Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka leaves LIV Golf, a blow for the breakaway league.
Koepka announced his departure Tuesday following the conclusion of the 2025 season via a statement released by his management through the Saudi-backed league.
“Brooks Koepka will retire from LIV Golf…Family has always guided Brooks’ decisions, and he feels this is the right time to spend more time at home,” the statement said.
The 35-year-old, who signed with LIV in 2022 and reportedly has one year remaining on his contract, did not share his immediate plans for his competitive future.
Koepka has won five LIV Golf events in four seasons, fraught with ups and downs. When he won the 2023 PGA Championship after spending most of his days playing in LIV’s relatively non-competitive environment that included 54-hole tournaments with no cuts, it gave LIV a big credibility boost.
On the other hand, Koepka has at times expressed frustration with his situation – making it seem like the 2017 and 2018 US Open champion and 2018, 2019 and 2023 US PGA Championship winner was marking time.
“I have a contractual obligation to fulfill, and then we’ll see what happens,” he said at a LIV event.
Koepka won nine PGA Tour events during his nine seasons on tour and was also a two-time runner-up at the Masters.
While Koepka can participate in all four major tournaments next year thanks to his 2023 PGA Championship victorythe PGA Tour requires LIV exiles to sit out a year after their last LIV tournament.
His last appearance was on August 24 at the LIV Golf Michigan one-day event.
The PGA Tour could offer an exemption, but also chose not to give any guidance in its statement.
“Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional and we wish him and his family continued success. The PGA Tour continues to provide the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment for top professional golfers to pursue excellence.”
LIV Golf announced that Talor Gooch will replace Koepka as captain of the four-player Smash GC LIV Golf team.
“We appreciate the significant impact he has had on the game and wish him continued success, both on and off the course,” LIV Golf Managing Director Scott O’Neill said in a statement.
PAA/Reuters
