When Brooks Koepka’s drive found the first fairway at Torrey Pines on January 29, 2026, the gallery didn’t wait for him to do anything remarkable before making its feelings known. The “Welcome back” calls arrived almost immediately, before a putt had dropped or a birdie had been made, three and a half years of absence acknowledged and apparently forgiven in a single tee shot.

Jena Sims, inside the ropes, saw the reaction up close. When asked on Instagram how it felt, her answer was clear. She settled the question that Koepka himself had been unsure about.

“Extremely positive. People have been 100% welcoming, from a wife’s standpoint, and also people in the gallery.”

Jena’s response matters. Throughout Koepka’s career, she has been the one to set the tone, from her “Onwards, Dada” post to her direct answers online. Her words carry weight because she is not shaping a narrative; she is simply stating what is happening. Koepka had given his own account of the anxiety before the round.

“Just wanted a warm reception, just like everybody else,” he said. “You walk into a room, nobody wants to feel exiled; they just want to be loved. I mean, that’s human nature.”

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Koepka’s return was not about competition. His advisor, Bryan Freedman, confirmed that the travel demands of LIV Golf had kept the family separated for too long. Koepka himself pointed to family issues around the Ryder Cup as the turning point. His son, Crew, was with him at Torrey Pines. The decision was about family, not media spin.

The support from the gallery is not matched in the locker room. Wyndham Clark, who turned down LIV in 2024 for legacy reasons, admitted Koepka’s return is good for the Tour. But he also voiced the frustration many players feel.

“It’s kind of frustrating that he’s able to get the cake and also eat it.”

Clark later admitted that if he had known about the Returning Member Program, he might have taken the LIV offer himself. His frustration is less about principle than about a missed opportunity.

Patrick Reed’s return won’t follow the Brooks Koepka blueprint

Patrick Reed confirmed his LIV exit on January 28, 2026. While some compared his return to Koepka’s, the situations are not the same. Reed is not eligible for the Returning Member Program, as his last major was the 2018 Masters. He faces a standard one-year ban from his final LIV event in August 2025, so he cannot return before August 2026.

Reed is now playing on the DP World Tour. He has won the Dubai Desert Classic, finished second in Bahrain, and won the Qatar Masters. His route back is longer and lacks the institutional support Koepka received.

Scottie Scheffler, speaking at the WM Phoenix Open, welcomed both returns in the same breath, saying it was “great for the Tour, great for the fans, and great for our sponsors,” though the fuller picture of how the locker room is processing Reed’s comeback reflects a welcome that is conditional and far from settled.

Reed’s return will not be at Torrey Pines, and he will not return under the same program as Koepka. The circumstances are different, and the reception from fans remains uncertain.

Koepka’s return was shaped by timing and public support. Reed will need to find his own way back without the same advantages.