‘Hurt of lot of people’: Why Brooks Koepka is ‘nervous’ for PGA Tour return

Monday afternoon, news broke that Brooks Koepka would officially rejoin the PGA Tour. The former LIV Golf pro and five-time major champion agreed to steep financial repercussions conceived by the PGA Tour to make it happen.

While Koepka released a staid statement on social media regarding his return, the question remained when Koepka would agree to a real interview where he provided more unvarnished thoughts on the ordeal.

It turns out that interview came a lot sooner than expected. In a story published Monday evening, Koepka spoke at length with Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press.

And thanks to that interview (which you can read here), for the first time we have a more direct window into Koepka’s rationale for returning to the Tour, his view on the financial penalties demanded by the Tour and his expectation for a mixed reaction from fellow PGA Tour players both “hurt” by his decision to join LIV Golf and “angry” about his return.

Koepka on PGA Tour return: ‘Definitely guys who will be angry’

While Koepka touched on different aspects of his controversial PGA Tour return in his AP interview, many of his comments focused on one subject: the reception he expects to receive from other PGA Tour pros at his first few events.

Koepka struck a realistic and conciliatory tone and admitted that he expects a mixed reaction.

“There’s definitely guys who are happy, and definitely guys who will be angry,” Koepka told the AP.

But Koepka also revealed that he sees it as his responsibility to try and to talk to any player “hurt” by his original decision to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.

“If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships.”

He expects some of those difficult conversations to happen at his first start, which will be the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open at the end of January.

Koepka even detailed what he expects that first week to be like, one that has him feeling both “excited” and “nervous.”

“There’s a lot going on than just golf. I’ll be glad to put the first week behind me — dealing with the media, dealing with the players, and then getting some of those tougher conversations. But I’m looking forward to it.”

Koepka says ‘harsh’ financial penalties ‘meant to hurt’

The path back to the PGA Tour, for Koepka at least, was paved by the newly-created Returning Player Program.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp admitted that the idea for the program, announced at the same time as Koepka’s return on Monday, was directly connected to Koepka’s decision to leave LIV and apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour in December. It was designed to give Koepka and a few other high-profile LIV players — Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith — a temporary path back to the Tour.

Any player who takes the deal will be hit with the same financial penalties agreed to by Koepka. From a $5 million charitable donation, to exclusion from 2026 FedEx Cup bonuses and Tour equity for five years, the Tour estimates Koepka’s potential lost earnings could reach $100 million.

Interestingly, in his AP interview Koepka shared his belief that the “harsh” financial penalties he received are meant to reflect the “hurt” he caused by leaving the PGA Tour.

“It’s a harsh punishment financially. I understand exactly why the Tour did that — it’s meant to hurt. But it (his departure) hurt a lot of people,” Koepka told the AP

He also revealed there was “no negotiating” when the Tour presented the plan to him, which he accepted.

“It’s meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It’s not supposed to be an easy path. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that’s part of coming back,” Koepka said.

You can read Koepka’s more extensive comments, as well as Jordan Spieth’s thoughts on Koepka’s return, in Ferguson’s full AP interview here.