Brooks Koepka reinstated by PGA Tour through 'Returning Member Program,' set to play Farmers Insurance Open

Less than one month after departing LIV Golf following four years with the league, Brooks Koepka has been reinstated by the PGA Tour to play tournaments in 2026. Under the new Returning Member Program, which formally opened Monday following approval from the PGA Tour's Board of Directors, Koepka's return to the PGA Tour has become official.

The five-time major champion is scheduled to start his season on Jan. 29 at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he will also play the WM Phoenix Open the following week.

"When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA Tour. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me," Koepka said in a statement. "I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake. I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those."

Under the Returning Member Program, players who are considered elite due to their performance can take an alternative path back to the PGA Tour rather than serve a suspension. Golfers who have won The Players Championship, Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or The Open Championship during the 2022-25 seasons are eligible to return to the PGA Tour under this program if contractual limitations preventing them from complying with PGA Tour rules and regulations no longer exist.

The program was created as a response to Koepka's unique situation as he departed LIV Golf on Dec. 23, 2025, and formally applied for reinstatement. It is not an indication of what the PGA Tour may decide in the future if additional players wish to return.

As a condition of reinstatement through this program, returning members become ineligible to earn payouts from the Player Equity Program for five years (2026-30), and they will not receive payments from the FedEx Cup bonus program in the 2026 season.

The PGA Tour estimates that Koepka will miss out on $50 million to $85 million in potential earnings. He will also make a $5 million charitable donation at the request of the PGA Tour. In a letter to its membership, the PGA Tour called the potential missed earnings "one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history." It also stated that fields would be expanded to include Koepka so that no one would be denied an opportunity to play.

In order to compete in signature events, returning members need to play their way in through qualifying methods, such as the Aon Next 10, Aon Swing 5, winning a tournament in the current year and/or residing inside the top 30 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Returning members are not eligible for sponsor exemptions into signature events.

The PGA Tour decided that creating the Returning Member Program was a necessary pathway to ensure the game's elite performers had a way to compete without delay while simultaneously ensuring there was a level of restitution that created fairness for members who never departed the organization, CBS Sports has learned.

Players who meet the elite criteria may apply for reinstatement through Feb. 2.

Based on the aforementioned criteria, the only other golfers eligible for reinstatement would be Bryson DeChambeau (winner of the U.S. Open in 2024), Jon Rahm (winner of the 2023 Masters) and Cameron Smith (winners of The Open and The Players in 2022).

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addressed the decision in an open letter to fans, citing his primary focus on creating the best and most competitive version of the tour possible.

"We will continue to aggressively pursue anything that enhances the fan experience and makes the PGA Tour stronger," he wrote. "This is part of our commitment to fans, who expect the world's best players to compete on the PGA Tour week in and week out."