Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm handed firm deadline as Brooks Koepka’s $90m penalty secures PGA Tour return

The PGA Tour has welcomed back a familiar face.

Just five weeks after leaving LIV Golf, Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour under a one-time elite player program, facing a financial penalty that could be one of the largest in sports.

Koepka intends to restart his PGA Tour career at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines later this month.

However, he faces several restrictions: he won’t be eligible for PGA Tour equity grants for the next five years, will be ineligible for the $100 million FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026, and cannot enter signature events without qualifying.

The upfront cost includes a $5 million charitable contribution, to be determined in collaboration with the Tour.

The financial consequences, including no equity grants or FedEx Cup bonus money this year, could cost another $50-85 million, according to Tour estimates.

A heavy and costly hit for one of the game’s greats.

Brian Rolapp, CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, detailed the terms of Brooks Koepka’s agreement and the “Returning Member Program” in a memo to players on Monday.

“This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations,” Rolapp wrote. “Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”

The Returning Member Program allows LIV golfers who’ve been away from the PGA Tour for at least two years and won the Players Championship or a major since 2022 to return under specific conditions while facing hefty financial penalties.

Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith are also eligible with a February 2 deadline for their decisions.

The PGA Tour’s board of directors, which includes Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott, and others, approved the Returning Member Program last week.

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Koepka applied for reinstatement the following day and met in person with Rolapp at PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Following his reinstatement to the PGA Tour, Koepka issued a statement on social media.

“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,” Koepka said.

“Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me. 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.”

Koepka, 35, last played on the PGA Tour when he tied for 12th at the Valspar Championship on March 22, 2022.

A nine-time Tour winner, he remains eligible to compete in all four majors this season thanks to his five-year exemption for winning the 2023 PGA Championship.

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When Koepka defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022, he didn’t mince words, famously telling boxer Jake Paul on a podcast, “I signed for the dough.”

That “dough” turned out to be a staggering $100 million to $130 million signing bonus, a sum that immediately eclipsed his entire decade of work on the PGA Tour, which was nearly $48 million in prize money.

Beyond the contract, Koepka’s dominance on the LIV stage remained sharp. Between 2022 and late 2025, he secured five individual titles, pushing his total on-course earnings with the league to approximately $46.4 million.

Safe to say, Koepka isn’t worried about the cost of coming back to the PGA Tour.