The Sooner Brooks Is Back, the Louder the Statement

Pettiness is underrated. I’m not saying it should guide every decision you make, but in some cases, the high road should be left untraveled. This is one of those cases. The PGA TOUR should let Brooks Koepka back in—not out of forgiveness, but to make a point.

On Friday, ESPN reported that Brooks Koepka applied for reinstatement with the PGA TOUR less than a month after leaving LIV Golf. Now, does this mean we’ll see him yucking it up with his old buddies in a few weeks? Not if current protocols are left unchanged.

Non-members of the PGA TOUR who play in an “unauthorized event” are suspended for one year, starting from the participation date. Koepka’s final LIV appearance came in the middle of August, meaning, by the TOUR’s existing rules, we wouldn’t see him until the fall.

But if I had the ear of Brian Rolapp, I’d tell him to save a spot for Koepka in Phoenix and have his return kick off in front of the loudest, most TOUR-loyal crowd golf has left. But probably not for the reasons you’re thinking.

Koepka is a five-time major champion. His name has become synonymous with the best players of his generation. And one day, he’ll join the likes of legends in the World Golf Hall of Fame. But those simple facts aren’t the only reasons the move would earn my stamp of approval. I’d do it to send a message. A message to the folks on the other side of golf’s proverbial aisle. (Other than this fine work.)

One of the best players of the last decade tried your but-louder experiment, and now he wants to come home.

History matters. Venues matter. Eyeballs matter.

There’s one place in this game where all three of those boxes are checked, and it’s not The Shark’s brainchild. I believe Koepka always knew that and merely took the ridiculous payday when the threat of an injury-shortened career presented itself, but now healthy and one major championship richer, Koepka wants back on golf’s grandest stage.

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A quick return would not only be a not-so-subtle gesture toward the deserters who dismantled the game a half-decade ago, it would also be a sign of salvation for other stars sick of playing under the colors of a cheesy ClipArt character.

Koepka isn't like the pedestrian signings LIV has been settling for since Jon Rahm joined at the end 2023. He isn't roster-filler. When he's right, Koepka's one of the closest things we've seen to Tiger Woods in terms of killer-instinct at majors, the ones used as foundation for legacy.

He's the exact player you want representing your tour when it's time to play capital-G golf.

According to Golf Digest, Rolapp will make the ruling on Koepka’s application with guidance from the Future Competition Committee and the Policy Board. Tiger Woods, the FCC chairman, will no doubt be involved in the process.

If I were in that room, my reasoning would be simple: let Koepka’s return symbolize LIV’s failure to retain one of golf’s best and a warning for the potential mass exodus to come.

Let Koepka’s return do what lawsuits and press releases never could: turn LIV from a threat into a cautionary tale.