The Two PGA Tour Pros Only Playing In The Farmers Insurance Open Due To Brooks Koepka

When Brooks Koepka's immediate PGA Tour return was confirmed via the Returning Member Program, one key detail ensured that no current members would suffer or lose out.

The new scheme saw Koepka return instantly and face multiple sanctions, including not being allowed entry to the Player Equity Program for five years, no sponsor's invites to Signature Events and a $5m charitable donation.

Another aspect was that any tournament he would enter would suddenly have an odd number of players, with fields currently made to ensure players can tee it up in three-balls.

So to combat that, and make Koepka's return more palatable to the membership, fields he is playing in this year will be increased where necessary to ensure three-balls can play in every tee time.

At this week's Farmers Insurance Open, where the five-time Major winner makes his first PGA Tour start in almost four years, two additional players have been added to the field thanks to Koepka's addition.

They are Lanto Griffin and Jackson Suber, the PGA Tour confirmed in a field update.

"With Brooks Koepka added to the field via the Returning Member Program (145 players), the field was officially expanded to 147 players at noon PT Monday to round out threesomes," the tour said.

Griffin, winner of the 2019 Houston Open, finished 125th in the FedEx Cup Fall rankings while Suber ended 124th. Both men were set to miss the event at Torrey Pines this week, having been on the alternates list, so will surely be giving Brooks Koepka a friendly welcome back on the driving range.

PGA Tour board member Tiger Woods was influential in writing the Returning Member Program that ensured Koepka's swift return. He recently discussed it following a TGL match and said "one of the big concerns" was that the former World No.1 did not take any player's spot in a field.

"This plan was created for a very select few players that met the criteria. You know the names. As far as his integration, he has the right, I think, in our sport, with our meritocracy that we have on the PGA Tour, that he has the right to earn his way into Signature Events, and if he plays well enough, he has a chance to earn his way into the playoffs," Woods said of Koepka's return.

"But he's not going to get the bonus pool from that. But he has a chance to earn his way into those fields.

"Plus on top of that, he's not taking a spot away from any player. That was one of the main concerns and one of the big things that myself and the other player directors demanded, that that was never going to be the case.

"He's an additive, and then on top of that, to fill out the group, or if it happens to be in the summer where it's twosomes or if it happens to be threesomes, there's two more players that could get in.

"The alternate list, I think they're going to be impacted getting in one or two more events, which is a positive thing, and on top of that, we get a probably top-3-of-his-generation player back that went to another tour, played over there, and was adamant about coming back here and got out early to come back.

"That says a lot about the PGA Tour, where we're headed, what we have done, what we accomplished and the players who have stayed and who have supported the Tour.

"Having another world-class player that these guys are going to try and beat, that's what the fans demanded. That's what the fans wanted for our fan initiative program, and I think we've addressed that."

Koepka is playing in a featured group this week in San Diego, where he is paired with Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa.