Brooks Koepka has become the first high-profile player to leave LIV Golf, a move that could signal broader changes for the Saudi-backed league.
In an unexpected move, the PGA Tour agreed to let Koepka return right away, as long as he met certain conditions. One of those was a $5 million donation to charity.
This same arrangement was extended to Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith. And while DeChambeau is still weighing his options with his LIV contract nearing its end, all three have decided to stay put in 2026.
LIV has managed to weather this latest storm for now, but it has been a rough offseason overall. The league has not made any big signings and their talks with Si Woo Kim fell apart.
Koepka’s exit did not help matters either. And his decision came after something LIV said that pushed him over the edge, according to Rex Hoggard.
What LIV said to Brooks Koepka that made him want to rejoin the PGA Tour
Koepka never seemed fully sold on his move to LIV. Even early on, it looked like he had second thoughts about leaving the PGA Tour.
That is why Hoggard suggested this was not as damaging for LIV as it might appear. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav, he explained: “There was a conversation on Monday late in the afternoon between just some folks internally at the Golf Channel… I’m not going to name names, but one of those people felt like this this was a this was a body blow, a possible debilitating body blow for LIV Golf. I pushed back a little bit. And here’s why.
“As I pointed out, and everyone seems to know, we knew this was coming for a long time. Brooks was disgruntled almost really from the second he went over to LIV Golf. So, this was always going to be a possibility.
“It’s a blow. Trust me, this gives the tour leverage for the first time in a really long time in whatever the ongoing conversation is between the two sides. A true body blow would have been if one of the other three players, we’re talking about Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith, if they decided to jump ship.
“And I don’t think LIV Golf is giving up on those three as easily as they gave up on Brooks. According to one source I spoke to at LIV Golf, essentially, the conversation between Brooks and the governor of the Public Investment Fund was, ‘If you’re not happy, we don’t want you here,’ with one year left on his contract.
“So that was a pretty easy conversation for Brooks to walk away from. I don’t think it’s going to be that easy of a conversation for Jon Rahm or Bryson DeChambeau.”
LIV has always talked about giving players control over their own decisions. Koepka leaving without any real pushback seems consistent with that stance, though it remains to be seen how they would handle things if someone like DeChambeau decided he wanted out too.
What Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm said about staying in LIV Golf
Both DeChambeau and Rahm have confirmed their commitment to staying with LIV, but the optics were not great. At times, it looked as if the two were stuck rather than choosing to stay.
During a press conference with LIV’s team captains, DeChambeau was asked about his future and said: “I mean, look, I’m contracted through 2026, so excited about this year.”
That excitement was not exactly apparent.
The question then went to Rahm, who replied: “I’m not planning on going anywhere, so… very similar to the answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league, on my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again.”
Their responses do not exactly inspire much faith in their commitment to LIV beyond their contracts.
The Saudi-backed league will now hope these comments do not add more fuel to ongoing questions around its stability heading into next season.
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