Tom Watson doesn't believe Brooks Koepka should be playing on PGA Tour

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If it were up to Tom Watson, Brooks Koepka would not be back on the PGA Tour.

At least not yet.

Watson, the two-time Masters champion, said the PGA Tour reneged on its policy when it allowed Koepka to return after four years on the Saud-financed league. He believes the punishment for Tour players who defected to LIV should include a much more difficult path back to the Tour.

"The Tour made a decision to renege on what they promised when the players left for LIV," Watson said April 9 after hitting his shot as one of the three Honorary Starters before the Masters along with North Palm Beach's Jack Nicklaus and Jupiter Island's Gary Player. "They felt that the compensation that he's paid is good enough.

"I thought the LIV players, when they left, they were supposed to be banned for life. If I was commissioner, that's what I would do. I'd say if you're finished with your contract with LIV Golf, if you want to play the PGA Tour again, you come back, and you must play the Korn Ferry Tour for a year to qualify for it."

Koepka, 35, was allowed to return to the PGA Tour in January. His penalty is he's not allowed to be part of the Player Equity Program for the next five years, will not receive money from the FedEx Cup Bonus Program for the 2026 season and he agreed to make a $5 million charitable donation.

"When the players left, they violated the number one rule that we really had out here, which is to protect the sponsors. Sponsors need players," Watson said. "They need the names to be able to promote their tournaments. If the players play wherever they want to play without a conflicting event rule, where you had to seek the permission of the PGA Tour to play in a tournament opposite of a PGA Tour tournament, the sponsors would be hurt by that. I think we all understood that.

"When the players left for LIV, I think it was basically over. They chose to go for the money, which is fine, but to return to the Tour, I thought, was a nonstarter, but apparently it's not."

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].