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01/12 17:01 CST Koepka says he has 'a lot of work to do' with PGA Tour players
upon his return
Koepka says he has 'a lot of work to do' with PGA Tour players upon his return
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
HONOLULU (AP) --- Brooks Koepka is expecting a nervous energy when he returns
to a regular PGA Tour event for the first time in four years at the Farmers
Insurance Open. Only some of that pertains to his golf.
How he is received --- inside and outside the ropes --- remains to be seen as
the first player to be invited back to the PGA Tour after taking at Saudi
riches to defect to LIV Golf in 2022.
"I've got a lot of work to do with some of the players," Koepka said in a
telephone interview Monday. "There's definitely guys who are happy, and
definitely guys who will be angry. It's a harsh punishment financially. I
understand exactly why the tour did that --- it's meant to hurt. But it (his
departure) hurt a lot of people.
"If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships."
Koepka was allowed back under a one-time "Returning Member Program" the PGA
Tour board developed and approved last week. It applies only to players who
have won a major or The Players Championship since 2022
The penalty is a $5 million contribution to a charity the tour will help
decide, no access to FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026, no sponsor exemptions to
the $20 million signature events and, most importantly, no equity grants in the
tour for the next five years.
The tour estimates based on Koepka performing at the level allowed to win five
majors, the financial repercussions could be worth anywhere from $50 million to
$85 million.
"There was no negotiating," Koepka said about his conversation last week with
Brian Rolapp, the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. "It's meant to hurt, it does
hurt, but I understand. It's not supposed to be an easy path. There's a lot of
people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that's part of coming
back."
For those not happy to see him return, Koepka said he looks forward to have
private conversations outside the media.
"The first week I'll be a little bit nervous," Koepka said. "There's a lot
going on than just golf. I'll be glad to put the first week behind me ---
dealing with the media, dealing with the players, and then getting some of
those tougher conversations. But I'm looking forward to it.
"Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Yes. In a weird way, I want to have those
conversations."
Jordan Spieth said Koepka just needed to be the same person who left.
"You're not going to ask somebody to change to please other people," Spieth
said. "I don't think he needs to play Monday pro-ams or walk along the range
and shake everyone's and say, ?I'm sorry.' He just comes back and plays really
good golf. That's good for everybody."
The board, led by a majority of players, signed off the plan. Koepka talked
with Rolapp by phone on Thursday evening, and he was at PGA Tour headquarters
the next morning unaccompanied. He came in through a side entrance.
The 35-year-old Koepka, who is exempt the next three years from his 2023
victory in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, will return at Torrey Pines on
Jan. 29. He also said he would play the Phoenix Open, where he won his first
PGA Tour title in 2015 and won again in 2021.
That might provide the first real test of how the public feels --- Saturday
afternoon on the 16th hole of the TPC Scottsdale, the rowdiest in golf even for
players the fans don't really know.
"I can handle it," Koepka said. "I enjoy the crowd, and hopefully everybody is
happy to see me. They can't be mad at me forever."
So why the change?
Word first began to circulate in November that negotiations between Koepka and
LIV Golf --- he had one year left on his contract --- were not going well. He
had publicly complained last summer that LIV was not as far along as he would
have liked.
And then Dec. 23 came the announcement from LIV of an "amicable" split, and
Koepka reapplied for PGA Tour membership.
Koepka cited a knee injury that has taken a toll on his body and the desire to
spend more time with his family as the reason to join LIV. He cited the need to
spend more time at home when he left LIV, particularly after his wife had a
miscarriage last fall.
"I needed to be there with my family over the last few months. I needed to be
closer to home," Koepka said. "I was able to get out of the LIV contract,
everything lined up perfectly and I was able to get back on tour.
"I'm happy and grateful it was able to come to this," he said.
Koepka has not spoken publicly about how much he was offered to play for LIV,
except for saying it was nine figures on a 2023 podcast with boxer Jake Paul.
Also unclear was how much he had to pay back by leaving one year early.
Now it's about playing again on familiar turf with players he only saw four
times a year at the majors. He is close with several players who live in south
Florida. Others he will see for the first time in the locker room, on the
range, on the first tee.
"There's probably a mixed bag of, ?We're happy you're back, welcome home' to
?You shouldn't be here.' I understand everybody's point of view," he said. "I
was going to be sitting out possibly a year, and I'm extremely thankful the
tour gave me this opportunity."
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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