The thing about Brooks Koepka, and why your circle is intensely attracted to him, is that he’s pretty hard to pin down. On the range and course, he’s all intensity, focus, and killer instinct. Off it, pros and caddies call him sweet, really nice, and relaxed. But ahead of his appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open, Koepka tried to thwart that doubt and confusion by answering a few essential questions, including what he expects from the fans, on his decision to leave LIV and join the Tour, and more.

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On his comeback to the PGA Tour

Brooks Koepka is playing his first Tour event since 2022, thanks to the Returning Member Program. But now that he’s officially returning to the Tour, what did he miss about it?

“That’s a good question,” Koepka begins at the pre-tournament presser on Wednesday. “I think the ability to have my family out all the time. I think that was one thing because they didn’t travel too much over the last few years. But like they’re going to be out this week, so I am super excited to be able to have them out.”

In fact, Koepka mentioned his family fourteen times in the presser. He added that a “lot’s gone on over the past five or six months with my family,” including wife Jena’s miscarriage, and that all “played a big role in coming back.” His family will be present for the next tournament as well, and Koepka repeated, “Just having my family around is really important.”

Now, as cynical as you are about him giving a similar response before joining LIV (i.e., spending more time with his family), he is right to point that out. Your average LIV schedule almost makes it impossible to tag along with your wife and toddler. A more U.S.-centric tour makes that feasible, with pros logging some 90 airborne hours and 37,000 miles versus LIV’s 218.5 hours and 102,105 miles every season, per Today’s Golfer’s Rob McGarr.

Meanwhile, Koepka added that he has already received several well-wishes. He doesn’t really name them, but said, “I mean, there’s maybe 10 to 15 guys that came up and said something. A lot of caddies. It’s tough to kind of put a number on it. Yeah, it was a lot of “Good to see you; glad you’re back.” Several other Tour pros have welcomed him back as well, though a bit diplomatically, like Scottie Scheffler.

On calling Tiger Woods before the PGA Tour return

When Brooks Koepka decided he wanted to return to the PGA Tour, officially, he first called Tiger Woods. “I’ve always had a good relationship with Tiger. I felt like that was—that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to—once I had the opportunity to get reinstated on the PGA Tour, it was exciting, and I kind of really didn’t know what to do. That was the first person that kind of came to mind.” More details here.

Meanwhile, after Koepka’s return, Woods said, “With Brooks’ addition to the Tour, it does. It makes it a better place to play. … It’s a win for everyone.” Now, the speculations of Woods and Koepka’s deep friendship—despite the former’s hard stance on LIV and its golfers—have been the talk of the town for quite some time now, especially after his surprise appearance with Woods’s TGL team members.

And considering Woods’s loyalty to the Tour and Koepka’s stature in the sport, it’s hardly surprising Woods saw his return as a big win for the circuit. That in turn explains why Koepka saw Woods as a reliable person for his comeback process, which happened quicker than anyone expected, thanks to Woods’s involvement.

On his relationship with his ex-employer, LIV

Now, does that mean Brooks Koepka regrets ever being a part of LIV? Well, not really. If asked if he could travel back in time to 2022, what would he change? Koepka answered, “I don’t regret anything I do. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve always enjoyed the ride no matter where I’m at. I think that’s one thing that’s—you also learn from anything, anything you’re doing, so I have no regrets.”

Now, that may sound a bit diplomatic, but it is not. We say so because the pro shared what he would miss about LIV: “I think maybe just being around the guys… It’s fun, and I’m going to miss some of those guys, seeing those guys pretty much week in and week out out there. The relationships I’ve built with those guys and not seeing them all the time—that will be quite different.”

On the other hand, we know about his transition on the Tour side, but what went on at LIV? After all, LIV lost one of its best faces. To that, Koepka explained, “No, I’m super grateful for Yasir and Scott and the way they handled things. I’d like to keep that all internal. They were great to deal with, and I’m just happy and fortunate enough to be out here now.”

There were, of course, concerns about Koepka breaking his LIV contract, but for now, it seems it went well. Here’s what the LIV CEO said in an official statement. That is not to say LIV is still not accused of ruining Koepka’s competitiveness. Following his PGA Championship win in 2023, Koepka did not finish T10 even once in any major. In 2025, he missed the cut in three majors, with his best coming with a T12 in the U.S. Open.

When reminded of that, and a lack of preparation given LIV’s hectic schedule, Koepka stated, “If you’re just not playing—I mean, I just didn’t play well last year…. So it’s tough to—I’m not going to put an excuse on anything else other than I’m the one holding the club, I’m the one who’s got to execute everything, and I just didn’t do a good enough job.”

If Koepka starts performing better in the majors this season, expect many think pieces on this one.

On Scottie Scheffler’s dominance

It’s hard not to talk about Scottie Scheffler and his dominance in golf. He has just been that good lately. In fact, after his win at The American Express, his 20th in four years, he set several records. So, what does Brooks Koepka feel about competing next to him?

“I’m super excited about it. Obviously, Scottie’s been dominant; I guess that’s probably the right word. Yeah, Rory’s got five [majors] now,” he said at the presser. “I’m excited to battle with them. I think that will be really fun… You obviously want to do a little bit better, but that’s going to be very tough to do better than Scottie right now.”

Koepka will face Scheffler in the WM Phoenix Open next month. Now, for all the times Rory McIlroy praised his competitiveness, remember when, back in 2023, in a Netflix Full Swing episode, Koepka said this? “I’ll be honest with you, I can’t compete with these guys, week in, week out.” But he’s back here, and he is going to compete week in, week out with these guys. So… now what?

Koepka is exempt through the end of the 2028 PGA Tour season. After his Farmers Insurance Open appearance, he’ll hit the WM Phoenix Open, Cognizant Classic, and The Players (PGA Championship exemption). As for signature events next season? He’ll need to qualify via a win, a top-30 world ranking, or an Aon Next 10 from FedExCup standings.

That’s why Koepka has a big opportunity this week. A top 10 finish at Torrey Pines will propel him to the top 50 in the world, with the event expected to carry around 57.5-61.5 OWGR points. A missed cut and a lack of opportunity for a sponsor exemption mean Koepka is in survival mode.

When asked about his routine, Koepka answered, “Yeah. I mean, my whole routine’s pretty consistent, I think.” He hits the gym, makes a few putts, and stretches out a lot. The usual routine.  Still, a successful return will be a grind, but hear out Koepka on that matter: “That’s the fun part. I love the grind; I’ve always enjoyed it.”

On his first PGA Tour appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open

We have already talked about Brooks Koepka’s chances at the Farmers Insurance Open, but what is the pro really expecting when he tees up this week? Not just from the fellow pros but also the fans. Koepka stated he is somewhat nervous.

“I think it feels a little bit different. I’m definitely a little bit more nervous this week, just coming back. But it feels good. I’m super grateful to be back. Yeah, there are a lot of guys I don’t know over the past, I guess, three and a half years. There are a lot of new faces, but I’m excited to meet those guys and feel like I’m part of the tour.”

Sure enough, plenty of new faces await him. During Wednesday’s South Course practice round, Koepka paired with newbie Marcelo Rozo. Akshay Bhatia and Matti Schmid joined them on the 18th tee — neither Bhatia nor Schmid was part of the Tour when Koepka dipped. In fact, close to half the pro-am players on Wednesday hadn’t snagged PGA Tour cards when Koepka joined LIV.

Returning to the PGA Tour fills the five-time major champ with rare nerves, fretting about what others think of him. But hey, Koepka didn’t join the suing team like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau. Even so, it’s to be decided at Torrey Pines or next week’s Phoenix Open how fans greet a guy who ditched the PGA Tour for a rival league flashing absurd signing bonuses. A confirmed “nine figures.”

“Maybe that’s what—maybe I’m a little nervous about that as well, just to see how, I guess, how the fans respond to it. I hope that they’re excited. I hope that they’re happy that I’m out here.”

Meanwhile, Koepka showed excitement on his return, saying, “I spent a lot of time in La Jolla. It’s nice to be back. It’s obviously a tough golf course. It’s fun to play, but it will really give me an idea where my game’s at.” His best performance at the tough Torrey Pines layout (both North and South courses) came in 2021 at the U.S. Open (T4).

But if we’re talking about his chances this week, they’re pretty slim, though not impossible. In his last two starts here (2021, 2022), Koepka missed the cut both times. Plus, he will face 15 of the top 30 and 26 of the top 50 players in the world, so it’s tough to predict. On the other hand, in his last two starts (Open de France, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship), he finished 4th and T15.

You can read the rest here.