Brooks Koepka, a five-time major champion, has returned to the PGA Tour after departing LIV Golf, primarily to spend more time with his family in Florida. He is competing in the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, his hometown event, for the first time in three years. The move comes after personal challenges, including the loss of an unborn child.
Brooks Koepka, born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, left the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in late 2025 to rejoin the PGA Tour through its Returning Member Program. At 35, Koepka cited family as his main reason for the decision. "Just my family," he said before his debut at the Farmers Insurance Open. "A lot's gone on over the past five, six months with my family. That played a big role into coming back … The ability to have my family out there all the time."
Koepka married Jena Sims in 2022 and welcomed their son, Crew Sims Koepka, shortly after. The couple faced heartbreak in October 2025 when they learned their second child had died in utero at 16 weeks. Koepka's father, Bob, noted the shift in priorities: "When you become a dad, your perspective changes." He added that LIV's international schedule, despite promises of more family time, involved demanding travel that kept Koepka farther from home than PGA Tour events.
This marks Koepka's third start of the 2026 season after tying for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. Putting has been a struggle; he ranked last in that category at Farmers and near the bottom overall. Koepka switched putters for Phoenix but admitted, "I've been putting pretty poorly for the good side of two years."
Financially, the return means forgoing LIV's reported $125 million contract, plus PGA Tour penalties like exclusion from the Player Equity Program for five years, no 2026 FedEx Cup bonus, and a $5 million charitable donation. Koepka must earn spots in Signature Events through full-field tournaments like the Cognizant Classic, held at PGA National. He has played the event seven times previously, with a best of second in 2019.
Koepka consulted Tiger Woods before rejoining, calling it a key step. Woods praised the move: "We get a probably top-3-of-his-generation player back ... It's a win for everybody." Despite mixed early results and a recent majors slump, Koepka expressed no regrets about LIV: "I don't regret anything I do. I've learned a lot." His return boosted viewership at Farmers by 63 percent and increased interest in events like Cognizant, where fans chanted "Welcome back, Brooks." Cognizant director Todd Fleming highlighted the positive community impact.
