SCOTTSDALE – Family was one of the driving factors in Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour following his 3 1/2-year tenure with LIV Golf.
He brought family to the Farmers Insurance Open last week in La Jolla, Calif., and will have his wife and son on site at the WM Phoenix Open, which began play Thursday at TPC Scottsdale.
“(What I missed most was) the ability to have my family out all the time,” Koepka said. “They didn’t travel too much over the past few years.”
Koepka was among the first crop of golfers to depart the PGA in 2022 for the LIV Tour, which is financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. He recorded five wins while playing for Smash GC, where he served as a captain. His best cumulative finish was third in the league in 2023.
He returns to the tour as a part of the Returning Member Program that welcomes players who have won one of the four major tournaments (Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and The Open Championship) or The Players Championship from 2022-2025, with 2022 being the year LIV started. Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship.
Koepka has enjoyed impressive results at the WM Phoenix Open, collecting a pair of victories, including his first career win in 2015. This is the only non-major tournament he has won twice on the PGA Tour.
He has played in the WM Phoenix Open five times, making the cut and finishing under par in all of his appearances. In his last appearance, he finished tied for third, one stroke behind winner Scottie Scheffler in 2022.
“I think this is always a comfortable event for me,” Koepka said. “I’ve just enjoyed it over the years, so I am excited to get back.”
Koepka is looking for his 10th career win and fifth non-major win, and could be in contention on a course with which he is familiar. He recorded a T-56 finish at Torrey Pines, where he had struggled in the Farmers Insurance Open in the past, missing three of four cuts in previous events in the tournament.
The PGA sent a memo explaining that Koepka will likely be the only returning member who fulfills the Returning Member Program requirements. A handful of other golfers, Patrick Reed, Hudson Swafford, Kevin Na and Pat Perez, have all expressed their intention to return, but those golfers do not fulfill the requirements.
Reed is eligible to return in the FedEx Cup Fall series in late 2026. Swafford and Perez can return in January 2027. Na’s return date is unknown.
Perez, 49, also has ties to Arizona. He is from Phoenix and resides in Scottsdale. He played at Arizona State from 1995 to 1997.
Koepka said the ability to have his family out all the time was a huge part in returning to the PGA Tour. LIV’s tour visits nine countries across five continents, compared to the PGA Tour, which only has events in North America and Europe, allowing Koepka to play in events closer to those who mean most to him.
“Circumstances changed in my family a little bit,” Koepka said. “It’s so much fun being a dad. Being a father has made me grow up so much as a person.”
Koepka and his wife, Jena Sims, had their son, Crew, since he was last on the PGA Tour. He said that has motivated him to set a good example for his son.
Koepka is nervous about returning to the PGA Tour. One of the things that makes him anxious is facing the fans. The WM Phoenix Open is known for its rowdy crowds, especially on the stadium 16th hole; the antithesis of how golf fans typically behave.
Koepka is also nervous about coming back to a fresh start on the tour. He must play his way into the PGA Tour’s signature events, which are awarded to players who are playing the best golf on the tour.
Since he has not played recently on the tour, Koepka is not currently eligible to play in these events but can qualify with certain exemptions. He can qualify for the signature events via the Aon Swing 5 or a win in Scottsdale. The Aon Swing 5 comprises the top five in points from the Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open among those that are not qualified.
“That’s the fun part, I love the grind,” Koepka said. “I feel like my game is in pretty good shape, and I want to see where it’s at.”
Koepka can qualify for the signature events via the Aon Swing 5 if he earns a second-place finish at the WMPO. That is possible given the Floridian’s track record at TPC Scottsdale and his solid result at Torrey Pines.
Koepka said he called Tiger Woods soon after he made the decision to return as Woods was the first person who came to mind as Koepka has relied on Woods in the past.
“Having my family around is really important,” he said. “I’ve grown up a lot in the past few years, and especially the past few months, and being able to be close to them is super important to me.”
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