Brooks Koepka is toeing the company line for now when it comes to a potential return to the PGA Tour.
Months before the announcement of a framework agreement for a new partnership between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund, there were rumors that Koepka had regrets about leaving for LIV Golf.
He of LIV’s Smash GC team then finished second at the Masters and won the PGA Championship days before the bombshell announcement of a framework agreement for a new partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
In making the announcement, commissioner Jay Monahan said there will be “pathways” back to the PGA Tour for LIV players, but what that entails is one of many major points yet to be hammered out.
Koepka’s name quickly surfaced as one of the marquee LIV players still in the prime of their careers who may be interested in a return, but the Smash GC captain was noncommittal when asked about his future ahead of this week’s event in Spain.
“I’ve been pretty happy with my decision to be here at LIV. I’ve enjoyed it,” he said Wednesday. “I’m not going to speak for everybody else, but I would say everybody is pretty excited, and everybody is pretty happy with where they’re at right now.
“It’s tough to look into the future and say — I don’t have any control over what other guys do — but I know I’m happy where I’m at right now, and just take it one day at a time.”
In addition to the 14 LIV events on the 2023 schedule, many of the league’s top players will compete in the four majors along with a handful of other events around the world. The amount of golf is comparable to when they were on the PGA Tour, but Koepka believes LIV’s schedule has contributed to his success in this year’s majors.
“I think you can see the way the schedule has played out how everyone has played in majors,” he said. “Phil (Mickelson) second, I got second at the Masters. Good showing by a bunch of LIV guys at the PGA, and then the U.S. Open, as well.
“I think the schedule has been fantastic. It’s definitely helped us in the preparation for the majors.”
Dustin Johnson, captain of the 4Aces, said his schedule hasn’t differed much since joining LIV. He said earlier this month that future chairman of LIV-PGA Tour Yasir Al-Rumayyan assured him LIV is moving forward with its 2024 schedule, and Johnson has no plans at this point to return to the PGA Tour.
“I’m happy exactly where I am, and I’m definitely not looking to play more golf than I’m playing now, that’s for sure,” he said.
In typical Mickelson fashion, he had the boldest comments about his future plans in professional golf. Despite playing more golf at 53 years old than he envisioned, the HyFlyers GC captain continues to enjoy the schedule.
“I know that from a player experience, all of the difficulties and challenges and things that take a lot of excessive energy and output throughout the week have been fixed at LIV. So the player experience here is incredible,” he said.
“I just can’t envision a better scenario for me as a player than playing out here on LIV.”
LIV will play in London next week ahead of a short break before the Open Championship. Following the final major of the year, much of the global golf attention will turn to the Ryder Cup in September.
As of now, no LIV players are expected to be on European captain Luke Donald’s team following their resignations from the DP World Tour. United States team captain Zach Johnson has been quieter on the subject.
Zach Johnson has previously said that LIV players would not be eligible for the team after leaving the PGA Tour, but whether that stance softens with the framework agreement in place remains to be seen.
The teams for the September event in Rome will be finalized in August. Koepka is currently third in the U.S. team standings and would typically be in position to earn an automatic spot, while Dustin Johnson would seem a likely choice for a captain’s pick.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Koepka said when asked about the Ryder Cup. “Hopefully there’s a couple guys from LIV that are playing the Ryder Cup here in three months, so we’ll see.”
–Field Level Media