As a player director on the PGA Tour board, Tiger Woods played a pivotal role in Brooks Koepka regaining his membership after leaving LIV Golf…
Tiger Woods has hailed Brooks Koepka’s return from LIV Golf to the PGA Tour as a major victory for his circuit.
Speaking a day after the PGA Tour confirmed Koepka could return under a new Returning Member Program, Woods said the news is “incredible for the fans”.
As Chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee and a member of both the Policy and Enterprise boards, Woods has helped new CEO Brian Rolapp shape the stipulations and punishments attached to the reinstatement of Koepka’s membership.
Koepka, who walked out on his LIV contract a year early just before Christmas, will receive a $5 million fine and won’t be allowed to earn any FedEx Cup bonus money or to accept sponsor invites to Signature Events this year. He is also unable to access the equity in the new PGA Tour Enterprises for five years.
Despite such penalties, this program crucially focuses entirely on welcoming LIV’s very best talent back to the PGA Tour. Only the stars who have won the Players Championship or a major since 2022 are eligible to return, meaning Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith have also been offered a pathway back.
Woods is clearly delighted with these developments. He spoke at length about the arduous boardroom process that led to Koepka’s return.
“We received [Koepka’s] letter on December 23 that he wants to come back,” Woods explained here at the SoFi Center, where he watched his Jupiter Links team defeated on their 2026 TGL debut.
“He wrote to the commissioner and Brian. We took that letter and then took it to both boards and tried to implement a plan that would be fair and adequate, that justifies Brooks’ time away from our tour, the penalties served, the fines if necessary, what the integration would look like on our tour, and obviously the bonus payouts, yes or no.
“We had lots of subsequent meetings, worked through the holidays. There were no days off. We just worked through it day after day after day, and we came out with a plan that we unveiled.
“Yes, we’re not going to satisfy every player. 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 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. 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.
“We get a probably top-three-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.”
DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith have since all confirmed they will not be taking up the 2026 PGA Tour membership offer before a strict deadline of February 2, but Koepka’s move is still seen as a potentially significant moment in golf’s long civil war.
Woods was then asked if he would make direct contact with any of the other three eligible stars in a bid to persuade them to follow in Koepka’s footsteps.
“Actually, the CEO is Brian,” he replied, “so they need to talk to Brian, need to write a letter to Jay and Brian to get the ball rolling.”
Meanwhile, Woods was seen hitting chip shots during the practice here in Florida, but he says he’s still a long way away from playing again at a competitive level.
“I’m moving up to short irons, that’s about it,” he said. “I need a little bit more to play [in TGL]. But I’m progressing, I’m getting stronger. It’s just one of those things where it takes so much time for the bone to heal.”