SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brooks Koepka will never imagine a dream week without a trophy, and he certainly won’t be tied for 56th place, 19 strokes behind the winner. But it felt like Torrey Pines.
“There’s always that little voice in the back of my head,” Koepka said a few weeks before returning to the PGA Tour after four seasons with LIV Golf playing Saudi Arabia’s riches. He had mentioned whether the PGA Tour would provide him with a path back, and that’s exactly what happened.
advertisement
There were also questions about how that little voice would be perceived in the locker room, on the practice field, in front of the microphone and especially off the ropes. It made him anxious.
Koepka had good reason to have great gratitude for Torrey Pines. “Welcome home” was heard over and over again on Thursday, and it didn’t stop until he finished with a birdie on Sunday.
But what’s strange about this atmosphere is that even before Koepka left for LIV, he had never been embraced like this. He was bossy. He was the big bad Brooks. He was more admired than worshiped.
Why is there so much love?
“I don’t have an answer,” Koepka said after the third round. “It’s hard to put yourself in their shoes. But it’s cool. I’m having fun. I think it’s great. I think people are just excited. I’m happy that they’re excited to see me, excited for me to be back. I hope this continues.”
advertisement
As Koepka stepped onto the 18th green on the South Course in front of a large crowd for the opening round, he heard another voice. This is what the audience said.
“Welcome back, Brooks. Touring is so much more fun with you.”
More than a five-time major champion and former No. 1 player in the world, Koepka may have been seen as a symbol of the slow repair of a fractured golf world. That’s what the fans want.
LIV Golf has been a big topic at Torrey Pines all week. It started with Koepka’s arrival on Monday. And on Wednesday, news came that former Masters champion Patrick Reed will also be leaving LIV to play a full European Tour schedule in hopes of returning to the PGA Tour.
advertisement
The tour also welcomed his return, although Reed will have to wait until September.
Koepka is not the solution, and perhaps not in the way Jon Rahm thought he would force unification with his decision to vote for LIV. But he may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
“As you can see, the dominoes are starting to fall,” Harris-English said. “Maybe the guys on the LIV Tour aren’t as happy on the outside and the grass isn’t greener on the other side. They see the PGA Tour getting stronger and having more success. And they know that money isn’t everything and money doesn’t fulfill them.”
It’s always about money. That’s why so many players left for LIV in the first place. And while established tours have always provided relevance, even players who hated everything about LIV appreciate how much a rival league has helped their bank accounts.
advertisement
“We’ve all benefited in some way from this turmoil,” Justin Rose said a week before coming to Torrey Pines to set a conference scoring record.
Rose mentioned the PGA Tour’s equity share and its 11 tournaments (excluding majors) that currently offer $20 million in prize money.
“But we need a premium product,” Rose said. And specifically about Koepka, he added, “This is the first time we’ve had someone come back to us that moved the needle.”
Koepka and Reed will strengthen the PGA Tour and weaken LIV, which got off to a tough start in its 2026 debut this week in Saudi Arabia. Phil Mickelson (family issues) and Lee Westwood (injury) have announced they will not play this year’s season opener in Saudi Arabia or Australia.
advertisement
Everything went well for Koepka except for his putt on the Poa Anua green at Torrey Pines. He’s grateful the PGA Tour brought him back and it showed. He then talked about how he fell in love with golf again and how much he values it. This is another side of Koepka that is rarely seen.
“Like anyone else, when you walk into a room, no one wants to feel like an outcast,” Koepka said. “They just want to be loved.”
For Koepka, it’s going to Phoenix. Unless he finishes as runner-up or better to qualify for the national tournament, he will next compete in his hometown tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida. “People won’t be talking about this in three weeks,” said one longtime caddy. He’s probably right.
But there is clear momentum on the PGA Tour, and Koepka is a big part of that.
advertisement
The last time I visited Torrey Pines, when the expired Genesis Invitation was relocated there due to wildfires near the Riviera, there was optimism that a PGA Tour deal with Saudi Arabia was on the horizon.
Now it’s further away than ever, and Adam Scott doesn’t see that changing. He feels the best chance for an agreement is when LIV is only a year old. LIV is currently in its fifth season.
“For big, complex things to come together, you have to get the timing right,” Scott, who was the White House player director, said when President Donald Trump met with PGA Tour executives and the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last year.
“I didn’t have much time after LIV, but now I have time,” he said. “It’s getting harder and harder. That’s my view from a million miles up high. They’re in their fourth year and there’s something going on. They’re going in their own direction. Maybe it was easier when there was less direction.”
advertisement
How everything will turn out remains to be seen. Scott still believes that “everything will end well.”
“I don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “I like what we’re doing. It feels great here.”
___
On the Fringe breaks down golf’s biggest topics of the season. AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
