Hideki Matsuyama’s Take on Brooks Koepka’s Return Raises a Bigger LIV Question

Hideki Matsuyama’s recent comments on Brooks Koepka’s PGA TOUR return aren’t really about one player. They’re about something that’s been quietly simmering since LIV reshaped professional golf: what loyalty is actually worth—and who ends up paying for it.

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Back in 2022, Matsuyama was among the biggest names LIV Golf aggressively pursued. Greg Norman openly courted the globally popular Masters champion, with reported offers stretching into nine figures. The decision would’ve been easy financially. Instead, Hideki stayed.

“I’m a member of the PGA TOUR, never been prouder,” Matsuyama said at the time. “I’m fully committed.”

That choice mattered, especially coming from a player whose impact reaches far beyond the TOUR. Matsuyama isn’t just a major champion. He’s the first Japanese golfer to win the Masters, a global icon who helped open the sport to an entire generation of fans across Asia. His legacy isn’t hypothetical, it’s already cemented.

Which is why his reaction to Koepka’s eligibility under the PGA TOUR’s Returning Members Program lands differently.

“I think it’s pretty amazing that Brooks had the courage to make that decision,” Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan, as reported by Today’s Golfer. “But I’m puzzled that the PGA Tour didn’t explain anything to the players. At the very least, I didn’t know that such a rule was in place.”

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That confusion cuts to the heart of the issue. Matsuyama isn’t asking for punishment. He’s asking for clarity—especially after years of players being told, explicitly, that defecting to LIV came with real consequences.

Now, Koepka's return to the TOUR isn't coming without consequences. The RMP makes players exempt from the Player Equity Program through 2030. The program was established in 2024 to reaffirm what loyalty to the PGA TOUR means and give the players a larger sense of ownership in the successes of the TOUR.

This year the program expanded to more directly reward players for their performance by awarding recurring equity grants to the top 50 players in the 2026 FedEx standings through the 2026 BMW Championship. The TOUR reported earlier this month that there is nearly $1 billion in granted equity to its already 200-some equity holders on TOUR. Matsuyama is currently ranked 31st in FedEx standings, well within the top-50 threshold.

Matsuyama doubled down on the confusion around non-monetary consequences, asking: “What happened to the rule that players who participated in LIV were not allowed to compete for a year?”

For someone who turned down generational money to protect his legacy—and the TOUR’s—it’s a fair question. And it’s one that may resonate with others who made the same bet.

Matsuyama made these comments before the news about Patrick Reed returning to the PGA TOUR broke, which may provide a touch more clarity (and comfort) going forward as those returning to the TOUR will have to sit out year-long penalties before being able to compete.

Despite nine wins on the PGA TOUR and OWGR ranking of 29, Reed is not eligible for the Returning Member Program. He won the Masters in 2018, the cutoff for the program is 2022 so Reed will need to sit out a full year from sanctioned TOUR events. He'll return as a non-member August 25, 2026—a year after his last LIV appearance. Reed will be able to compete in fall events on TOUR if he qualifies or receives a sponsor exemption. Reed will be eligible to reinstate his PGA TOUR membership in 2027 and play out of the past champion category.

Similarly, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford both reinstated their memberships in January 2026 and are eligible to return to PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition on January 1, 2027. Kevin Na's return date has not been announced but he last teed it up on LIV in August with Reed and will likely sit out similarly.

This moment isn’t just about governance. It’s about trust. About whether players who chose principle over payday are now being asked to quietly absorb the cost of that decision or if players like Matsuyama will accept that the punishments are sufficient. Once that door opens, it doesn’t just invite confusion, it invites doubt.

For a player who stood firm when lucrative money was dangled and stayed loyal through the sport’s most disruptive chapter, Matsuyama’s message is blunt: it’s not about punishment or forgiveness—it’s about transparency. And things are starting to clear up just in time for the 2026 season gets underway.

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*This page was first published on January 28, 2026 at 10:28 AM. Last updated January 28, 2026 at 12:15 PM to reflect updated eligibility news and penalties on returning LIV players: Patrick Reed, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford.