Brooks Koepka is leaving LIV Golf. The five-time major champion, one of the most important coups for the Saudi-funded upstart league, announced Tuesday he will no longer play on the tour after joining in the summer of 2022.
It remains unclear where Koepka will play golf in 2026, as the PGA Tour has suspended golfers who joined LIV. However, a statement released by LIV said Koepka is “prioritizing the needs of his family and staying closer to home.”
Koepka was one of several stars who left the PGA Tour in 2022 to join the league created by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, joining household names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith. At the time, Koepka was a four-time major winner coming off the worst stretch of his career and struggling with injuries.
However, in 2023, Koepka became LIV’s first example of major success. He finished second at the Masters and won the PGA Championship a month later, making him the first man to reach five majors since Mickelson. Koepka hasn’t finished better than T17 in the 10 majors since and missed three of four cuts in 2025.
“Brooks Koepka will be stepping away from LIV Golf. He is deeply grateful to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Scott O’Neil, and the LIV Golf leadership team, his teammates, and the fans,” Koepka’s representatives said in a statement. “Family has always guided Brooks’s decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home. 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.”
Whatever comes next will be a crucial precedent in golf’s long-running civil war. While previous LIV golfers had to serve a one-year suspension after their final LIV event, those golfers didn’t have PGA Tour cards like Koepka. The disciplinary system remains unclear.
Three-time PGA Tour winner Hudson Swafford was relegated from LIV after the 2024 season but says he is suspended from the PGA Tour through 2027. The difference, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, is that Koepka did not resign from the PGA Tour. He simply didn’t reapply for membership for the 2022-23 season. If Koepka does reapply for membership, the PGA Tour would then need to decide on disciplinary action. If it goes with the one-year suspension strategy, then Koepka would be eligible to return by August 2026.
In the wake of Koepka’s announcement, the PGA Tour released its own statement simply saying: “Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional, and we wish him and his family continued success. The PGA Tour continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”
For now, Koepka remains exempt through all majors through at least 2028 thanks to his wins at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He keeps PGA Championship exemption for life, but his Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship exemptions run out after 2028. He can also play on the DP World Tour in Europe, where he played four events in 2025.
There’s also the family element, as Koepka’s wife, Jena, announced she had a miscarriage earlier this year.
“We have amicably and mutually agreed that Brooks Koepka will no longer compete in the LIV Golf League, following the 2025 season,” O’Neil, LIV Golf’s CEO, said in a statement. “Brooks is prioritizing the needs of his family and staying closer to home. We appreciate the significant impact he has had on the game and wish him continued success, both on and off the course.”
