Brooks Koepka said Tiger Woods was the first person he called when he was granted his release. I asked why Tiger?
“Tiger was somebody that I’ve relied on in the past for questions and answers and how to deal with things. I feel like that was maybe the most comfortable call for… pic.twitter.com/RarmWsjq2B
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) January 27, 2026
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Brooks Koepka didn’t waste time when working to forge his path back to the PGA Tour.
The five-time major champion makes his return Thursday at the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open, his first PGA Tour event in nearly 4 years. Koepka, who has played the last four years primarily on LIV Golf, was released from the league and his contract Dec. 23.
His first phone call when he was released? Tiger Woods.
“I’ve always had a good relationship with Tiger,” Koepka said Tuesday at a pre-tournament news conference. “I felt like that was — that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to — once I had the opportunity to I guess get reinstated on PGA Tour, it was exciting and kind of really didn’t know what to do. That was the first person that kind of came to mind.”
There have been plenty of changes to the PGA Tour since Koepka left in the summer of 2022. There’s a new CEO, new competitive structure, larger payouts and more changes coming.
However, a certain Big Cat remains as important a person to professional golf as anyone, especially the PGA Tour, and Koepka figured Woods would be a good first phone call to make.
“I didn’t know Brian (Rolapp), I didn’t have a relationship with him obviously, just because he’s pretty new,” Koepka said. “And Jay, Jay was going to be the next call. I felt like Tiger was somebody that I’ve relied on in the past for questions and answers and how to deal with things, and I felt like that was maybe the most comfortable call for me.”
A couple weeks ago, after a TGL match, Woods said Koepka’s return to the Tour said a lot about the organization’s direction. “With Brooks’ addition to the Tour, it does. It makes it a better place to play. … It’s a win for everyone.”
And thanks, in part, to Tiger, Koepka is back on the PGA Tour just a little more than a month after officially leaving LIV Golf.
