The PGA Tour didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for Brooks Koepka upon his return. While that was expected, whether for the Tour to save face or to set a precedent, as Brandel Chamblee said, it now seems the PGA Tour is backtracking.
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As reported by Brentley Romine on X, the PGA Tour has announced that the TOUR Championship purse would no longer be a part of the FedExCup bonus pool. “The Tour announced today that the Tour Championship purse will no longer be considered part of the FEC bonus pool but rather official money,” Romine writes. “Meaning should Koepka qualify for East Lake, he could win a share of the $40 million purse, including the $10 million first-place prize.”
Part of Brooks Koepka’s penalty in rejoining the PGA Tour is he will be ineligible to collect FedExCup bonus money this year. However, the Tour announced today that the Tour Championship purse will no longer be considered part of the FEC bonus pool but rather official money, Show more
Part of Koepka’s punishment, which equals almost $85 M, as per the Tour’s new Returning Member Program, is that he will not be eligible to accumulate any FedExCup bonus money this year. Given that, the FedExCup bonus pool sits at nearly $100 M, so restrictions do carry massive financial implications. This situation has also left him slightly disappointed. But now the Tour’s decision changes the ex-LIV golfer’s ceiling this season.
In plain terms: if Brooks Koepka qualifies for East Lake, he can still win a share of the $40 M TOUR Championship purse. That also includes the $10 M first-place prize. This money will be paid as official earnings and will be completely different from the bonus pool.
While this can be read as a continuation of the ongoing shake-up of the FedExCup structure, the timing is quite curious, as it opens doors for Brooks Koepka to the $40M purse tournament, the largest in the PGA Tour calendar.
Notably, this year, the FedExCup bonus pool will be paid after the BMW Championship. Earlier, it was given towards the end of the TOUR Championship. So only the top 125 players – which is down from the 150 – will receive the bonus money.
The revamp comes amid a tumultuous time inside the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka’s return has divided the players and fans. While most have welcomed the ex-LIV golfer back, some, like Wyndham Clark, have also been open about their frustration with the process.
“If you would’ve told me that I could have gone for a year and a half, make a boatload of money, and then be able to come back and play on the Tour, I think almost everyone would have done that,” the 32-year-old vented in a podcast recently.
Interestingly, these aren’t the only changes being made to the playoffs, as the FedExCup points are also being adjusted
A reduction of the FedExCup points: Another opening for Brooks Koepka?
“Other notable changes, along with this news sees the first two playoff events each awarding 750 FedExCup points to the winner, down from 2,000,” writes Brentley Romine on his X account.