Brooks Koepka’s possible PGA Tour return should come with penalty, pundit says
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Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf, years after becoming one of the prominent faces of the league of renegades, sent shockwaves through the sport this week.
Koepka played in the LIV Golf series for more than three seasons, winning five events during that time and taking home the PGA Championship in 2023.
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Smash GC’s Brooks Koepka tees off from the third tee during the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship quarterfinals at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort on Aug. 22, 2025. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)
Golf commentator Brandel Chamblee offered his two cents on Friday to fans screaming for Koepka to return to the PGA Tour, writing in a post on X that he disagreed with the idea.
“I totally disagree with this,” he wrote. “Allowing Brooks Koepka to return to the PGA Tour without facing any consequences would undermine the meritocratic foundations that legitimize the PGA Tour — not because of who he is, but because of his signal return.”
Chamblee said there should be some kind of punishment against Koepka or anyone who participated in the Saudi Arabian government-backed league.
“LIV not only offered an alternative league, it fragmented fields, diluted the meaning of competition, triggered legal battles, undermined sponsorship stability and forced structural change throughout professional golf,” he continued. “Koepka was not a passive spectator, he was a legitimizer of a marquee.
“You can’t punish him for his influence, but you can’t pretend his influence didn’t matter. His credibility made LIV viable, his reputation normalized defection, and his success (especially after joining LIV) confirmed that disruption.”
Brooks Koepka of the United States greets the crowd on the 5th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
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Chamblee suggested a penalty would be sufficient and reintegration into the PGA Tour would be the route officials should take.
“A punishment is an acknowledgment of a choice rather than a punishment, and the outcome does not need to be punitive to be meaningful,” he added. “He may be eligible to rejoin the PGA Tour (his 5-year exemption from winning the PGA Championship may apply for majors, but not the PGA Tour).
“He could have been suspended for limited season eligibility and/or prior contract violations. Players who remained on the PGA Tour paid the price. They had to stomach uncertainty, play on weaker courses, shoulder reputational risk and assume greater responsibility for preserving the continuity of the tour.”
Ultimately, Chamblee wrote, the suspension won’t be about punishing anyone, but instead will have consequences for sending a ripple effect through the sport and preserving the PGA Tour.
“It’s about whether the PGA Tour believes the commitments mean anything. If elite players can destabilize the system, take guaranteed money, and then immediately bounce back because they’re popular or successful, the message is that the rules only apply to the expendable,” Chamblee wrote.
“If excellence alone erases results, the PGA Tour ceases to be a meritocracy and becomes a market of convenience. Great players certainly deserve respect, but institutions deserve protection.”
Brooks Koepka hits a shot from a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 13, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf said Koepka is leaving the series to “prioritize his family’s needs and be closer to home.”
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