SAN DIEGO (AP) — The first person Brooks Koepka called as he was released from the final year of his contract with Saudi-funded LIV Golf was Tiger Woods. Three weeks later, the PGA Tour opened a path back for him starting at Torrey Pines.
Koepka said Tuesday that with so much attention, he can’t wait for the week to be over. The gratitude for returning to the PGA Tour was accompanied by a nervousness the five-time major champion rarely experienced – wondering what others would think of him.
advertise
“It feels a little different,” he said before the Farmers Insurance Open, his first non-major event on the PGA Tour since losing in the Match Play quarterfinals in March 2022. “I was definitely a little nervous coming back this week. But it feels good. I’m just so grateful to be back.”
Koepka said that wanting to maintain a closer relationship with his family was the main reason he wanted to leave LIV. His wife announced in early October that she had suffered a miscarriage at 16 weeks.
Woods and other player directors on the PGA Tour’s board of directors are partly responsible for Koepka’s return, working with CEO Brian Rolup to develop a plan for select players to return. Koepka was the first LIV defector, and that came with a price.
He will make a $5 million charitable donation (still to be determined by the tour), receive no FedEx Cup bonus this year and will not receive equity in the PGA Tour for five years, which the tour estimates is worth $50 million or more.
advertise
He also won’t be able to compete in the $20 million signature event until he qualifies himself.
“I guess it’s a new beginning for me, which is cool,” Koepka said. “I think it’s just another chapter in my book. I’m excited about it. I feel like my game is in really good shape and I want to see where it’s at. Obviously this week is a little different. I just want to end the week and feel like I can start playing golf again.”
Woods never considered going to LIV and disparaged those who did — “They’ve turned their back on everything that got them to this point,” he said a month after LIV began — and is now the leading player advocate on the PGA Tour’s board of directors.
Koepka said he has always had a good relationship with Woods. Furthermore, he had never met Rolap, who had only been in office six months. Commissioner Jay Monahan, who would have been next on his list, attended Koepka’s wedding a month before Koepka left for LIV in 2022.
advertise
“I feel like Tiger is someone that I’ve relied on in the past to give me questions and answers and how to handle things, and I feel like that’s probably the most comfortable call for me,” Koepka said.
Woods is one of several players who supports bringing Koepka back, saying it would make the PGA Tour stronger and ultimately increase the value of those players who receive equity. “It’s a win for everybody,” Woods said earlier this month.
Scotty Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who serves as Koepka’s head coach, also supported the decision.
“I think it’s good to get people back on tour who want to come back,” Scheffler said last week. “Brooks is eager to get back on Tour. He’s been really eager to get back on Tour over the last few months, and I’m pleased that Brian and the team and the board of directors were able to find a path for him to be able to come back and start playing here again.”
advertise
How golf fans will receive a player from a rival league who quits the PGA Tour after the 2022 U.S. Open in favor of a hefty signing bonus, whether at Torrey Pines or next week’s Phoenix Open, remains to be determined. Koepka has confirmed that he is worth “nine figures.”
“Maybe I was a little nervous about it too, just to see how the fans would react to it,” Koepka said. “I want them to be excited. I want them to be happy that I’m here.”
Koepka couldn’t remember playing a game other than a major on Monday. As soon as he drove into the parking lot, his vision blurred and he couldn’t remember who he saw first. Billy Horschel and Harris English hugged each other on the practice field.
Then head to the South Course to play the back nine. He plays alongside rookie Marcelo Rozzo. They were joined on the 18th tee by Akshay Bhatia and Matti Schmid, neither of whom was playing on the PGA Tour when Koepka left. When Koepka left, nearly half the field in Wednesday’s Pro-Am didn’t even have a PGA Tour card.
advertise
“There’s a lot of new faces,” Koepka said. “But it’s nice to meet these people and feel like I’m part of the tour.”
He returns to the PGA Tour amid dramatic changes. The Future Competition Committee, led by Woods, is reshaping the schedule to make every event feel like a major event. There are 11 tournaments with at least $20 million in prize money, not counting the four majors.
Is it better than when he left?
“I’ve been out two days,” Koepka said with a smile.
Last week, when asked about Koepka’s return, Justin Rose had the answer for him.
“We’ve all benefited from this chaos in some way,” Ross said. “It’s a good thing for Tour players because we can push the power in our direction through Tour equity and prize money.
“But we need quality products,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had influencers come back to us.”
___
AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf