'There Was No Negotiating' - Brooks Koepka Understands 'Harsh' Punishment For Accepting Instant PGA Tour Return

When Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour was confirmed on Monday, there were a handful of important caveats included as part of the deal.

Number one, Koepka will not receive any money from the FedEx Cup bonus pool in 2026, no matter how well he plays.

Number two, the five-time Major winner is not able to join the Player Equity Program for the next five years (2026-2030), which will see him miss out on between $50 million and $85 million in potential equity earnings, according to the PGA Tour.

Thirdly, he has agreed to make a $5 million charitable donation to recipients determined by Koepka and the PGA Tour. Finally, Koepka will also not be able to claim a sponsor's exemption into any of the $20 million Signature events.

The 35-year-old's pocket could have been hit even harder in recent weeks after he chose to cut short his LIV Golf contract by a year - a deal which Koepka admitted in 2023 to be valued at over $100 million.

Nevertheless, Koepka has admitted he was keen to do whatever it took to return to a tour he grew up dreaming of playing on.

And as for the multi-million dollar punishments handed to him, Koepka admitted he understands the PGA Tour's point of view.

Speaking to the Associated Press by telephone, Koepka said: "It’s a harsh punishment financially. I understand exactly why the tour did that - it’s meant to hurt.

"But it (his departure) hurt a lot of people. If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships."

After announcing he was leaving LIV Golf on December 23, the AP reported that Koepka took some time at home before speaking over the phone with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp last Thursday evening.

He then travelled to the PGA Tour's Sawgrass headquarters on Friday morning and arrived through a side entrance to complete his comeback. The PGA Tour Enterprises board, which is primarily made up of current tour pros, signed off on the deal.

Regarding his conversation with Rolapp last week, Koepka said: “There was no negotiating.

“It’s meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It’s not supposed to be an easy path. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that’s part of coming back.”

Now that Koepka's future is sorted, he will tee it up for the first time this season at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines later this month. Until then, the Florida-born pro admits he will sit with a sense of anxiety over how his peers might treat him.

He continued: “I’ve got a lot of work to do with some of the players. There’s definitely guys who are happy, and definitely guys who will be angry.

“The first week I’ll be a little bit nervous. There’s a lot going on than just golf. I’ll be glad to put the first week behind me - dealing with the media, dealing with the players, and then getting some of those tougher conversations. But I’m looking forward to it.

“Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Yes. In a weird way, I want to have those conversations.

"There’s probably a mixed bag of, ‘We’re happy you’re back, welcome home’ to ‘You shouldn’t be here.’ I understand everybody’s point of view. I was going to be sitting out possibly a year, and I’m extremely thankful the tour gave me this opportunity.”

Also speaking to the AP, Jordan Spieth stated he just wants Koepka to be himself and suggested time - plus great play from the nine-time PGA Tour winner - will heal the old wounds.

Spieth said: “You’re not going to ask somebody to change to please other people.

“I don’t think he needs to play Monday pro-ams or walk along the range and shake everyone’s and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ He just comes back and plays really good golf. That’s good for everybody.”