Tour Confidential: Koepka’s return, Rolapp’s leadership, LIV’s next move

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we break down Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour, how the Tour made it happen and how LIV might respond.**Major news shook the golf world on Monday**, when the PGA Tour announced a new “Returning Member Program” that would allow a select number of players who fell under a certain criteria to rejoin the Tour with some penalties and conditions, and that Brooks Koepka had already accepted. What do you believe ultimately led to Koepka’s return?> “I don’t think he was ever truly happy at LIV, or at least it wasn’t long before he realized he wasn’t. Sure the money was good but we know Koepka thrives on competition and it simply wasn’t as good or meaningful on LIV. That’s why he’s been so good in the majors, and I think that was hard on him.”Koepka’s motivation to compete against the best, the changing landscape of the PGA Tour, and the new leadership under Brian Rolapp all contributed to his return.After winning the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka has failed to finish in the top 10 in his last 10 major starts, which includes missing three of four cuts last year. Now back on the PGA Tour, do you expect Koepka to return to his former world-beating self?– “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him bounce back a little. I do think he will find a little better form now that he’s in a better spot personally and playing more regularly.” – “Few players are better with a chip on their shoulder. I think he’ll thrive off feeling like he needs to prove himself all over again.”Three other LIV players—Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith—also have the option to return, although they must decide by Feb. 2. In press conferences last week they said they were staying loyal to LIV, although there’s still time to flip. Do you think any will?– “Rahm would be the guy. And as we’ve seen more than once in the LIV era, what players say they’re going to do isn’t always what they end up doing.”The fine print of this rule said only winners of the Players or majors since 2022 would be allowed to return, which notably left out other major winners like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia, including non-major winners but big names such as Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann. Why was it so specific?– “The Tour knows its product is driven by stars and these are the guys—especially Koepka, Rahm and DeChambeau—who can really make a difference.”In his short time as PGA Tour CEO, Brian Rolapp has already made a major impact. Are you surprised how fast he’s acted? And if you are a rank-and-file PGA Tour player, are you happy, annoyed or indifferent at this move?– “This is the perfect example of why it was probably beneficial to bring in someone from outside the sport (like Rolapp, from the NFL) who made it simple and said we need to find a way to get our best players back.”Was Monday’s news bigger for the PGA Tour or worse for LIV Golf? And what does LIV Golf do now, especially if more players flip?– “Worse for LIV. The league wants to be seen as more than a well-funded novelty act. It wants to be seen as competitively relevant. It needs to attract big names, not lose them.”The offseason has seen LIV reportedly fail to land the likes of Akshay Bhatia and Si Woo Kim, and now they’ve watched one of their big names walk back across the battlefield to the PGA Tour. If they lose Rahm or Bryson, that will probably end golf’s civil conflict.