• Loading stock data...
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Brooks Koepka is Back. How Will It Affect LIV Golf vs. the PGA Tour?

  • Koepka earned less for winning PGA Championship than a LIV Orlando event.
  • Is there a potential made-for-TV LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour event?
LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour.
Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
STERLING, VA — It finally happened.

For the first time since the LIV Golf League burst onto the scene, one of its active players won a major championship when Brooks Koepka held off the field on Sunday to capture his third PGA Championship and fifth major in his career. It follows a second-place finish at the Masters in April.

While the offshoot golf league boasts a roster of several major winners — including reigning Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith — one of them beating PGA Tour players head-to-head for a major title could be a turning point in the rivalry and a boon for LIV, which has struggled to gain relevance in the American mainstream.

But in reality, will Koepka’s big win actually change the landscape of golf in any significant way?

Wear and Tear

One of the central selling points of LIV Golf was the ability to play less golf for more money, much of which is guaranteed regardless of results.

Case in point, the $3.15 million Koepka won at Oak Hill pales in comparison to the $4 million he won individually at the LIV Golf Orlando event in April — and is a drop in the bucket of the reported $72 million he earned between May 2022 and May 2023.

As it stands, LIV players are only committing to 14 events per season, and major-eligible players compete in only 18 events per year. LIV’s current stretch of two tournaments sandwiching the PGA Championship might be the only time its golfers play three events in a row all year.

By comparison, Scottie Scheffler — last season’s PGA Tour money leader — played 27 events, including the unofficial Hero World Challenge and the 2021 Ryder Cup (more on that later).

LIV players are, in theory, better rested physically and mentally for the majors — a “fact” that LIV Golf posterboy Phil Mickelson gloated about online following Koepka’s triumph.

Koepka consistently struggled to stay healthy on the Tour, costing him his full playing ability up until he finally jumped ship to LIV in 2022; he cited injuries as one of his reasons for taking the plunge.

Now, with less wear and tear on his body and without the pressure of an unguaranteed paycheck, the Koepka that won four majors in two years from 2017 to 2019 could be back — which could be seen as unfair to the PGA Tour players grinding away week after week.

However, there are two equalizers at play: the Official World Golf Rankings and the Ryder Cup.

To this point, LIV Golf has not been recognized by OWGR and its players cannot accrue points for the rankings at LIV events.

Koepka, Smith, and other LIV players who have won majors in the last few years will get exemptions to play in the rest of the tournaments.

But Talor Gooch — who has won two LIV events this season and is its current money leader ($10.3M) — is almost certainly going to miss out on the upcoming U.S. Open because he won’t have enough OWGR points to qualify (and because of a slight change to the event’s qualifying rules).

The lack of PGA Tour playing time would also prevent LIV players from automatically qualifying for the coveted Ryder Cup teams.

Players earn points based on money earned at PGA Tour and DP World Tour events and majors; the top six American players in their standings after Aug. 20 automatically qualify, and the top three European players from respective European and World points lists after Sept. 3 automatically qualify.

Players who don’t automatically qualify will rely on the grace of American captain Zach Johnson and European captain Luke Donald to pick them; both have been non-committal on whether they’ll take LIV Players.

Koepka did himself a massive favor in terms of the Ryder Cup, as his runner-up and win in the last two majors sprung him into second place in the U.S. team rankings behind Scheffler. Assuming he can hold onto a top-six spot, it’s possible he ends up as the only LIV player on either team.

What’s Next?

Fair or not, Koepka’s win conceivably begins a new era in the LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour feud — one that the former has theoretically fallen behind on given its poor television viewership on the CW Network.

There’s probably hope among LIV executives that the 33-year-old’s victory will bolster those ratings at this weekend’s event in Washington, D.C. and beyond — but they shouldn’t hold their breath: The final round at the PGA Championship with Koepka in the lead drew just 4.517 million viewers, the lowest total since 2008. 

It’s certainly not encouraging for a potential standalone LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour event, unlikely as it may be to happen anyway: Sources tell Front Office Sports that LIV is open to the idea, but the Tour is not.

“I have no idea,” Sergio Garcia said Thursday when FOS asked about a combined event. “I mean, I don’t know what the PGA Tour is thinking. I don’t belong to that tour, so I don’t know what they’re thinking about, and I don’t really lose any time thinking about it.

“I think at the end of the day, I’m speaking for myself, but I think I probably speak for all of us here. We love playing golf. We love playing majors. We all try to do everything we can to play as many as we can and win as many as we can.”

Koepka missed his media availability — and the Pro-Am at Trump National in Sterling, Va. — with what LIV described as “flight issues” on Thursday. 

But when he teed off for the first round of the tournament Friday, it was with a slightly higher sense of validation for his offshoot golf league — even if the popularity isn’t necessarily following.

“To have another three guys in the top 10 at the PGA and one of them winning with Brooks, I think it shows that we are all putting in a lot of work here, that no one gives you anything for free, regardless of some of the things they said when we all decided to come and join and support LIV,” Garcia said.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Trump Meets With PGA Tour to Help End LIV Golf Divide

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met with the president.

WM Phoenix Open Looks to Tame the Party After 2024 Chaos

The WM Phoenix Open has made several operational shifts this year.

FS1 Will Air the Most LIV Golf TV Hours in New Fox..

The 2025 LIV Golf season tees off Friday in Saudi Arabia.
Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Rory McIlroy pitches onto the eighteenth green during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament.

Rory McIlroy Suggests a Scarcity Model for Golf Like the NFL

Rory McIlroy wants the PGA Tour to have a more entertaining product.

Featured Today

‘Ultimate Throwback’: The Unimpeachable Cool of Hartford Whalers Gear

Nostalgia and street cred have driven a consistent frenzy for merch.
January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44), before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.
February 1, 2025

The New WAGs: Sports Wives Building Business Empires

Athletes’ wives and girlfriends are bucking stereotypes and cashing in.
Feb 3, 2019; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears mascot dances on the court during a stoppage in play in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion.
January 31, 2025

The Toll of Bicoastal Travel on New ACC Members Cal and Stanford

Cal and Stanford face missed flights, chaotic sleep schedules, and academic demands.
January 28, 2025

It’s Starting to Pay to Be Good at Cornhole

American Cornhole League players made $7.7 million in 2024.
Feb 1, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Phoenix Suns power forward Kevin Durant (35) looks on during warm ups before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.

Rich Kleiman Says Kevin Durant Would ‘Potentially’ Play in New International League

Kleiman said a more relaxed schedule would benefit older players.
Jimmy Butler
February 5, 2025

Jimmy Butler Saga Ends With Trade to Warriors and $121 Million Contract

Two of the NBA’s longest-running plots were resolved Wednesday night.
Pete Alonso
February 5, 2025

Pete Alonso Finally Returns to Mets on $30 Million Pillow Contract

The slugger can be a free agent again next year.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) hugs Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during pregame warm-up at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
February 5, 2025

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. Calls for Full-Time NFL Refs

Game officials have gotten a lot of heat for bad calls this season.
February 5, 2025

Why 21 of WNBA’s 24 All-Stars Will Be Free Agents Next Year

The WNBA players’ union opted out of the CBA in October.
February 4, 2025

Mark Cuban Says He Did Not Know About Luka Dončić Trade

Cuban sold a majority stake of the Mavericks n 2023.
February 4, 2025

Travis Kelce Shuts Down Retirement Talk: Eyes Records, Off-Field Success

The Chiefs star spoke about his future during the Super Bowl Opening Night event.