Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka will be not be eligible to play on the PGA Tour until August after he became the first player to defect from LIV Golf.
Koepka, who quit the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in the summer of 2022, has "amicably and mutually" agreed to walk away from the Saudi-funded league following five event wins over four seasons.
The 35-year-old announced his decision on Tuesday afternoon in a statement.
It read: "Brooks Koepka will be stepping away from LIV Golf. He is deeply grateful to Yasir Al-Rumayyan (governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, (LIV CEO) Scott O’Neil, and the LIV Golf leadership team, his teammates and the fans.
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"Family has always guided Brooks’ decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home."
The statement added: "Brooks will continue to be a huge supporter of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf and will keep fans updated on what’s ahead.”
Scott O’Neil, the CEO of LIV Golf, added: “Brooks is prioritising the needs of his family and staying closer to home. We appreciate the significant impact he has had on the game and wish him continued success, both on and off the course."
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Naturally, rumours swirled around a potential return to the PGA Tour, especially after the organiser made a potentially telling statement after Koepka's LIV departure was confirmed.
As well as describing the five-time major winner as a "highly accomplished professional", the statement added. “The PGA Tour continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”
However, according to the regulation that began at the start of the 2022-23 season, any player who has participated in an unauthorised tournament is ineligible to compete in any event sanctioned by the PGA Tour for a period of one year.
An unauthorised tournament is defined in the player handbook as “any golf event for which the commissioner has denied or has indicated he would deny all conflicting event releases and/or media releases or not eligible for releases because it is to be held in North America.”
As mentioned above, Koepka will not be eligible to play on the PGA Tour until August, which will be a year after his last LIV appearance, but questions remain over whether the rule will be changed for the American.
At the time of writing, Koepka has yet to share immediate plans for his competitive future.
Topics: Golf
Jack Kenmare