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Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf years after becoming one of the notable faces to join the renegade league sent shockwaves through the sport this week.
Koepka has played in the LIV Golf Series for over three seasons, winning five events during that span and capturing the PGA Championship in 2023.
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Brooks Koepka of Smash GC plays his shot from the third tee during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort on August 22, 2025. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)
Golf commentator Brandel Chamblee on Friday offered his two cents to fans calling for Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour, writing in an article on X that he disagreed with the idea.
“I certainly don’t agree with this,” he wrote. “Allowing Brooks Koepka to return to the PGA Tour without consequence would undermine the very meritocratic foundations that make the PGA Tour legitimate – not because of who he is, but because of what his return means.”
Chamblee said there should be some sort of penalty for Koepka, or anyone else who joined the league, which is backed by the Saudi government.
“LIV didn’t just propose an alternative league, it fractured fields, diluted the meaning of competition, sparked a legal war, undermined sponsor stability and forced structural changes across professional golf,” he continued. “Koepka was not a passive spectator, he was a renowned legitimizer.
“You don’t punish him for his influence, but you can’t pretend his influence doesn’t matter. His credibility made LIV viable, his stature normalized defection, and his success (especially after joining LIV) validated disruption.”
Brooks Koepka of the United States waves to the crowd on the 5th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, file)
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Chamblee suggested a penalty would be enough and that reinstatement to the PGA Tour would be the path officials should take.
“A sanction would not be so much a punishment as a recognition of a choice and the consequence does not need to be punitive to be meaningful,” he added. “He may be required to re-qualify for the PGA Tour (his 5-year exemption for winning the PGA Championship for majors may be valid but not for the PGA Tour).
“He could have limited eligibility for the season and/or a suspension related to a prior breach of contract. Players who remained on the PGA Tour paid the price. They had to absorb uncertainty, play in weaker groups, assume reputational risk and take greater responsibility in protecting the continuity of the Tour.”
Ultimately, Chamblee wrote that the penalty would not be about punishing anyone, but rather about the consequences of sending a ripple effect through the sport and protecting the PGA Tour.
“It’s a question of whether the PGA Tour believes commitments mean anything. If elite players can destabilize the system, take guaranteed money and instantly return because they’re popular or successful, the message is that the rules only apply to expendables,” Chamblee wrote.
“If excellence alone erases consequences, then the PGA Tour ceases to be a meritocracy and becomes a market for convenience. Great players certainly deserve respect, but institutions deserve protection.”
Brooks Koepka plays a shot from a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the US Open golf tournament, June 13, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf said Koepka was leaving the series to prioritize his “family’s needs and stay closer to home.”
