A Tough Decision

As you all may have heard, 5-time Major Champion and PGA Tour defector Brooks Koepka recently applied for PGA Tour reinstatement – Koepka, after a stellar 7-year PGA Tour career, took a pile of gold in 2022 and defected to the Saudi backed LIV Golf Tour – He was one of a handful of PGA Tour stars to take the LIV loot an go - Now, four years on from when he took the LIV bag and bolted, Koepka has forfeited the last year of his LIV contract and wants to rejoin the boys on the PGA Tour

Talk about the proverbial fly-in-the-ointment, and monkey-in-the-wrench! The PGA policy board has a delicate and complicated decision on their hands – On one hand Koepka is one of just a few players that could return from LIV and still move the viewership needle on the PGA Tour – That’s good for the tour, and good for Koepka – The literal win-win – On the other hand, how unfair to all the guys who turned down the generational riches offered by LIV and chose to stay the course with the PGA Tour – How would, could, the tour policy board justify to them Koepka simply waltzing back over to the tour he snubbed, covered in gold, with no punishment whatever?

On a bit of side note, Koepka is still pals with most of the top tier players on the PGA Tour – Rory, in particular has spoken out on Koepka’s’ behalf – And to this point, unlike 11other PGA Tour defectors, Koepka did not badmouth the PGA Tour upon his departure nor was he part of the LIV lawsuit against the tour – In addition, at the time Koepka opted for LIV, he was suffering a lingering knee injury that had his competitive golf future in question – His injury, at least in part, was a determining factor in his defection to the financial security of LIV – I point all this out because as defectors go, Koepka did it quietly, respectfully and perhaps had legitimate reasoning for his move

That all being said, should this be a factor in determining his path for PGA Tour reinstatement? As cold as it sounds, I say no – As I see it, no matter how nicely or legitimately one screwed the PGA Tour, they screwed it never-the-less – There is no doubt that the defection of Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm hurt the PGA Tour brand – The Tour was forced to redo scheduling, increase tournament purses, invest millions fighting the LIV lawsuit, etc. - Consequently any defector’s subsequent return cannot (or should not anyway) be made without consequence – The PGA Tour policy board will determine consequences, if any, for Koepka in the upcoming days – My guess is that Koepka will be benched for a year and not issued shares in the newly formed PGA Tour Enterprises – A tool that allows PGA Tour players to earn money from the tours commercial growth beyond just prize money – But that’s a guess – Remember that the PGA Tour stands to gain from a Koepka return – And it’s no secret that fairness and morality often find themselves in the backseat when money coms knockin’ – So perhaps a fine, no shares, and Koepka plays in 20206? – We’ll see

And here’s another thought – If the PGA Tour carries a grudge, they find themselves in a position to step-on-the-neck of an already sickly LIV organization – Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour is a stake in the heart of LIV – Another two or three stakes and LIV may be, for all intents and purposes, dead for good – So if killing LIV is a PGA Tour priority, then the easier they make it for top LIV guys to return, the faster the death blow to LIV – Hmmmm…. Could that be a factor in the Koepka decision? - No matter what is decided, the policy board has some serious pondering to do…

What do you all think – If you were on the policy board, what would you recommend?