Let’s just say there’s been a lot of talk for a while now about Brooks possibly wanting to come back to the PGA Tour, trying to find some way to get out of his last year of his contract,” Horschel said.
“Let’s just say I’ve had some conversations with him as well through the year. So, like I said, I wasn’t shocked. And I don’t know what's going to come from it. I don’t know if he’s going to be on a PGA Tour in 2026 or if it will take a little time. But yeah, I wasn’t shocked by it.”
More Golf from Sports Illustrated
- Tiger Woods’s Top 50 Defining Moments Ranked
- Tiger Woods Says ‘Hello, World’ and Completes Career Grand Slam: A Top 50 Countdown
- Alongside New Faces, Billy Horschel Wins TGL Opener With Another Memorable Putt
- Taking in a New One-Two Punch of Scottish Golf at Cabot Highlands
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Opinions Vary on When Brooks Koepka Should Be Allowed to Return to the PGA Tour.
