Brooks Koepka‘s potential return to the PGA Tour is creating a collision course with an uncomfortable reality, and one factor might force the Tour into a corner: television. In a way, it influences every decision the PGA Tour makes, and the big talk about ‘integrity’ and ‘meritocracy’ takes a backseat. This idea is raised quite aptly by Smylie Kaufman in his new podcast video dropped on January 10th.

“As we increasingly talk more and more about the PGA Tour product, how do we create more value for the product?” he posed this rhetorical question. Answering it himself, he said, “The influence of television networks and [them] saying, ‘Wait a second, we can make a little more money on this thing; sell it at a higher rate if we have a guy like Brooks Koepka,’ definitely has to be a driving factor.”

It goes without saying that the Tour reaps the fruits of TV broadcast seeds. In 2025, the PGA Tour enjoyed several network hikes. CBS averaged 2.16 million viewers, which was a 21% jump from 2024 and the network’s best figure since 2022. NBC’s FedEx coverage climbed to 2.38 million, an 18% hike. If we take a specific example, then the TOUR Championship’s final drew around 4.5 million viewers, which was a massive 34% jump from the year before. The TOUR Championship, as we all know, isn’t even a major championship.

But who do we credit these achievements to? If the viewership saw a massive jump, it was due to the many extraordinary instances that took place in golf in 2025. For instance, Tommy Fleetwood‘s first PGA Tour win after 11 years, Rory McIlroy‘s career Grand Slam completion, Team Europe’s unexpected win at the Ryder Cup, and Scottie Scheffler‘s record-breaking dominance. When there are star players, viewers will tune in. And that’s how Brooks Koepka becomes the ‘driving factor.’

CBS and NBC collectively pay somewhere between $700 and $900 million annually in broadcast rights. These networks will, therefore, undoubtedly argue about a stronger field with Koepka if he is admitted into the Tour.

This is going to put Brian Rolapp and Tiger Woods in a spot. For the year 2026, Rolapp has planned to reduce the Tour’s schedule, a complaint that the Tour official has often faced. By 2027, we might see just 20-25 events, down from 40. The field has also been strictly reduced to 100 golfers from 125. Naturally, there will be a scarcity of spots in competitions. Fewer events mean fewer chances of getting into the Tour, especially for rookies.

Bring Koepka on top of that, and one spot automatically gets filled. A spot that could have belonged to a PGA Tour player reaching there on merit.

“I myself hope that he does tee it up this season, but I definitely don’t want him to be taking a spot away from a PGA Tour player,” said Kaufman.

So how would the Tour manage this? Will they expand the field by one spot so that one player could get in based on Koepka’s re-entry, questions Kaufman. That’s not going to happen. But it does create an ultimate paradox for Rolapp and Woods.

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But hasn’t the PGA Tour been doing that?

This entire dilemma of money over meritocracy and vice versa sounds dull when one considers the Signature events. These events have always been limited-field with a massive prize money ($20 million) at stake. These events are meant to gather the sport’s elite. It has done so several times with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Despite having below-average performances, they kept receiving an exemption because of their name. It has seen massive backlash from golfers and fans alike, but did that stop the Tour? No.

Similarly, Koepka, with five majors, fits that narrative. On top of that, he’s fresh off of LIV, the first marquee player from the elite trio of him, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm to leave the league. Everyone would want to see him on the field. And that’s exactly what the sponsors would want. More eyeballs.

“I think…many of the players who either didn’t get into Signature Events or just missed getting their PGA Tour card… they’re watching this pretty closely to see how…this committee…is going to handle this situation,” Smylie Kaufman cuts right through the throat.

If Koepka is barred from Signature Events, the Tour weakens its own product. If he is admitted immediately, other players will justifiably question why rules apply differently to elite talent.