What Does Brooks Koepka Leaving LIV Really Mean?

Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf is a massive blow for the league, but it’s what he does next that will determine the long-term implications of his move.

Koepka told Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig that he will be leaving LIV Golf to “prioritize the needs of his family and staying closer to home.” His wife, Jena, suffered a miscarriage earlier this year, and Koepka’s statement said “he feels like this is the right moment to spend more time at home.”

That doesn’t sound like a player gung-ho on returning to the rigors of the PGA TOUR. Koepka, 35, is at something of a crossroads in his career—he’s just two-plus years removed from his latest major championship but is coming off a second-consecutive year without a major top 10 finish, a barren run of form that saw him miss the Ryder Cup after playing in four straight. He finished 34th in the LIV Golf standings. His contract on LIV extended through the 2026 season.

There have been widespread murmurs across the golf landscape that Koepka is dissatisfied with LIV Golf, and he himself admitted he likely wouldn’t have accepted the huge-money offer to join the league in 2022 had his health been in a better place. But there was no mention of his competitive future in his statement beyond ensuring fans he’s still committed to golf and he’ll update everyone soon.

Related: The Koepka-LIV News Threw Social Media Into a Frenzy

The elephant in the room here: Is this in preparation for a return to the PGA TOUR? The TOUR has required players to sit out for a full year after their last LIV Golf appearance before playing in a TOUR event. Koepka last competed on LIV Golf on Aug. 17, 2025.

Perhaps he could be planning to spend more time at home as he sits out the waiting period before returning to competition. That seems the most-likely scenario here, but it’s far from a certainty given the tone of Koepka’s statement.

All that said, losing a five-time major winning American is a significant blow to a league that has struggled to build any kind of foothold in the U.S., still by far the dominant market in world golf. LIV has announced a few signings this offseason—Laurie Canter and Victor Perez—and were rumored to be courting South Korean duo Sungjae Im and Si-Woo Kim before both quickly shot down rumors. LIV has not brought in a true superstar since Jon Rahm joined the circuit in December 2023 and brought Tyrrell Hatton along with him.

Time will tell as to whether this is the metaphorical opening of the floodgates that sees a number of players return to the PGA TOUR—or simply a player making another decision for his quality of life over his professional accomplishments. If it’s the former, it’s a watershed moment in this years-long saga, and a rather ominous sign for LIV.