Brooks Koepka Might Be the Domino That Ends LIV Golf

Brooks Koepka may be the first major domino to fall for LIV Golf, and the implications run far deeper than one player changing tours. In this episode, Trey Wingo breaks down why the rumors around Koepka potentially leaving LIV and returning to the PGA Tour in 2026 represent a seismic shift in professional golf, and why this moment may be remembered as the true beginning of the end for LIV as a relevant force in the sport.

Reports suggest Brooks Koepka might not play a single LIV Golf event in 2026 as he attempts to reset his status and reestablish his standing for a PGA Tour return. Some believe this could serve as a de facto one-year suspension period that allows him to qualify for his PGA Tour card again. Trey connects this to recent conversations with Kevin Kisner on Straight Facts Homie, where the two discussed how LIV stars might navigate a comeback path and what this means for the future of both tours.

Trey explains that Koepka’s original decision to join LIV had little to do with loyalty to the league and everything to do with his physical state at the time. His knee was severely compromised during his final months on the PGA Tour, to the point where he could barely squat to read putts. LIV’s guaranteed contract gave him financial security when he wasn’t sure he’d ever compete at a high level again. But that changed when his knee recovered and he won the 2023 PGA Championship. Once Koepka proved he could still beat the best players in the world, the calculus shifted.

This is where the stakes rise. LIV Golf was built on poaching superstars to force the PGA Tour into a partnership that would give the Saudi Public Investment Fund a seat at golf’s most powerful table. The entire strategy depended on those stars staying put long enough to weaken the PGA Tour’s depth and leverage. But if marquee players like Brooks Koepka — and potentially Bryson DeChambeau down the road — start to walk away, the foundation of LIV’s power immediately collapses.

Trey also breaks down the bizarre and evasive quote from LIV’s CEO, who responded to the Koepka rumors with a confusing and meaningless statement that raised more questions than answers. That lack of clarity highlights the instability around LIV’s roster, its long-term plan, and its diminishing ability to keep elite talent engaged.

The bigger picture is even more revealing: the PIF didn’t create LIV to build a rival tour with a lasting legacy. The goal was influence — the same tactic used in Formula One, English Premier League soccer, and even the global art world. By pulling enough stars away from the PGA Tour, LIV hoped to force a merger or partnership. But the PGA Tour’s resurgence, the rise of stars like Scottie Scheffler, and the breakthrough performances of players like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood shifted the power dynamic back toward the traditional structure of the sport.

This is why Koepka’s potential departure matters so much. LIV can lose money for years — that’s not the issue. What they can’t lose is relevance. And when a five-time major champion who has already won on LIV decides he doesn’t want to be there anymore, that’s an existential threat. Koepka’s move could spark a chain reaction. One player leaves, then another, and suddenly the dam begins to crack. That’s how movements collapse — not all at once, but piece by piece.

Trey walks through the competitive mindset of players like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm and explains why elite golfers ultimately crave the biggest stages and deepest fields. Majors matter. Legacy matters. Competition matters. And if LIV can’t provide the competitive environment top players are wired for, the gravitational pull of the PGA Tour becomes impossible to ignore.

By the end of this video, Trey lays out why this moment — the rumors surrounding Koepka’s future — could mark the turning point where LIV Golf shifts from disruptor to afterthought. Not because it shuts down, but because it loses the influence it once threatened to seize.

If you want a clear, unfiltered breakdown of why Brooks Koepka’s decision could reshape the future of professional golf, this is the episode you need to watch.

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In case you’re wondering, this is how the beginning of the end looks like when we’re talking about Live Golf. Let me explain. Brooks Kepka is rumored to be potentially leaving Live Golf and returning to the PGA Tour, and he might not play a single event for the Live Golf Tour in 2026. Now, some people are saying that may serve as a de facto one-year suspension for him to come back to the PGA Tour and thus establish his credentials again to get his PGA Tour card. Something that Kevin Kizner and I talked about in our latest Straight Facts Homie episode about what to make of Liv stars that might want to come back and play on the PGA Tour. But this this is how it ends for Liv. And I don’t mean ends in terms that they will cease operations. I mean, this is how it ends for Liv in terms of being in any way, shape, or form relevant or being able to pull any sort of power play with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour or the Official World Golf Rankings because once you start losing superstars and you don’t have a feeder system through which they can create the next level of superstars, which is something the PJ tour has in the corn ferry tour and and the way things are working there, then you’re just poaching, which is what they did to start this thing anyway. So, so let’s go through what’s going on with Brooks. The these reports have swirled for a long time, uh, that he’s been unhappy on Liv and for a variety of reasons. First of all, if you just go back and listen to what Brooks Kepka said when he took the hundreds of millions of dollars or hundred million dollars or whatever the outrageous number is to play on the live tour, he said at the time he considered it his retirement pension, his retirement bonus. His knee was so effed up he could barely walk and play on the PGA Tour. And if you go back and look at him trying to read putts through his last season on the PGA Tour, he couldn’t even squat down like most of us do and look at the putt. He would have to get into that old Camilo Vagus Spider-Man pose where he would lie prone basically on the green, his stomach and chest barely above it with his legs sort of flat behind him so he could get down and read a putt. That’s how effed up his knee was. Okay. and he said at the time he didn’t know whether or not he would ever really be able to play competitive golf again on the PGA Tour. So he was like, “Okay, you know, I’ve got my four majors at that time.” He hadn’t won the 2023 PGA Tour yet at a PGA Championship rather yet at Oakill. So, he’s like, “Look, if I can’t play competitive golf anymore, I would be crazy not to take this money and just go out there and set up my family for generations and then just cash it in and and figure out what I’m going to do next.” Because remember, Brooks Kek is one of those guys like Gary Woodland who really wanted to play another sport. Brooks wanted to be a baseball player. Gary Woodland wanted to be a basketball player. In fact, he went to a small school. I think it was Wobbash, but I’m not sure. and they played at Allen Fieldhouse once and Gary was on the floor and that’s when Gary realized I am not going to be a professional basketball player. I got to figure something else out. And Brooks went through the same thing. He realized he wasn’t good enough to be a major league baseball player. So that’s when he turned to golf. Side note, don’t you hate people like that that are so talented at one or two sports uh that they can choose, ah, if I’m not good at this, I’ll just go make a [ __ ] ton of money on the PGA tour playing golf and win five majors. hate those guys. Side note, I don’t really hate them, but you understand. It’s annoying. So, the whole premise of Brooks leaving was never about the idea that he thought Liv was a new and exciting way to grow the game. It was never about, “Hey, this is something I really want to get behind.” He was like, “Look, I might not be able to play anymore. I might not be able to play anymore, and if they’re offering me money, I’d be foolish not to take it.” And on that point, I totally get it. I totally understand. But then his knee got better, right? and he did win the 2023 PGA Championship at Oakhill in Rochester, New York. And suddenly things changed. And so these rumors have been out there for a while. Uh a couple of websites have been reporting this for a long time. And this quote, by the way, from the CEO of Liv is absolutely hilarious. Scott Neil is his name. This was how he addressed the rumors and the reports that Brooks may not play again on Liv, take off all of 2026 and try and reestablish his tour card going forward in 2027. This is a direct quote from Scott O’Neal, the new CEO at LIV verbatim. So, I want you to tell me what this means. This is what he said. Um, I know you’re not going to want to hear this one, just the individual players. And this goes back to our policy. We’re just going to run it through. So, we haven’t made any announcement on players, but he meaning Brooks Keepka is signed for 2026. That’s just a word salad, man. That’s just mouth vomit. That’s just bejangled jarled jargon of nothing. Let’s read Let’s go through this again. Right. When Scott O’Neal, the CEO of Liv, was pressed about the rumors that Brooks Kepka may never play again on the Live Tour. His contract ends in August of 2026 with Lib. This was his response. I know you’re not going to want to hear this one, just the individual players. And this goes back to our policy. We’re just going to run it through. So, we haven’t made any announcements or on players, but he is signed for 2026. The hell is that? I mean, what is that? What is he actually saying? Oh, he’s saying nothing. That’s what he’s saying. He’s saying nothing. And if this is the way it goes for Brooks Kepka, again, this is the beginning of the end of the live tour. Not in terms of ceasing operations, but in terms of being any sort of threat or power dynamic or a split in terms of where the best players are. Because this is about a guy who realizes I can still play at the highest level. And even with all the money they gave me, I really don’t want to play here. I want to play where the best players play. And that’s on the PGA Tour. And if you really understand anything about the history of Live Golf and the PIF in Saudi Arabia, the public investment fund that has billions of dollars in it, what you need to understand is live is not that important to them in terms of a golf tour or a professional league. There’s a term in politics called, and again, I’m not getting political here. I’m just telling you this is a term used in politics. It’s called useful idiots. Okay? And basically in this situation, you get someone to do something for you that you know will help what you are trying to achieve in the long run without them knowing that’s what you’re doing. And that’s essentially what’s happening here with Liv Golf and specifically in Brooks Kepka. Live golf was created so that the Saudis could get a seat at the table much in the same way they’ve done in Formula 1, which is one of the more popular sports in the world. much in the same way they’ve done it in English Premier League soccer. Uh, arguably the greatest standard of soccer there is in the world. And they have found a way to squeeze or force their way in to the table to be a power broker in those sports of Formula 1 and of English Premier Soccer, EPL, English Premier League. So edit. The whole point of this was to take away enough stars from the PGA Tour that the PJ tour would have to say to live, “Hey, we need to find a way to come together. We need to find a way to work together so we can all have a seat at the table and enjoy this thing.” And if you look at the history of the PIF fund, this is exactly what they’ve tried to do, not only in sports but also in other venues. Uh Saudi Arabian government has now partnered with the Louvre, the French museum of incredible historic significance and renown to create a living art museum in the desert of Saudi Arabia. This is all because the country of Saudi Saudi Arabia knows that eventually the oil is going to run out and it could be a 100 200 years from now, but they’re going to have to find a new way to be on the world stage and a part of the world economy and a part of a place of power uh in the universe and on earth, right? So, they also uh bid a ridiculous amount of money for a Leonardo da Vinci painting because uh they want to make sure they have that and that’s a bargaining chip for them to be an entrance into the art world as they try and recreate their image. So, the whole point of LIV was never to have this rival league and let’s see what happens. The whole point of it, the whole point of it was to get them a seat at the table at the biggest event in golf, the PGA Tour. I mean, let’s just I mean, it is I mean, it’s the best tour and it always has been and for the foreseeable future, it always will be. Um, this is not a for me anyway, this is not a moral stand. This is just a reality stand. Okay? So, that’s why you paid the Sergio Garcia, the Brooks, Kepkas, the Bryson Dshamos, the Dustin Johnson’s. you wanted to poach all those stars. So, at some point, the PJ tour would say, “Man, we can’t have all those guys leaving. We we got to find a way to work with you guys.” And then a funny thing happened. Scotty Sheffller came along. Scotty Sheoffller is doing Tiger-like things. And although we’ve chronicled it a lot on this podcast, not quite to the level and consistency of Tiger, but he’s doing Tiger Woods type things. Then you have Rory Mroy winning the Grand Slam of Golf. Uh then you have Tommy Fleetwood finally breaking through on the PGA Tour and suddenly whatever agreement in principle or in place or framework that the PJ tour had with Lib was like why do we need this? And you heard the words of Brian Rolap in a recent interview basically where he said you know I don’t uh I we’d love to have everybody under one group but we know the PJ tour is the best tour and the best golf tour there is and there’s no doubt about that. The whole point of this was for them being Liv to poach stars to create a dynamic and a power vacuum of stars on the PJ tour that would force these two groups to come together. And Brooks Kepka deciding to leave is the one thing Liv can’t handle. They don’t have any problem losing millions and millions of dollars over the years as long as it gets them what they want, which is a seat at the table. But when a guy like Brooks Kepka, five majors, and one of them as a member of Live Golf in 2023, when a guy like him says, “I don’t think I want to play here anymore,” that’s when whatever power, whatever leverage Liv had, absolutely goes away. So when I say this is what the beginning of the end looks like, this is how it ends for Liv Golf for being relevant in any way, shape, or form. And I’m sure the live bots are going to fill up the comments and that’s fine. That’s what they’re paid to do and they’re more than happy to do it. But you know, you heard my conversation with Kevin Kisner. He tried to watch it once and he couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. The whole point of this thing was to poach stars and force the PJ tour’s hand so they could come together and give the Saudis what they wanted, a seat at the table, much like they have in Formula 1, much like they have in English Premier League. And then the question becomes, well, what do you do with Brooks Keep if he comes back? Now, there’s a very interesting uh theory put out there on Twitter that was basically like, if Brooks wants to come back, screw the one-year suspension, just say come on back. And people on the PGA tour clap back at you. You say, well, when you’ve won five majors, then then you can tell us what to do. But until you’ve won five majors like Brooks Kepka has, and oh by the way, not only has he won five majors, he won the PGA Championship in back-to-back years. And he also won the US Open in back-to-back years. Just so people understand, the last three players to win the US Open in back-to-back years. Brooks Kepka in 2017 and 2018 at Aaron Hills and Whistling Straits. Before that, it was Curtis Strange in the late 80s and before that it was Ben Hogan. Okay, so that’s the kind of star power we’re talking about here. This is not a oneoff guy like Web Simpson who won the 2012 US Open at Olympic Club or Todd Hamilton in 2004 found a way to win the Open Championship. Backto back US Opens. Tigers never done it. Okay, that’s how difficult this is. So that’s what we’re talking about with the star power of someone like Brooks Kepka. That’s what he brings to the table. And that account on Twitter basically said, “Hey, you want to break Liv? Just say come on back because you’re you’re that big of a star and we want you back.” And that’s the kind of thing which will start the beginning and the end of Liv being in any way, shape, or form relevant in the world of golf. Not to be honestly accurate about it that they’ve been really relevant at all. You can’t find them anywhere. And when you can find them, no one’s watching. Um, so there’s never been a doubt that Liv has great players. That has never been in question. They have a ton of really, really highly skilled top golfers in the world. The product is trash. It always has been and it always will be because it was set up to be nothing more than a money grab and a power grab. And when those things didn’t give the Saudis and the PIF and live what they wanted, then what’s the point? What’s the point of it? The point of it, there is no point unless they can wedge their way in to a seat at the table with the PGA Tour. So, if a guy like Brooks Kepka suddenly comes back to the PGA Tour, this is how the whole struggle ends. when Brooks leaves and at some point I believe Bryson might leave even though he signed through 2027. And I want to be clear about one thing. Kudos to Bryson Dambo because unlike Brooks and unlike John Rom, he’s found a way to win and be really consistent in majors despite only playing 54 holes even though they’re going to 72 this year to get official World Golf rankings points. um he’s been the one guy that has figured it out. You know, like John Ro won the live player of the year despite not winning an event. He didn’t win one event and uh uh we Neman I think won five or six times on on the live tour this past year and somehow he wasn’t the player of the year and John Rom was. John Rom looks miserable at every live golf event he’s ever played. Now to be fair to John, sometimes he looked miserable on the PGA tour as well, but that fueled his competitive fire. All right. He has not found a way to be relevant or competitive. Brooks did for a while and then he stumbled back a little bit this past season. I think he missed the cut in three of the four majors. Um, but at at these guys hearts, at their core, they’re competitors. They’re competitors. John Rom was the number one player in the world after he won the 2023 Masters. and his decision to jump cuz they threw a ridiculous amount of money at him doesn’t change the fact that he’s not happy, he’s not thrilled, and his competitive fire outside of the Ryder Cup where he was amazing is just not there on a consistent basis on the things that matter most to him, the majors. So, it usually takes one guy to sort of be the springboard for everybody else. And once that one domino falls, almost in any other situation, whether it’s sports, politics, business, when one guy decides to go the other way, then the next one and the next one and the next one will follow suit. So, it sure looks like Brooks Kepka is going to be the one that starts the leak in the dam. And once that leak starts, it gets bigger and bigger and bigger until the dam crumbles and the whole damn thing falls apart. So when we say this is what the beginning of the end looks like for Liv, that’s what we’re talking about. It starts as a trickle, then goes up to a stream, and then becomes a torrent that nobody can stop. And it sure looks like that trickle starts with a guy who’s won five majors and wants to play on the most competitive tour there is while he can still be as competitive as possible. His name is Brooks Kepka and he might be the one that starts the entire downfall of this whole experiment of live golf. And that’s straight facts, homie.