While Brooks Koepka fuels speculation over a possible LIV Golf exit with continued silence, his brother just made real noise elsewhere.

Chase Koepka Monday-qualified for the Pinnacle Bank Championship—his first Korn Ferry Tour start since 2020. After battling injuries and falling out of LIV, he’s earned his way back through grit, not legacy. As Brooks stays vague about his future, Chase is already rewriting his own.

Chase Koepka’s comeback follows a brutal stretch of injuries and poor form. He had a disastrous LIV season in 2022, finishing 48th out of 52 players. As a result, Brooks didn’t retain him on Smash GC, and Chase lost his spot. In early 2023, shoulder pain worsened during LIV Singapore. “It came to a point when I was not able to squeeze my hand,” he said. He played through pain but eventually needed surgery for nerve damage in May.

For months, golf took a backseat. Instead, he focused on rehab and mental recovery. “We spent a lot of time together,” Chase said of Brooks. “Hanging with his family helped me mentally.” Slowly, Chase returned to practice but progress wasn’t easy. “There was no muscle memory,” he admitted. “My drive was all gone.” Even then, he kept going. He didn’t touch a driver until November. By December, his coach warned that he wasn’t tournament-ready yet. Still, Chase entered Asian Tour events to test himself. He finished T-73 in the Philippine Open, then climbed to T-8 in India.

The younger Koepka’s return also reflects a quiet policy shift within the PGA Tour. Since the Korn Ferry Tour operates under its umbrella, suspended players couldn’t compete without PGA approval. However, like LIV defector James Piot, who recently received a sponsor’s exemption on the main tour, Koepka appears to have been reinstated.

Piot hadn’t played a LIV Golf event since 2023 and was in the middle of a Monday qualifier when he got the call. “It’s the coolest thing in the world,” Piot told The Detroit News, reflecting the emotional weight of his return. The 31-year-old followed a similar path: time away, recovery, and a slow rebuild through lesser-known circuits. Now, PGA-sanctioned events are within reach again.

Though the Tour hasn’t officially lifted suspensions, these recent entries suggest the window has quietly reopened. With LIV talks still stalled, the league isn’t holding its former players back anymore. For Koepka, there’s no need to wait for a merger—he’s already finding his way back, one round at a time.

The Pinnacle Bank Championship unfolds at Omaha’s Club at Indian Creek. It plays as a standard 72-hole stroke-play event. After two rounds, the top 65 players and ties will advance. Standard fields range from 144 to 156 players. The winner pockets approximately $180,000 from the $1 million purse—18 percent of total winnings.

Moreover, the Korn Ferry event grants 500 season points to its champion. A three-win season earns an immediate PGA Tour promotion. Additionally, cumulative points determine eligibility for the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals and PGA Tour cards. For Chase, a strong performance here could supercharge his climb toward PGA status.

Chase isn’t just back—he’s back where it counts, with everything to gain and nothing handed to him.

PGA Tour Quietly Reopens Doors for Ex‑LIV Players

When LIV Golf launched in 2022, several rising stars and journeymen chased its guaranteed money and global platform. But as the PGA Tour responded with suspensions, many found themselves locked out of traditional pathways. Now, quietly and without formal announcement, that door is opening again.

James Piot, once a U.S. Amateur champion, joined LIV straight out of college. He struggled to post a single top-20 finish in two seasons and was eventually relegated. After not playing a LIV event in 2024, he returned to the PGA system this summer with a sponsor exemption into the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “It’s awesome… a dream come true,” Piot told Detroit News, describing the emotional weight of his comeback.

Laurie Canter, a British pro and one of LIV’s early international signings, saw his world ranking plummet due to limited eligibility. However, after quietly stepping away from LIV events in 2023, he became eligible to tee it up at The Players Championship 2025 via OWGR points—becoming the first former LIV golfer to qualify through standard PGA criteria.

Another example is Turk Pettit, a former NCAA champion who played LIV’s inaugural season. After his suspension expired in 2023, he reappeared on the Korn Ferry Tour, signaling that even lower-ranked players could find reentry points as long as they served their penalty.

Each case reflects a broader pattern: The PGA Tour may not be announcing it, but it’s clearly welcoming back some former defectors—especially those who walked away quietly and didn’t sue.