Tour pro: LIV Golf's project "in tatters" after Brooks Koepka re-joined PGA

England's Eddie Pepperell says LIV Golf's project is potentially "in tatters" after Brooks Koepka re-joined the PGA Tour. 

Koepka, 36, quit LIV Golf on 23 December but has already secured an immediate return to the established circuit via the time-sensitive "returning members programme". 

Said scheme will allow any LIV Golf player who has won a major championship, or The Players, since the breakaway's inauguration to return. 

Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm are the only players eligible to follow in Koepka's footsteps but they have until 2 February to make up their minds. 

Rahm is reportedly not keen on the idea, despite the fact a move back would solve his Ryder Cup dilemma. 

DeChambeau is currently negotiating and extension to his contract whilst Smith has not spoken about his situation. 

Pepperell told the most recent edition of The Chipping Forecast that Koepka's return to the PGA Tour is "potentially seismic". 

"I think if if one of those other aforementioned names were now to choose to come back over to the PGA Tour, I don't think it's at this point unrealistic to be considering that we might be talking about the end of LIV [or] the beginning of the end of LIV Golf as a project," he said.

"And look, that may be me getting well ahead of myself. That wouldn't be the first time. But I think that is the door that's been opened here.

"And I think strategically speaking, what a brilliant move from Brian Rolap and the board of the PGA Tour. 

"I mean, I know we touched on this a week or two ago, and I was of the view that they absolutely need to find a way back in to allow for some of these very big players. 

"What I think also is how damning an indictment it is for the players that effectively aren't invited back."

"The Joaquin Niemanns [and] the Tyrrell Hattons. The PGA Tour is effectively saying to these guys, 'we don't want nor need you'. 

"But what they are saying is if Bryson, Jon, Cam Smith, if you guys want to come back, you know, you're more than welcome with penalties that are appropriate. 

"So I think this is a beautiful move strategically, and I'm fascinated to see how it pans out, I guess, as well."

"The project is in tatters, really"

Brooks Koepka was allowed to exit his LIV Golf contract 12 months early. 

The decision was described by LIV Golf's chief executive, Scott O'Neil, as "amicable". 

The details of whether or not Koepka had to pay any money back are unclear. 

Given how the news has been received, one of the biggest questions now for LIV Golf is whether the league would extend the same treatment to DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith. 

In the unlikely scenario all three players depart, what would LIV Golf have left?

"Well, the project is in tatters, really," said Pepperell. 

"And I think what's also interesting is the timing of this. There's a good article that people should seek out in the New York Times, I think written about a month ago, talking about the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the finances. And actually, they're having to row back on investments.

"And they've warned investors that future investments are going to have to make a hole on previous investments that have gone south, including the big NEOM project of which they're losing huge amounts of money. 

"They are not in the position they were in financially three, four, five, even two years ago. They are now beginning to make different choices.

"And that's going to have an impact on LIV. And it's going to specifically have an impact on their negotiations with Bryson. 

"So, you know, this adds more fuel to Bryson's fire to go to LIV and Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] and say, I want X more.

"And he's going to have to go back to the bosses and say, we need to give this guy more, but we can't. 

"And so I think this is a fascinating, big picture stuff. But yeah, great, great, great move from the PGA Tour."

Tyrrell Hatton "had the rug pulled up from under his feet"

England's Tyrrell Hatton joined LIV in January 2024, one month after his European Ryder Cup teammate, Jon Rahm, agreed a five-year deal with LIV. 

Pepperell said the PGA Tour's proposal has "pulled the rug up" from under his feet. 

He joked that he would happily tune in to LIV Golf in 2026 if Hatton was playing in a league without Rahm, Hatton and DeChambeau. 

And he even suggested LIV should introduce a "Tyrrell Cam". 

"To see Tyrrell play a year on LIV Golf with, I mean, even less on it now than there would be in the future I think would be quite entertaining".