Wyndham Clark appeared to be the first PGA Tour player to express some frustration with how Brooks Koepka’s return has been handled.
It does appear that the large majority of PGA Tour players are pleased to have Brooks Koepka returning following his decision to leave LIV Golf in December.
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Koepka is a five-time major champion. His return to the PGA Tour is unquestionably a significant moment with the 35-year-old the first big name to return from LIV.
Inevitably, some players will not be quite so happy to see Koepka come back. As it turns out, Wyndham Clark was one of those to express some mixed feelings about the situation.
Wyndham Clark took a different view on the prospect of Brooks Koepka returning to the PGA Tour
Clark was pleased for the PGA Tour to have Koepka back, but admitted that he would probably have left for 18 months if he had known that he could make all that money and then return.
Koepka has had to make a $5 million charitable donation, while he will miss out on certain bonuses. Nevertheless, Clark clearly feels that the punishments should be much more severe.
Interestingly, that is not quite the view he took in 2024 when asked on the No Laying Up podcast what he thought about the prospect of LIV players returning.
“I think guys that have had the career where they should be lifelong PGA Tour players, I think they deserve the right to come play the PGA Tour,” he said.
“If Dustin Johnson wants to come back and Phil Mickelson and guys that have won, Brooks [Koepka], who have won majors and are most likely hall of famers. They deserve to play wherever the hell they want, because they’re so good.”
It appears that Clark has changed his tune now that he has seen how a LIV player’s return has been handled.
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There seems to be a misconception that Koepka has not paid the price for jumping to LIV. However, he has clearly had to agree to take several financial hits.
Koepka reportedly paid $30 million to get out of his LIV contract one year early. Meanwhile, he will not be eligible for the PGA Tour equity program for the next five years. He can also not earn any money in bonuses should he make the FedEx Cup playoffs this season.
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Brooks Koepka has left, while they have signed the likes of Laurie Canter and Thomas Detry so far
Of course, he has probably earned enough money that he can make that kind of decision without having to worry about how he will pay his bills.
But the PGA Tour made sure that the door was only ever so slightly ajar for the biggest names on LIV to come back. And it looks likely that Koepka will be the only one to return this winter.
There was never going to be a perfect solution when this issue emerged. But it really does feel as though Brian Rolapp and the PGA Tour have handled Koepka’s decision in the best way possible – despite what Clark now thinks.
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