Brooks Koepka Admits Calling Tiger Woods First Regarding Return to PGA Tour Following Release from LIV Golf

Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf in December after 4 seasons with the league and rejoined the PGA Tour this month.

Brooks Koepka Admits Calling Tiger Woods First Regarding Return to PGA Tour Following Release from LIV Golf

Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods (Image via Imago)

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This week, Brooks Koepka will make his first regular start on the PGA Tour in almost 4 years. Ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open, he opened up about his release from LIV Golf and revealed calling Tiger Woods first about a potential return to the tour.

Koepka, the 5-time major champion, stunned golf fans in December last month following his exit from LIV Golf. He was one of the big names that had left the tour and joined the Saudi-funded tour in 2022.

The ex-Smash GC captain had one more year remaining on his contract. However, he decided to leave and ended his tenure with LIV Golf after 4 years.

Two weeks later, he was reinstated on the PGA Tour. In a statement released by CEO Brian Rolapp, Koepka returned to the tour through the Returning Member Program.

The Farmers Insurance Open at the Torrey Pines course was revealed to be the one where he would make his highly anticipated return. In the press conference of the tournament on Tuesday, the former World No.1 spoke to the reporters for the first time since his release and revealed that he called Tiger Woods first and let him know about his intention to return.

The 23rd (December) I was released and then called Tiger (Woods) right away, then that process got the ball rolling. I called him. I’ve always had a good relationship with Tiger and I felt like that was what I wanted to do… But I felt like Tiger was somebody that I have relied on in the past for questions and answers, and how to deal with things. I felt like that would be the most comfortable call for me.

Brooks Koepka told the reporters

Following his return to the tour, Woods opened up about this. In a conversation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, the 50-year-old claimed it was incredible to have him back. During this, Woods revealed working with other board members, player directors and other players through Christmas and early New Year to come up with a solution for Koepka.

As per Koepka, he began exploring his exit by September during the Ryder Cup in New York. Last year, he was not a part of the U.S. team as he did not gain enough points to qualify for the competition.

It was in October that his wife, Jena Sims, made a tragic announcement. The 37-year-old announced in an Instagram post that she had suffered a miscarriage and lost their child at 16 weeks.

Brooks Koepka claims having no regrets regarding his decision to join LIV Golf in 2022

As Brooks Koepka prepares to make his dramatic return to the tour this week, he fielded several question from reporters on Tuesday. During this, he claimed having no regrets about his decision to join LIV Golf in 2022.

Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka (Image via Imago)

According to reports, Koepka joined LIV Golf in a deal worth more than $100 million. During his first season on the Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed-tour, he won the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah. He went on to win 4 more times on the circuit in the next two years.

His biggest win while being a LIV Golfer came in May 2023 when he won the PGA Championship. After a major slip up in the Masters Tournament a month ago, Koepka kept his cool this time and captured his 5th major championship at the Oak Hill Country Club.

The 2025 season was one that did not go well for him. He missed the cut in 3 majors championship (the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship). On LIV Golf, he managed just 2 top-10 finishes with one being a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Singapore.

The move to LIV Golf also saw his world rankings get affected. As of this week, Koepka is ranked 255th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Despite this, he has no regrets about joining LIV Golf in the first place.

I don’t regret anything I do. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve always enjoyed the ride no matter where I’m at. You also learn from anything, anything you’re doing, so I have no regrets.

Brooks Koepka told the reporters

The attention of the golf world now turns to Thursday as he enters the field at the Torrey Pines course for the Farmers Insurance Open. He will tee up alongside Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg as one of the featured groups this week.

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