Brian Rolapp will be aware that the decision made on the future of Brooks Koepka could have much larger implications for the future of the PGA Tour.
Brooks Koepka has taken steps to return to the PGA Tour. His LIV Golf exit was announced in December. And Koepka has now reapplied for membership of the PGA Tour.
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Of course, some will believe that the 35-year-old needs to serve a lengthy suspension before he can return to play. Meanwhile, you could undoubtedly make the case that the tour will benefit from getting Koepka back in the ranks as soon as possible.
But how the situation is handled will certainly send out a message.
All eyes on Brian Rolapp as Brooks Koepka reapplies for PGA Tour membership
Brian Rolapp will also be aware that there is just one opportunity to welcome the first superstar name back from LIV. So he will want to maximise the potential of Koepka making his comeback.
And there has been a suggestion that one pathway back for Koepka could see the five-time major champion elevate a number of events on the calendar.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard acknowledged that there is no perfect way for Koepka to return.
However, the PGA Tour could benefit if they force the American to earn his way back to the very top.
“You and I as journalists, we always want to talk about what we think is fair and what isn’t. That has so many definitions. If there’s 280 tour players that essentially have PGA Tour cards, then there’s going to be 280 versions of what fair is going to be. So I don’t think we’re ever going to land on anything that makes everybody happy,” he said.
“The thing about Brian Rolapp is he has largely the support of the membership. If you look at what he’s doing with the schedule, it’s been tepid support, not everybody is on board with the idea of scarcity and a smaller schedule and a more top heavy schedule. But I think having Tiger Woods leading that charge as the chairman of the Future Competitions Committee was a very savvy move.
“I think this could be another example of how this is what Brian Rolapp wants. If he decides that yes, Brooks can come back starting in 2026, you could create an interesting scenario as well.
“Let’s say Brooks comes back and has a full PGA Tour card but you’re not qualified for any of the signature events, imagine what that could do for the open field events. It could be huge for the other events that don’t have those marquee fields right now that we always point to when we say they don’t get the best players anymore. It does create an opportunity, but don’t hit me with fair, because we’re never going to get to that.”
The PGA Tour events Koepka played in 2022 before joining LIV Golf
The signature event structure we know today came in after Koepka had defected to LIV.
So it is difficult to know how he would feel about starting with full field events. Koepka is also someone who usually reserves his best golf for the biggest stages.
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He did play in a number of events at the start of the 2022 season that remain on the calendar today, including the Farmers Insurance Open, the WM Phoenix Open, and the event now known as the Cognizant Classic.
Of course, none of those are elevated events currently. So that is potentially a good sign that he would be prepared to tee it up at some of those if given the opportunity.
However, you get the feeling that there may be a twist or two to come before Koepka gets the chance to actually make his PGA Tour return.
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