Brooks Koepka’s return and what it means for the PGA Tour

LA JOLLA, Calif. — The last time Brooks Koepka walked the narrow fairways of Torrey Pines at the 2021 U.S. Open, the golf world was complete.

Koepka was ranked 10th in the world at the time, had just finished second in the PGA Championship (his 10th top 10 at a major in his last 15 appearances) and had the fourth-best winning odds that week. His aura was then unmistakable: he had four major tournaments under his belt and had built a reputation that exuded a kind of cool insouciance matched only by his effortless confidence on the sport’s biggest stages. He wasn’t afraid to tell you about it either.

“I think sometimes the majors are the easiest to win,” Koepka said in 2019. “Half the people get away with it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them.”

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On Tuesday at Torrey Pines, nearly five years after the U.S. Open, still sporting Nike apparel but now under the PGA Tour banner — not LIV — once again, a different Koepka surfaced. He was soft-spoken and sheepish, grateful for the opportunity to return but not exactly an open book after once again going over the fence into the abyss of professional golf.

“I’m definitely a little more nervous this week,” Koepka said. “There are a lot of guys I don’t know.”

It would be easy to attribute his behavior to his current position in the game. Koepka is the 255th player in the world, according to the Official World Golf Ranking (LIV does not receive OWGR points), and 162nd, according to Data Golf. He has five missed cuts in his last eight non-LIV appearances, including three missed cuts in the majors last year. That quintessential Koepka confidence may still be there, but for now, it’s on the back burner.

Recent form aside, Koepka is one of those names who, if not move the needle, at least make it vibrate. The tour’s response to his desire to return called him back.

Koepka was not only added to the Farmers Open field, his return was touted loud and clear by the tour’s social media channels. His catchphrase for this season, “Where the Best Belong,” was quickly incorporated into a promo featuring Koepka. He was placed in a featured group and the tour mobilized to involve ESPN in broadcasting its first two rounds on the main network.

“It’s always good to feel wanted and accepted,” Koepka said. “I’m just excited – maybe a little nervous to get to Thursday just so I can start playing golf again, and that’s when I feel most comfortable.”

Away from the podium, Koepka looked relaxed to finally focus on something that has irritated him of late: his game. He worked on the court, welcoming greetings, hugs and well wishes from players as he worked with his caddy and coach on his swing. On Tuesday, he played in the front nine at Torrey North alongside Fred Couples, who said in March that Koepka wanted to return to the PGA Tour.

This week, Koepka’s performance on the course is incidental. His presence alone is a victory for the new-look PGA Tour led by CEO Brian Rolapp, which was only cemented Wednesday after the announcement of Patrick Reed’s return to the PGA Tour.

“I think people want to be on the PGA Tour. It’s the best tour in the world, the most competitive tour,” JJ Spaun said. “I think Patrick will be a good addition to this tour, and I think that says a lot about where the tour is going.”

If Koepka’s quick return to the game was the tour giving LIV a bit of its own medicine, the addition of Reed and his implications are arguably a bigger success. For Koepka, the tour was willing to bend the rules in order to provide immediate access. For Reed, it wasn’t necessary.

“After winning [in Dubai]I realized how much I missed the work and the dogfights, it’s who I am,” Reed told ESPN. “I always saw myself coming back to the PGA Tour. I know I have to find my way home, and I’m OK with that.”

So far, under Rolapp, it’s clear that the directive – and indeed the mandate – is that the tour’s top priority will be to do everything in its power to strengthen itself. Hard feelings, resentments, and resentments toward players who fled to LIV don’t carry as much weight as being able to strengthen the circuit by featuring the best players in the sport.

By allowing Koepka to return immediately and facilitating Reed’s reinstatement, the tour has effectively shifted the focus from the never-ending question of whether the two tours will find a way to work together to a completely different question: Who will be the next player to attempt to return to the PGA Tour?

“As you see the dominoes are starting to fall, maybe the LIV tour guys aren’t so happy over there and the grass isn’t greener on the other side,” Harris English said. “They see the PGA Tour getting stronger and more successful, and they kind of see that money isn’t the end all be all. Like that doesn’t satisfy them. It doesn’t fulfill me. They’re still competitors, they’re competitive people and they love playing in the biggest events against the best players in the world. To me, it’s here on the PGA Tour, and I think they’re starting to realize that, that that’s what fulfills them.”

Whether concerted, opportunistic or both, the tour is now playing the offensive under Rolapp’s leadership and even taking advantage of LIV’s own structure. With LIV players under contract, some like Reed effectively became free agents once those expired, allowing the tour to use a path back, but not without taking its share of flesh in the form of a suspension and without player equity eligibility through 2030.

It remains to be seen whether this will be enough for some of the remaining players.

“For players, it’s a sensitive subject,” said Adam Scott, director of players on the PGA Tour board of directors. “We’re certainly mindful of the entire membership first, but we also listen to what people want to see on the PGA Tour. We have to look at what’s best for the tour and the membership going forward. So everything can’t last forever, and we have to stay open-minded.”

Scott said the decision to create the returning member program and allow Koepka to return immediately was “unanimous across the board.” Maverick McNealy added that while the current Player Advisory Council was not involved in the Koepka decision, Rolapp held a special session with the members to follow up with them and make sure everyone was on the same page.

On Wednesday, as news of Reed’s impending return to the tour was discussed on the course, Rolapp spent a lot of time at the driving range and putting green talking with players. At least publicly, all players interviewed seemed to have a positive outlook on Reed and Koepka’s return.

“I think one of his strengths is that he is a very clear communicator and due diligence was done regarding this decision and all the avenues explored,” McNealy said of Rolapp. “At the end of the day, we hire Brian to make the best decision for the PGA Tour and he did that. Go back a few years and think about how cutthroat it was with LIV and how there was a time when we were wondering if the future of our Tour was secure. And I think we’re all absolutely thrilled that this really does look like the place to play golf at the highest level. I think that’s what’s been happening over the last few weeks.”