Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is set to forfeit approximately £55million as a result of his choice to rejoin the PGA Tour and the final figure could prove even greater. The American became the first of LIV Golf’s marquee names to abandon ship at the start of this year and head back to the sport’s established tour.
It was in 2022 that Koepka was among the first PGA Tour superstars to defect to the Saudi-backed LIV circuit. Yet the competition’s future is now hanging by a thread after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew its sponsorship. The collapse of LIV could leave scores of top-level golfers in limbo should the competition fold before the 2026 season draws to a close. Nevertheless, the PGA Tour has offered a pathway back into its ranks for those willing to satisfy certain conditions. Golfers of a sufficient standing were informed in January that they would be eligible to return via the PGA Tour’s new Returning Member Program.
However, CEO Brian Rolapp announced in January that rejoining the fold would demand a considerable financial sacrifice. Rolapp’s open letter revealed the Returning Member Program carried “strict limitations,” to which the American star had agreed.
Among these was “a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program.” In Koepka’s case, this was estimated to be worth between $50m (£37m) and $85m (£63m) over the course of five years.
