Brooks Koepka is the first major name to walk away from LIV Golf, in what could be the beginning of the end for the Saudi-backed league.
And in a shocking turn of events, the PGA Tour allowed Brooks Koepka to return immediately, provided he agreed to a number of terms, including a $5 million donation to a charitable cause.
This same deal was offered to Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith, paving the way for a select few LIV players to return to the PGA Tour. And while DeChambeau is considering his options as his LIV contract comes to a close, he, Rahm, and Smith all confirmed they’d be staying on LIV in 2026.
That means, for now, LIV has survived this crisis, although it made for an unwelcome addition to what’s been a disastrous offseason. They failed to make any notable signings, their negotiations with Si Woo Kim fell through, and now a five-time major winner has walked out the door.
According to the Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard, something LIV said to Koepka was the final nail in the coffin for his time on the tour.
What LIV said to Brooks Koepka which made him want to rejoin the PGA Tour
It was no secret that Koepka was never totally enamoured by LIV. It was a confusing decision when Koepka first joined, and his body language suggested he regretted leaving the PGA Tour almost immediately.
That’s why Hoggard said that this wasn’t a fatal blow for LIV. He said on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav:
“There was a conversation on Monday late in the afternoon between just some folks internally at the Golf Channel… I’m not going to name names, but one of those people felt like this this was a this was a body blow, a possible debilitating body blow for LIV Golf. I pushed back a little bit. And here’s why.
“As I pointed out, and everyone seems to know, we knew this was coming for a long time. Brooks was disgruntled almost really from the second he went over to LIV Golf. So, this was always going to be a possibility.
“It’s a blow. Trust me, this gives the tour leverage for the first time in a really long time in whatever the ongoing conversation is between the two sides. A true body blow would have been if one of the other three players, we’re talking about Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith, if they decided to jump ship.
Is this the end of LIV Golf?
“And I don’t think LIV Golf is giving up on those three as easily as they gave up on Brooks. According to one source I spoke to at LIV Golf, essentially, the conversation between Brooks and the governor of the Public Investment Fund was, ‘If you’re not happy, we don’t want you here,’ with one left one year left on his contract.
“So that was a pretty easy conversation for Brooks to walk away from. I don’t think it’s going to be that easy of a conversation for Jon Rahm or Bryson DeChambeau.”
What LIV Golf has stood for from the beginning is players’ freedom of choice, so not allowing Koepka to leave willingly would be incredibly hypocritical. Let’s see if LIV stays true to its values if DeChambeau ever tries to return to the PGA Tour.
What Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm said about leaving LIV Golf
Both DeChambeau and Rahm said they’d be staying on LIV for the foreseeable future, but LIV might have been better pleased if their two biggest stars didn’t look like they were being held hostage by the tour.
In a press conference with the LIV captains, DeChambeau was asked about his future, to which he replied, “I mean, look, I’m contracted through 2026, so excited about this year.” If we’re being honest, he didn’t look excited.
Then the question was thrown to Rahm, who said, “I’m not planning on going anywhere, so… very similar to the answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league, on my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again.”
What’s the biggest reason you don’t watch LIV Golf?
Those quotes don’t read brilliantly, and they sounded even worse in the press conference. The best LIV’s biggest superstar, DeChambeau, could say about the tour is that he’s contracted to play on it. Not ideal.
If LIV and its fans were looking for reassurances that he had no plans on leaving in the future, they didn’t get any from his response to the Koepka news. Now, all eyes will be on this saga for the entirety of 2026.
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