Major champion believes Brooks Koepka should have started from scratch after LIV Golf exit

Tom Lehman believes the PGA Tour was far too lenient when it welcomed Brooks Koepka back from LIV Golf, arguing that players who leave for a rival circuit should have to rebuild their careers from the ground up if they decide to return.

Speaking to Garrett Johnston on Beyond The Clubhouse, the 1996 Open champion outlined what he believes should happen when players spend an extended period competing away from the PGA Tour before seeking a route back.

Koepka, 36, rejoined the PGA Tour in early 2026 via a new Returning Membership program after ending his LIV Golf stint in December 2025. 

As part of the process, the five-time major champion paid a reported $5 million charitable contribution and returned without eligibility for the lucrative Signature Events unless he qualified through performance.

While those measures were viewed by many as a meaningful penalty, Lehman, 67, feels the Tour should have taken a much firmer stance.

“You know, I would have a policy that says if you leave the PGA tour for more than 12 months to play in a competing tour, and then you want to come back, you can come back, but you don’t come back with any kind of status whatsoever,“ Lehman told Johnston on the Beyond The Clubhouse Podcast. 

Rather than allowing returning players to retain any privileges linked to their previous achievements, five-time PGA Tour winner Lehman believes all returning defectors should effectively start again.

“You’re at the bottom of the barrel," added Lehman. 

“So if you went away as a top 50, you know, in the world rankings, or a major champion, you know, I don’t care what your status is.

“When you come back, you go behind the tour school.

“You know, and you start from the bottom of the barrel when it comes to eligibility and you work your way back up."

Lehman suggested returning players should have to rely on sponsor invitations or even spend time on the Korn Ferry Tour before earning a full PGA Tour schedule once more.

“And what that means for them is basically nothing but sponsor invites or even better yet, put them back on the Korn Ferry for a year.

“But to leave, then to come back and be able to just jump right in and play at any point. I don’t care if you sit out a year, it is wrong. I’m totally against that."

The former world number one (for one week in April 1997) believes such an approach would send a stronger message about loyalty to the PGA Tour and better reflect the commitment shown by players who remained throughout golf's ongoing divide.

“And if I was playing back then, or playing right now, I would be really vocal about that.

“I think that’s a terrible idea to let the guys who are not loyal to the PGA Tour leave and then walk back in with just a slap on the wrist and then say ‘let’s go, boys’.

“I think that’s wrong.

“You know, start over. Earn your way back up and that’s what I would do.“

Another former LIV pro and major champion in Patrick Reed will make his return to the PGA Tour this August. 

Reed was not able to take advantage of the PGA Tour's Returning Membership program when he quit LIV Golf at the end of 2025, and so had to see out his one-year suspension on the PGA Tour before making a return later this summer. 

Lehman's latest comments echo sentiments previously expressed by eight-time major champion Tom Watson, who also questioned whether players should be able to return immediately after competing on LIV Golf.

Whether fans agree with Lehman's position or not, Koepka's return has undoubtedly been one of the PGA Tour's most significant storylines. 

The American remains one of the biggest draws in professional golf, and his presence has added star power to tournaments throughout the season.

Koepka was forced to withdraw ahead of the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday due to a hand injury, coming at the worst possible time ahead of this week's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. 

The five-time major champion has won the U.S. Open twice.

He won his first at Erin Hills in 2017, and then followed it up with victory at this week's venue in 2018. 

Critics of Lehman's views will likely point out that Koepka's path back has not been without consequences. 

A $5 million charity payment is hardly insignificant, while his inability to access Signature Events automatically has restricted his opportunities compared to many of the PGA Tour's leading players.

Still, Lehman's stance is clear: if a player chooses to leave for a rival league, previous accomplishments should offer no shortcut back onto the PGA Tour.