What kind of farewell does a five-time major champion get after three years and $100 million? A single static graphic and paragraph buried in someone else’s ad.
On December 23, 2025, LIV Golf released a statement. The headline read: “Statements on Talor Gooch taking over as Smash GC captain.” » Brooks KoepkaIt is the name appeared in the fourth paragraph. No standalone ads. No editing of highlights. No legacy video chronicling his five individual titles or his triumph at the 2023 PGA Championship – the only major ever won by an active LIV player. Just a “Thanks, Brooks” graphic posted on social media, then silence.
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The official narrative presents this as a family-first release. But the digital evidence tells a different story: that of a fractured commercial relationship dressed in the language of national prioritization.
Why LIV Golf’s farewell to Brooks Koepka raised red flags
Koepka’s management cited his wife Jena Sims miscarriage at 16 weeks in October 2025 and her desire to “spend more time at home” with their two-year-old son, Crew. CEO of LIV Scott O’Neil deployed the company’s boilerplate, calling the departure “amicable and mutual.” Sympathy protects all scrutiny. Asymmetry exposes it.
When Phil Mickelson joined LIV, he ordered a press conference in the stadium. When Dustin Johnson arrived, the documentary teams followed. When Brooks Koepka left — with a year and tens of millions remaining on his contract — he received a subordinate clause in another man’s ad. It was not an oversight. It was a receipt.
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The behavioral evidence is mounting. Koepka finished 31st in the 2025 LIV points standings – a catastrophic result for a player of his caliber. He missed the cut in three of the four major tournaments. Smash GC, the team he led, finished last in the season finale. His public criticism had become more vocal. “We’re behind. To be honest. Behind where we should be,” he told reporters, lamenting the league’s inability to find sponsors and consistent television coverage.
Then came the decisive moment. Barely 17 days after his departure “with family first”, Koepka requested PGA Tour reinstatement — a circuit that requires a more grueling schedule than LIV’s 14-event schedule. The logical paradox is inescapable: You don’t trade guaranteed millions for an uncertain meritocracy, potential suspensions and possible fines because you want more time at home. You make this trade because staying has become the biggest risk.
Jon Rahm hints at complications without confirming them. Speaking on The inferior quality of GOLF podcast in January 2026, the two-time major champion acknowledged he was aware of Koepka’s potential departure — “I had an idea” — while dismissing speculation about the suspension timetable with a curt “I have no idea.” He called the DP World Tour’s good treatment “a little bit ridiculous,” implying that the league’s unequal policies influenced the decision. The subtext was clear: something beyond family had fractured.
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But Koepka’s public frustrations didn’t arise in isolation. They reflected a deeper erosion of trust – one rooted in executive instability and a pattern of exclusion that predates its collapse in 2025.
LIV Golf Boardroom, Brooks Koepka Couldn’t Be Trusted
Reports of “buyer’s remorse” surfaced as early as February 2023, with journalists highlighting Koepka’s regrets over joining a league he initially viewed as insurance against career obsolescence. The Netflix documentary Full swing captured his vulnerability – a player haunted by injuries, wondering if his best days were over. The LIV contract was a safety net. But once Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship and proved he remained elite, the safety net became a golden handcuff.
The blind merger of June 2023 aggravated the injury. When the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced their master agreement, Koepka heard about it on television while sitting at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII. Cameron Smith received a courtesy call from the PIF governor Yasir Al Rumayyan. Koepka – the reigning PGA champion – received nothing. Despite his contract, he was an employee and not a partner.
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Leadership turnover has deepened distrust. LIV president Atul Khosla resigned after a heated argument with Al-Rumayyan. That of Greg Norman The combative mandate burned the bridges that Koepka ultimately had to cross. When Koepka praised Scott O’Neil as someone capable of “taking LIV to where it needs to be,” the backhanded recognition was clear: previous leadership had failed.
The league’s immediate pivot to 72 holes after Koepka’s departure — a format change he had long advocated — came as a tacit admission. His criticisms were valid. The concession came too late.
Koepka now faces an uncertain path. According to an insider report from Todd Lewis, the PGA Tour locker room is not ready to roll out the welcome mat. Lewis’ assessment was blunt: Some players still consider Koepka to be part of the group that “damaged the brand” – no matter how gracefully he left. The standard one-year ban would sideline him until the end of August 2026. Hudson Swafford requested reinstatement at the end of 2024 and was informed he would not be eligible until 2027.
Tiger woodwho chairs the Future Competition Committee, will help guide CEO Brian Rolapp’s final decision. The same Woods who once condemned LIV defections now holds the hammer on Koepka’s return.
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What golf fans really think about Brooks Koepka’s exit from LIV
The court of public opinion delivered its verdict before Koepka filed his reinstatement paperwork.
Do you think Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf for reasons other than money?
The skepticism ran deep. “He left over $100 million on the table when he left. He obviously had other reasons,” one respondent wrote. Another sharper tone: “It’s a traveling party. Not professional golf tournaments.” A third pointed out the competitive void: “No major tournaments…no team competitions…no OWGR points…yeah, that’s true.”
Not everyone believed the story of a man escaping a failing system. “His skills have deteriorated and he needs time to train,” one critic retorted. “He’s a crybaby,” wrote another. A third offered the cynical reading: “Money changes everything.”
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But even detractors could not explain this calculation. You don’t give up a guaranteed nine-figure income, risk a suspension, and face locker room hostility because your game needs work. You make this exchange when staying has become untenable.
Digital’s cold attitude was not reckless. It was a confirmation. You don’t bury a five-time major champion’s farewell in a captain’s announcement unless the relationship is already buried.
The position Why LIV Golf’s quiet farewell to Brooks Koepka indicates serious cracks appeared first on EssentiallySport.
