PGA Tour reinstates Koepka, leaves door open for other LIV players to follow suit

Jan 12 : Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour after applying for reinstatement following his departure from LIV Golf, but his comeback comes with a potential $85 million price tag under a new program announced by the U.S.-based circuit on Monday.

Former world number one Koepka, who joined LIV in 2022, parted ways with the Saudi-funded circuit last month and applied for PGA Tour reinstatement after notifying officials "that his previous affiliation had concluded," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in an open letter to fans.

The "Returning Member Program" is only open to golfers who have won a major or The Players Championship since 2022 and comes with what Rolapp called "one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history."

That leaves Bryson DeChambeau (2024 U.S. Open), Spaniard Jon Rahm (2023 Masters) and Australian Cameron Smith (2022 British Open) as the only other LIV players who meet the PGA Tour's performance-based criteria for reinstatement under the program.

'CLOSER TO HOME'

Due to "strict limitations" that Koepka has agreed to, the five-time major winner faces a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour's Player Equity Program, representing an estimated $50-85 million loss depending on his performance and tour growth.

Koepka, one of a number of high-profile golfers who accepted lucrative signing bonuses to join LIV, also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution with recipients to be determined jointly with the PGA Tour.

"Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me," Koepka, 35, said on social media.

"I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that