Brooks Koepka is leaving, but LIV far from finished as PGA Tour rival
Larry Bohannan- Brooks Koepka has announced he will leave LIV in 2026, but this may not signal the tour's collapse.
- Koepka's decision could be an isolated incident, as he has a history of making unconventional career moves.
- LIV still retains other stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.
- LIV's financial backing from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund remains a significant factor in its survival.
Plenty of people are eager to start throwing shovels full of dirt on the LIV Tour since Brooks Koepka announced at the end of last month that he was going to separate from the rival tour of the PGA Tour for 2026.
Surely this is the big crack in the dam that will crumble the LIV Tour, experts and everyday fans were saying. Koepka is the smoke, so the fire must be on the LIV Tour. Koepka will be followed by Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and a few other players as LIV slowly drifts away, the thinking went.
Well, no.
Yes, whatever a five-time major championship winner does is interesting, and while Koepka is not the first player to leave LIV — or be relegated off of that tour — he is certainly the player with the highest profile to leave the tour backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
But rather than looking at this as a big picture indictment of LIV, it is just as easy to look at Koepka's decision as an isolated incident. Here's why:
This is Brooks Koepka, after all
Let's just say Koepka has never been your regular touring pro. Early in his career he was criticized for emphasizing majors and not caring about regular events. He was one of the first pros to jump to the LIV Tour in search of something better. Now he's one of the first to leave that tour in search of, well, who knows what. Koepka hasn't actually said he wants to come back to the PGA Tour, that's just the assumption. This could be just Koepka being Koepka.
LIV still has stars
Koepka is a big name. Remember, he was the 2023 PGA Championship after he jumped to LIV. But he is not that tour's only big name. In many ways DeChambeau is a bigger star, if not a better player. Rahm, a Masters and U.S. Open winner, is also still on the LIV Tour, and some talented players like Joaquin Neimann and Cam Smith still play on the LIV Tour. The loss of a player like Koepka isn't great for LIV, but it hardly seems like the tour is teetering on the edge of extinction.
The PIF still has money
If PIF wants to throw more money at DeChambeau and Rahm to extend their contracts with the tour, that's what PIF will do. Yes, there are stories out there that PIF is cutting back a bit on the money that is being spent on various projects, including LIV. But LIV has been a pretty good example of money literally being no object.
What is the path back?
This is a tricky one. If the PGA Tour doesn't have a clear path for a player to return to the PGA Tour, or that path is too harsh in its penalties, there is no real incentive for a players to leave LIV. If the path is too lenient, there could be a backlash from golfers who stayed with the PGA Tour after turning down millions from LIV in the last four years. Koepka might be one thing, but getting other players intrigued enough to return without being overly penalizing is another thing.
Is the PGA Tour even interested?
These days it seems like the PGA Tour is happy to move forward without even thinking about LIV reunification. The PGA Tour is focused on what it's future will look like, with probably fewer tournaments and smaller field (which sounds like the LIV tour, when you think about it). Getting Koepka, Rahm and DeChambeau back on the PGA Tour would be a good thing for the more-established tour, but it might not be high on the priority list these days, That could fuel a longer live for LIV.
So the news that Koepka is leaving LIV is intriguing for sure. But it is not the demise of LIV, at least not yet. And with LIV making changes, like going to four rounds in an effort to make the Official World Golf Ranking people happy, LIV might just be digging in for a longer existence than most fans believe.
Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for The Desert Sun. You can contact him at (760) 778-4633 or at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on X at @larry_bohannan.
