Only 4 LIV Golfers Would Actually Strengthen The PGA Tour... And Brooks Koepka Isn't One Of Them

Hype has been building since Brooks Koepka successfully applied to rejoin the PGA Tour earlier this month, but with his return imminent I am unconvinced that having the five-time Major winner back will actually strengthen the tour's position.

Brooks Koepka is in the field for the Farmers Insurance Open this week, marking a first PGA Tour start since 2022, and he will no doubt be looking to shake off what has been a pretty uninspiring end to his LIV Golf career.

Nobody can question his credentials, as a former Major winner who has also won four times on the PGA Tour, but he has recently slipped off the radar following his fast start on the Saudi-backed league.

Five wins in his first three seasons suggested he would once again dominate, but 2025 did not follow that script and I am concerned about Brooks Koepka's transition back to the PGA Tour.

In the end, the former US Ryder Cup player struggled to a bottom half finish in the individual standings, ranking 31st out of just 61 players, which feels like a sharp fall from grace for the former World No.1.

He ended up being the only player to take the PGA Tour's returning member offer, but I would argue that only four golfers could actually strengthen their product... and Brooks Koepka isn't one of them.

Brooks Koepka Return Does Not Strengthen PGA Tour

I need to caveat my rather strong position on Koepka's return by saying I actually think an in-form Koepka, who is competing regularly at the highest level, is great for the game and I admire him tremendously for his achievements.

But sadly, for one reason or another, we aren't in that position - and we need to be realistic rather than romantic.

The Brooks Koepka that's returning this week is not the same Koepka that left the PGA Tour years ago, so I would caution those fuelling the hype to temper expectations.

In Koepka's press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open, he said that his family circumstances were a factor in his decision to return to the PGA Tour, which is completely understandable and I respect his reasons for pursuing the switch.

This might be the right move for Brooks right now, which is why I wish him all the best, but I am not sure it's as positive for the PGA Tour.

You may think I'm being harsh, pessimistic or way off the mark here, but that's my honestly held belief.

If you disagree, or want to have your say on the matter, let's debate it. Leave me a comment in the box at the bottom of this article and I'll get back to you.

He might make me look foolish by coming back out and winning straight away, and I truly hope he does well, but based on his performances over the last 12 months I believe that he isn't the shrewd acquisition that some are suggesting.

Had Bryson DeChambeau or Jon Rahm chosen to return to the PGA Tour, instead of rejecting the returning member program, it would have been a true cause for celebration and a beacon of hope for the reunification of men's professional golf - but I feel pretty ambivalent about reinstating Brooks to the roster.

Despite not receiving an olive branch from the PGA Tour, my other top picks to poach from LIV Golf ahead of Koepka would have been Joaquin Niemann or Tyrrell Hatton, as I believe they both have the winning upside to compete week-in-week-out at this level and genuinely improve the strength of any field.

Niemann accumulated five LIV Golf wins last season alone, while Hatton collected an impressive win in Dubai (DP World Tour) alongside a strong charge at the US Open.

The stocks of the pair appear to be rising rather than, in Koepka's case, falling - so I am disappointed that there wasn't an avenue for players like Niemann and Hatton to return as part of the offer presented to DeChambeau, Rahm, Koepka and Smith.

Outside of those four names, I would have been pretty content to pull up the drawbridge and get on with our lives, following the 'new order' in world golf, which is why you won't hear me even entertain the notion of a Cam Smith comeback.

Something that I found to be an interesting barometer when initially consider my position on this matter was Major performances.

Brooks Koepka is without a top-10 finish in any Major in his last nine attempts, with the closest being a T12 in the 2025 US Open, while Rahm (4) and DeChambeau (6) have competed on a Major stage consistently, with multiple top-10s since moving to LIV Golf.

When writing my Farmers Insurance Open betting tips I had a cursory scout for Koepka's odds to win, which were unsurprisingly found further down the board at around +5000, but to be honest I feel even that price lacks value.

I fear that the potential for stronger fields, a busier schedule and essentially more players to beat just to make the cut each week could lead to a long settling in period for Brooks Koepka, but I would be happy to be proven wrong.

The fact that Brooks Koepka has more Major wins than PGA Tour titles also says plenty about his mindset towards your typical tour schedule events.

He has previously admitted that he struggles to focus in regular tour events in the same way as Majors, but perhaps things are about to change with this new opportunity on the horizon.

Injuries have also impacted his career, which raises questions about how well he will cope with the demands of PGA Tour golf in comparison to less frequent 54-hole tournaments on LIV.

Koepka has shown flashes in recent DP World Tour outings, finishing 4th in France and tied for 15th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but this is a big step up and I'm not sure the PGA Tour accepting him back is the right move.