Stray Shot: Tour shouldn't sleep on Koepka

It's in PGA Tour's best interest to let LIV defector come back home sooner than later

Will we see Brooks Koepka, who reapplied for PGA Tour status, back in FedEx Cup hunt? (Luke Walker/Getty Images)

The Prodigal son returns?

The newsflash came at the end of December: Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka was leaving LIV Golf to prioritize the needs of his family.

The 35-year-old American and five-time major champion controversially quit the PGA Tour to join the Saudi Arabia-backed series in 2022 and won five events over four seasons.

“Family has always guided Brooks’ decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home,” read a statement from his representatives. “Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf.”

No need to challenge whether “family has always guided” Koepka’s decisions. Let’s focus on how to get him back on the PGA Tour.

On Friday, ESPN first reported that Koepka has officially applied to regain his PGA Tour membership. Sports Illustrated confirmed it with the tour.

Some of the reaction to how to deal with Koepka has been laughable. While some like Rory McIlroy believe he should be welcomed back without further ado, others like Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee think he needs to serve a year-long penance. What message will it send otherwise, the penal parties contend. He was part and parcel of allowing LIV to create chaos for golf and the PGA Tour, for crying out loud.

The debate brings to mind the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32).

A younger son demands his inheritance, leaves home and squanders it all. Facing famine, he decides to return home to beg his father to make him a hired servant.

The father sees him from afar, runs to him, embraces and kisses him and commands a feast be held, restoring him as a son.

The dutiful older brother is angry, feeling his loyalty wasn’t rewarded. But the father explains they must celebrate, as his lost brother is “found.”

The story illustrates God’s immense love and mercy is welcome for those who stray but return.

Do we think the golfing public needs to see a flogging of Brooks Koepka as the predicate to his return to the mother ship? Or does it just want to see Koepka teeing it up on a regular basis on the PGA Tour?

That answer is easy, of course. A Calvinistic, punitive approach would not only be wrong, but who is to say Koepka — or others who hopefully follow him back — are willing to submit to any kind of real punishment here?

One question could be whether a potential returnee like Koepka has basically been removed from PGA membership, and if so, the punishers could argue that to place him on equal status to newcomers, he should now have to “qualify” (other than his earned status on majors) and only let him back in once he does so. Maybe even let sponsors give him a certain amount of exemptions meantime.

There are two competing doctrines here: (a) fundamental fairness to the current tour players but also (b) the quality of the product offered to professional golf consumers. Perhaps two different outcomes depending on which one of those two you deem more important.

Maybe the tour will require a returnee to pay some sort of a reinstatement fee — akin to dropping out of a club and to return you need to pay your unpaid club dues. Boom, you are again a member in good standing. But do the dollars need to be much more than nominal?

Let’s be clear: a primary goal should be to get desirable LIV stars back on the PGA Tour ASAP, and by so doing make it easy to bring more “sinners” back into the tour fold. Bless them and more will come. Over time LIV would become even more irrelevant with defections, and then competition for talent is removed from the equation. We could then see an easier path to PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp’s goal of fewer events and more money per player.

It’s a financial pity for them that many tour stalwarts eschewed LIV riches to stick, but that was their choice and aren’t their fortunes going to be improved with Koepka and potentially other stars returning to the tour ranks? (And won’t more players be enticed to return the less the punishment is for Koepka?)

Matter of fact, all of the higher tour purses and billions of new investment into PGA Tour Enterprises are all a proximate result of the existential LIV competitive threat.

The PGA Tour needs to welcome back all the prodigal sons in the name of golf unity, and give golf fans what they crave.