Former PGA Tour member turned on-course broadcaster Johnson Wagner has claimed Brooks Koepka won’t be able to return to the North American circuit until 2027 at the earliest.
Koepka was among the first wave of players to be recruited by the PIF-backed league at the height of the golf wars in 2022.
It is understood Koepka – who was the first golfer to be associated with LIV to win a major championship – signed a five-year contract worth more than $100m.
There has been plenty of speculation whether the five-time major champion would entertain a return to the PGA Tour when his contract expires at the end of next season.
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Koepka previously acknowledged his decision to join LIV in the first place was made easier given his career was threatened with a serious knee injury.
But, after a dire season by his standards, does Koepka now envisage a different future?
For his part, Koepka has stayed mum on the subject and even lashed out at the reporting of the issue.
Brooks Koepka
Wagner told the Straight Facts Homie podcast he believes nothing will happen until 2027 at the earliest and players like Koepka would still have to serve a period of suspension.
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“I think there’s got to be a path for those guys to come back and play on the PGA Tour,” he said. “And I don’t know what that looks like.
“I’ve heard that 2027 is the earliest that anything can happen. I know a guy named Hudson Swafford, who was one of the first guys to go, a multiple, multiple winner on the PGA Tour.
“He got relegated from LIV, and the PGA Tour basically said, ‘You have a year suspension, you can come back and try to play in 2027,’ is what I’ve heard.
“So I think that is what we’re looking at as far as any sort of unity.”
Why Brooks Koepka may be tempted to return
Brooks Koepka has had a dreadful season by his lofty standards.
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The US golfer missed cuts at The Masters, PGA Championship and The Open.
He finished a respectable 12th at the US Open after he was read the riot act by his coach Peter Cowen but would’ve expected to be higher up the leaderboard.
Koepka’s season on LIV was also nothing to shout about, with his best finish a runner-up in Singapore.
Overall, Koepka finished 31st in LIV’s individual standings.
His struggles on the course led to Koepka admitting that his family and team probably didn’t enjoy his company.
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Brooks Koepka
“From the first weekend in April until last week you didn’t want to be around me,” Koepka said before the 2025 Masters.
“It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating. I had to apologise. I’ve apologised to Rick, Pete, Jeff, Blake, my wife, my son, everybody. I wouldn’t have wanted to be around me.”
Koepka may also welcome a return to the PGA Tour if it is true that LIV officials are no longer wanting to pay huge, up-front signing bonuses to recruits.
This may be different for Koepka, though, given his pull.
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The same can also be said for Bryson DeChambeau. Like Koepka, DeChambeau’s contract also expires next year.
DeChambeau told reporters that he was planning on sorting out his contract after the Ryder Cup.
He steadfast in his assessment that his future lies with LIV.
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