Explained: The scheme behind Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

So, Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour with a bang. 

The five-time major champion quit LIV Golf on 23 December and asked to be reinstated on the established circuit on 9 January. 

It took just one weekend for the PGA Tour's policy board, alongside new chief executive Brian Rolapp, to create a pathway to permit Koepka's return. 

On Monday, Rolapp unveiled details of the 'returning member programme'. 

But what is it? And how does it work?

GolfMagic has got you covered and will answer your questions. 

What is the returning member programme?

Unlike in the past, the PGA Tour acted swiftly and decisively once it was made clear that Koepka wanted to return. 

According to GolfDigest, Koepka met with PGA Tour officials on 9 January at their headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Koepka reportedly slipped out of a side exit after talks with Rolapp. 

He later told AP there was "zero negotiation" from his part. 

Rolapp most likely got on the horn with 15-time major champion Tiger Woods to discuss the matter and it was determined they would create a pathway to try and entice some, not all, defectors back. 

The programme is designed to allow some of LIV Golf's most accomplished players to return to the PGA Tour. 

Only golfers who have won a major championship, or The Players, between 2022-2025 are eligible. 

Who else is eligible?

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith.

Why 2022-25?

The PGA Tour will argue that it's simply because this was the time LIV held their inaugural season. 

But it's pertinent to note that Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship, aged 50, at Kiawah Island in 2021. 

The Tour could have chosen any time frame. 

They chose not to. 

Will the programme exist forever?

The PGA Tour say the programme opened on 12 January. 

Should DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith wish to return, then they will have until 2 February to apply. 

Crucially, that is two days before LIV Golf's 2026 curtain-raiser in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Rolapp said this is a "one-time" offer and stressed it was not an indication of what they would do in the future. 

So what is Koepka's punishment?

The PGA Tour are trying to paint a picture that Brooks Koepka is being severely punished, describing the consequences for the golfer as "one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history". 

Whether that truly is the case is up for debate. 

Koepka will make an agreed-upon charity donation of $5m. 

He is also not eligible for the PGA Tour's equity grants programme for five years and cannot collect FedEx Cup bonus money this season. 

The Tour say this could amount to Koepka missing out on a potential $50-85m. 

Elsewhere, Koepka cannot accept sponsor invites into the signature events and has to play his way in.

Is Koepka taking other members' spots in regular event fields?

No. 

If Koepka plays in a tournament, the field will be expanded so no current PGA Tour members lose playing opportunities. 

Other golfers will be added to ensure that groupings and tee times are drawn in two or three players.

The same goes for the FedEx Cup play-offs. Koepka is eligible to earn FedEx Cup points

If he makes the play-offs, he will be added to the field, and no golfers will be dropped from the top 50 if he does.

Got anymore questions?

Drop your comment below.