Brooks Koepka has stunned the game by becoming the first golfer to quit LIV Golf and, as one of the breakaway circuit’s undoubted big names, has left the Saudi-funded venture in disarray.
There had been rumours that Koepka, 35, was keen to bring his reported four-year £100m deal with LIV to a premature end. With a series of flare-ups in his first three years, he made little secret of the fact that he was disillusioned and missing the spotlight of the PGA Tour.
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However, nobody expected that Koepka would be willing – or more to point, “allowed” – to walk out before his contract expired after next year’s campaign. The belief was that he would have to pay tens of millions in forfeits to resign, and so turn his back on the “Smash GC” franchise from which he was forecasted to make a fortune from the equity as a team captain.
However, he has remarkably turned his back on a project from which he has earned more than £30m in on-course earnings – regardless of the signing-on fee – and on which he added the 2023 US PGA Championship title to his haul, showing that it is possible to win a major while playing on the LIV Golf league.
Inevitably, the split was depicted as “amicable”. Indeed, the news was released a joint statement released by LIV. “Brooks Koepka will be stepping away from LIV Golf,” it read. “He is deeply grateful to Yasir Al-Rumayyan [the governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, who is the LIV chairman], Scott O’Neil [the LIV chief executive] and his team-mates and the fans.”
Koepka suffered the worst season of his LIV career in 2025, when missing the cut in three of the four majors and recording just two top-10 finishes on the breakaway circuit as he struggled to 31st of the 54 players in the individual standings. Away from competition, his life descended into turmoil when wife, Jena, suffered a miscarriage. The pair have a two-year-old son.
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“Family has always guided Brooks’ decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home,” the statement read. “Brooks will continue to be a huge supporter of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf and will keep fans updated on what’s ahead.”
Unless there is a change of regulations, Koepka is banned for at least a year from the PGA Tour for joining LIV.
After the news was released, the PGA Tour soon released its own vague, if not provocative, statement. “Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional, and we wish him and his family continued success,” it read. “The PGA Tour continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”
However, Koepka can play on the DP World Tour and sources indicate that the European circuit will be his primary home in the next campaign, as he seeks to rebuild. He is eligible to appear in all four majors in 2026.
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Koepka has always been intriguing but inevitably will cast a yet more interesting figure as speculation intensifies about what his exit could mean to LIV’s ongoing battle against the traditional tours.
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