Brooks Koepka has sensationally applied for his PGA Tour membership to be reinstated.
It was huge news on Friday when it emerged that Koepka had lodged an application with the PGA Tour to become a member once again.
It was only just over two weeks ago when Koepka officially left LIV Golf, so he’s clearly not wasting any time.
With everything going on with Koepka and the PGA Tour right now, it seems like a good time to take a look back at what Gary Player said about LIV Golf in 2022 and more specifically, his comments on the players who jumped ship to join the Saudi-backed outfit.
Why should Brooks Koepka be allowed back on the PGA Tour?
He made his bed, now he should have to lie in it…right?
Player has always been a traditionalist by nature.
So with that in mind, it is really interesting to see the stance he took on the entire golfing landscape being fractured after LIV’s inception in 2022.
What Gary Player said when Brooks Koepka joined LIV Golf
While many PGA Tour players and golf analysts criticized those who took the money from LIV, Player took a different route.
Ahead of the US Open at Brookline back in 2022, the nine-time major champion was asked to give his opinion on the golfers who upped sticks from the PGA Tour.
He explained: “I’d like the people that are playing this tour just to be open and say, ‘Look, I’m playing here because I want to make some money, I have a family’.
“There’s no disgrace in that. But you can’t have your cake and eat it.”
“Every businessman has a choice to say that, look, I’m leaving because I’m making more money, and don’t forget, the best players will always come from the US tour because that’s where all the international top players are playing.”
Player was quite clearly in support of those golfers who wanted to leave the PGA Tour to join LIV, to an extent at least.
‘That’s final’ Gary Player claimed in response to LIV Golf question
Player was asked whether he believed that those who left to join LIV should be able to return to the PGA Tour if they became unhappy with life on the Saudi-backed golf league.
“No, once you’ve made the decision, that’s final, as far as I’m concerned,“ Player insisted.
What should LIV Golf change for you to give them full world ranking points?
Do you think it’s now time their events were recognised by the OWGR?
“But remember this, the LIV tour does not have a points system that will enable you to keep playing the tours, so I don’t know what’s going to happen in the majors.
“If you’re not playing the majors, or the regular tour, where are you going to get your points to give you, and qualify you, to play the majors?
“This is far more complicated than people make it out to be. A lot of people are giving a lot of opinions and know a hell of a lot about nothing.”
The fact that LIV were unable to obtain world ranking points from the OWGR surely played a key role in Koepka’s eventual exit.
However, it remains to be seen whether Koepka’s original decision to leave the PGA Tour was indeed ‘final’, like Gary Player suggested it was.
As things stand, it seems like there’s every chance that we will see the 35-year-old American playing on the PGA Tour again at some point in the future.
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