Tuesday night’s TGL match between Jupiter Links Golf Club and The Bay does not feature Tiger Woods or Ludvig Åberg, as both decided not to play.
LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka turns heads at TGL, should that mean something?
What could Brooks Koepka’s TGL appearance mean for his LIV Golf future?
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
But Brooks Koepka is there, taking in the scenes at the SoFi Center for the first time. His wife Jenna also joined him, and photos captured the Koepka’s interacting with Max Homa, Shane Lowry, and others before the match started.
The five-time major winner, whose last triumph came at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, joined LIV Golf in 2022. Since then, LIV has been at war with the PGA Tour, with both circuits competing side-by-side without crossover. That said, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV, signed a framework agreement with the tour in June 2023, three weeks after Koepka prevailed in Rochester. The two sides have been negotiating a deal since then, but no finalized agreement has come to fruition, although it appears one will come soon.
Maybe Koepka’s appearance at TGL, which consists of PGA Tour players only, signals that an agreement between the two circuits is imminent. Or, could TGL be looking to acquire a LIV Golf team? That could create plenty of intrigue since golf fans see PGA Tour and LIV stars compete side-by-side only four times per year: at the majors.
Or, perhaps Koepka is considering a return to the PGA Tour. His four-year contract with LIV Golf expires at the end of the 2025 season, and considering the golf world has not yet seen this situation arise, who knows how it will all play out. Does Koepka’s expired contract grant him the right to rejoin the PGA Tour? Or would his suspension from the tour carry over into the 2026 season? Regardless, tour executives in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida, should welcome Koepka with open arms, considering he is a ratings draw and the most successful major champion of the last decade.
Then again, Koepka resides in South Florida and has maintained relationships with plenty of PGA Tour players. He may have just been curious about the TGL experience and wanted to see his friends. But him being at the SoFi Center creates plenty of intrigue and leads to plenty of questions. Hopefully, in due time, those quandaries will be answered and will help paint a better picture of how professional golf will operate in the near future.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
