Major champion hits out at Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return: "That would be ticking me off no end..."

Not everyone is a fan of Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour. Far from it. 

While many have welcomed Koepka’s return as a boost for the game, including both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, others have questioned the lack of consequences for his time away. 

Wyndham Clark, for example, suggested Koepka’s return should have been accompanied by more repercussions other than losing player equity in the PGA Tour through 2030 and missing out on the Signature Events for 2026. 

There was even uproar from a number of players on the range at the Sony Open.

Paul Azinger, speaking to SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, has offered his own unfiltered take on the situation.

"I wanted to just kind of kick back and take it all in at first," 12-time PGA Tour winner Azinger explained.

"I have to say, though, I was shocked when I read that (Koepka’s PGA Tour return), even though there was a lead up.

"You know, I was reading about the possibility of that happening. I didn’t expect it. But I didn’t want to react to it until I figured it out kind of in my head, and I got a little more kind of the inside scoop."

Azinger, who won the 1993 PGA, believes the PGA Tour’s decision was strategic.

"But really, I think the strategy they used was to cut the head off the snake, which they believe is LIV. You know, it was a strategic move by the Tour. This is new leadership now, Monahan’s gone, and we have new leadership. This is a for profit business, completely different game, and I totally understand it. 

"I really feel like, of all the guys, he was the one guy (Koepka), and then we had to wait days and days to see what DeChambeau and Rahmbo were going to do, and then finally, they took a stand. 

"But, boy, for a few days there, I think all of us thought this could be the end of LIV. I mean, the guys could come flooding back."

Reflecting on how loyal players might feel, Azinger added: "Now, if I’m a player and I stayed loyal, I would be thinking, ‘man’. That would be ticking me off no end."

Listen to Azinger's comments in full here:

Koepka makes his official PGA Tour return at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines this week.