LIV Golf has thrown billions of dollars at trying to take over the world of golf over the last three years, but the renegade league pushed by the Saudi Arabian government is no closer to accomplishing their goals than when they first began. And with the departure of Brooks Koepka, they may actually be further away than ever before.
LIV succeeded in writing blank checks to convince several of the world’s best golfers to leave the PGA Tour behind for instantaneous, generational wealth. That included legends like Phil Mickelson and major winners like Kopeka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Reed.
However, the series has failed to make any kind of impact in building a fanbase in the United States with microscopic ratings getting demolished by the PGA Tour. Even a new television deal with Fox Sports failed to move the needle for their numbers.
But LIV Golf may have suffered its biggest blow on Tuesday when one of their biggest stars in Koepka revealed that he was leaving the tour to spend more time with his family. Losing Koepka is proof that LIV simply can’t buy their way to world domination in golf. And now that the dam has cracked, the potential exists that other top stars may seek a way out after finding a lack of true competition and seeing the PGA Tour thriving in spite of golf’s great divide.
But in hilarious fashion, LIV’s reaction was to bury the lede like any good state-run organization would. Their acknowledgement of Koepka’s departure on social media made no mention of his leaving the league, only a picture saying thank you.
Thank you, @BKoepka pic.twitter.com/Z4brvVd76e
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) December 23, 2025
The other announcement that the official LIV Golf social media page shared was a quote tweet from Smash GC, apparently Koepka’s former team, with a video announcement that Talor Gooch would be taking over as team captain. That would be the same Talor Gooch whose most famous accomplishment in golf was suggesting that a Masters win would have an asterisk if he and other LIV golfers weren’t present.
A new era begins.
Captain @TalorGooch takes the helm. 💥@livgolf_league pic.twitter.com/ejrXzlp8s0
— Smash GC (@SmashGC) December 23, 2025
Incredibly, it actually gets even more comical from there.
On the LIV website, you won’t find any headlines about Brooks Koepka. Instead, you see a story from the LIV Golf staff entitled, “Statements on Talor Gooch taking over as Smash GC captain.”
Only when you click on the link do you find the news that Brooks Koepka would be stepping away from LIV for the 2026 season.
It’s too early to tell if Koepka is eyeing a potential return to the PGA Tour. To this point, no pathway exists for the LIV defectors to be welcomed back to the tour. All the PGA Tour players who left for LIV were effectively banned and Brooks Koepka would not be eligible to return until a year after his final LIV event. While he may have a much easier path to eligibility through his status as a major winner, others might not be so fortunate in trying to get a tour card once again. The PGA Tour’s statement wished the five-time major winner well, but made no acknowledgement of any possible return.
But honestly, the PGA Tour might not be too motivated to roll out the red carpet for Brooks Koepka or any other LIV member. The ratings have shown they don’t need them on a weekly basis with numbers and interest rebounding strongly in 2025. Of course, it would be great for the game if they would do so, but there does not exist the same pressures that did just a year ago. After conciliatory statements about a potential reunion coming from former PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, there has been no public movement towards bringing the game back together in months.
If others follow Brooks Koepka out the LIV Golf exit door, the PGA Tour may be content to stand pat and let the chips continue to fall where they may.
About Matt Yoder