Brooks Koepka, when asked Tuesday about the ongoing PGA Tour-LIV fight, answered each question in a manner that would make a swing coach proud.
He was consistent.
When it came to “politics” during a press conference two days ahead of Koepka’s first PGA Tour start since the announcement earlier this month that he was rejoining the circuit he left for a four-season stint with LIV, Koepka didn’t part with much.
Reporter: Should the PGA Tour invite back more players from LIV?
Koepka: “I’m two days back into this. I’m not trying to get into the politics of it all. I’m just happy that I have this opportunity and I need to take advantage of it. That’s all I’m really focused on and going back and playing golf.”
Reporter: Can the PGA Tour and LIV battle be settled?
Koepka: “I have no clue. I’ve not been a part of the conversations on either side. It’s out of my hands and my job is to go play golf and tee it up on Thursday.”
On Dec. 23, LIV and Koepka announced that he was exiting the league he joined in 2022 — and on Jan. 12, the PGA Tour said Koepka was returning via the newly created “Returning Member Program,” a policy that’s also open to three other LIV players (Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith) through their major championship wins over the past four years.
On Tuesday, Koepka said his family life was one of the biggest factors in his decision. And that was part of his response when he was asked whether anyone on LIV had reached out to him to discuss his return process.
“Nobody’s picked my brain,” Koepka said. “I’ve got a few text messages from guys that are still on LIV, they’re reaching out. I think they understood the situation for what we were going through with my family, whether the wives have communication there. So I think everybody fully understands the situation that we were in maybe more than everybody else. I don’t know how much has been actually publicized.
“Yeah, they understood that and they just wished me the best and to always do what’s best for you.”
Those players, he said, will also be what he misses most about LIV.
“I think maybe just being around the guys, right, because we’re not — everybody’s not around each other all the time,” Koepka said. “We’re all one big traveling circus, right? That’s kind of what it is. It’s fun and I’m going to miss some of those guys, seeing those guys pretty much week to week out there. The relationships I’ve built with those guys and not seeing them all the time, that will be quite different.
“But at the same time, there’s a lot of people out here that I haven’t seen in four years and I haven’t got to be around them as much, so I’m excited for that as well.”
Koepka also was asked about his recent swoon in the majors — and whether LIV’s schedule played a role in that.
Since 2023, LIV has played 14 events per year. Here are Koepka’s major finishes over that stretch:
–2023: tied for second (Masters), first (PGA Championship, his fifth major title), tied for 17th (U.S. Open), tied for 64th (Open Championship)
–2024: tied for 45th (Masters), tied for 26th (PGA Championship), tied for 26th (U.S. Open), tied for 43rd (Open Championship)
“It doesn’t matter, preparation,” Koepka said. “If you don’t play well those weeks, I mean, it’s tough to, No. 1, make a cut in a major, and then to win one is extremely difficult. Everything’s kind of got to go your way, bounces have to be right, you have to have some luck.
“If you’re just not playing — I mean, I just didn’t play good last year. I don’t think, maybe the end of ’24, just wasn’t playing that great. So it’s tough to — I’m not going to put an excuse on anything else other than I’m the one holding the club, I’m the one who’s got to execute everything and I just didn’t do a good enough job.”
