Brooks Koepka is already looking forward to Thursday’s opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open and being back inside the ropes.
Only then will he once again feel comfortable.
Playing in a PGA Tour event for the first time since spring 2022, Koepka made clear Tuesday that his family was the biggest factor in his departure from LIV Golf and that he wasn’t interested in the ongoing battle between the two warring sides.
“I have no regrets,” Koepka said as he met with reporters during a 30-minute news conference at Torrey Pines. “But at the same time, I’m excited for this new chapter. Grateful to be out here.”
Koepka said that he first began to contemplate his competitive future last September, when “circumstances kind of changed in my family a little bit.” His wife, Jena, revealed on social media last fall that she suffered a miscarriage with the couple’s second child.
Koepka mentioned his family 14 times during his presser, and added that having his wife and son with him “all the time” was one of the things he missed most about the Tour. LIV plays a predominantly international schedule, and Koepka’s family “didn’t travel too much over the last few years.”
Feeling the pull of home last fall, Koepka said, it became clear that a potential Tour return was “what was best for me and best for my family.”
Over the next few months, Koepka negotiated with LIV CEO Scott O’Neil and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to opt out of his contract a year early. Koepka didn’t divulge the nature of those conversations but said that there was no lingering animosity. Nor was he interested in talking about the ongoing turf war between the Tour and LIV.
“I’m not trying to get into the politics of it all,” he said. “I’m just happy that I have this opportunity and I need to take advantage of it. That’s all I’m really focused on and going back and playing golf.”
When he became a free agent last month, Koepka’s first call was to Tiger Woods. That conversation then extended to Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who spearheaded what soon became known as the Returning Member Program.
“I felt like Tiger was somebody that I’ve relied on in the past for questions and answers and how to deal with things,” Koepka said, “and I felt like that was maybe the most comfortable call for me.”
Within a few weeks, Koepka was reinstated to the Tour in the program that specifically targeted LIV defectors who had won a major or Players since 2022. Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith were the other eligible players through the program, with a Feb. 2 deadline to announce their intentions. All three players said recently that they intended to honor their LIV contracts this year.
Exempt on Tour for the next three years by virtue of his 2023 major win, Koepka will have to earn his way into signature events and cannot receive Tour equity grants for the next five years. Koepka said he understood that the reception to his reentry could be mixed and was looking forward to speaking with as many players as he could. More than his performance or fan reception, he said he was more nervous about meeting with the media to discuss his decision.
“Maybe a little bit antsy to get to Thursday just so I can get back to playing golf and that’s where I feel the most comfortable,” he said. “But I was definitely nervous just for this. Seeing guys, I was kind of overwhelmed at the text messages that I received from guys on both sides. It meant a lot to me. I’m grateful, I’m excited, and I just want to get back to playing golf.”
It figures to be a busy year for Koepka, who has to play at least 15 events to satisfy the terms of his reinstatement. After this week’s debut at the Farmers (where he has three missed cuts in four career starts), Koepka will also play this spring in the Phoenix Open, Cognizant Classic and The Players, if he doesn’t qualify for the signature events in California.
Koepka is coming off a year in which he missed the cut in three majors for the first time in his career and wasn’t a factor on LIV for the back half of the season. He closed out the year with consecutive top-15s on the DP World Tour and says he’s highly motivated to contend with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who have dominated the circuit since his departure four years ago.
“I’m excited to battle with them. I think that will be really fun,” Koepka said. “I want to play with those guys, see where I’m at and how I can get better.”
Koepka will play alongside Ludvig Åberg and Max Homa during the first two rounds at Torrey Pines.