The wait is finally over! Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour with fans chanting "welcome back" from the sidelines.

On Thursday, the 29th of January, at the Farmers Insurance Open, posting a 1-over 74 on the South Course at Torrey Pines, Koepka made his appearance at the PGA.

Throughout the week, he addressed his nerves, and that raises the question of where the nerves come from for someone who has won five major championships.

He acknowledged feeling uneasy about being back among PGA Tour players. Unsure how fans would respond when he began playing on Thursday morning.

On Jan. 30, Cameron Jourdan shared a clip on X in which Brooks Koepka addressed this issue after being asked by Bob Harig.

“Because I care. I’ve fallen back in love with the game. Honestly, watching my son play a little bit, and wanting to be able to see him… well, I guess watch me play well and realize how much this game has given me, how fun it is, and how cool it is to just be out here.”

As someone who has always given such importance to his family, Koepka has openly stated "Just having my family around is really important." Koepka’s 2-year-old son, Crew, and his wife will be out at Torrey Pines this week.

With the Tour's schedule mainly taking place in the U.S, they’ll be able to be around more often than they have been in recent years.

“I think the ability to have my family out all the time. I think that was one thing because they didn't travel too much over the last few years,” he said.

Koepka sits 11 shots behind first-round leader Justin Rose after Thursday’s play. Rose shot 10-under 62 on the North Course at Torrey Pines.

Meanwhile, among those who played the South Course, Seamus Power posted the lowest score at 7-under 65.

As fans welcomed Koepka back on Thursday, 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama spoke about Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

Hideki Matsuyama addressed Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour return

Speaking to Golf Digest Japan ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open, Hideki Matsuyama addressed  Koepka’s return.

“I was shocked to hear about it in the news. I thought, ‘He can come back...?’ He achieved results on LIV, so that’s probably why they took that measure.”

Matsuyama later clarified that his concerns were not directed at Koepka, but at the process itself.

“I have nothing against the player himself. I actually think Brooks is pretty impressive for having the courage to make that decision [to terminate his LIV contract]. But I do question why the PGA Tour didn’t explain things to the players beforehand. At the very least, I wasn’t aware such a rule existed.”

There was once an understanding that players who joined LIV Golf would be barred from the PGA Tour for a year. That belief influenced decisions at the time.

In 2022, Hideki Matsuyama was reported to have declined a nine-figure offer from LIV Golf. 

At that point, the expectation was that leaving the PGA Tour would bring consequences. As a result, many players weighed those risks carefully.

What do you think Koepka is going to achieve on the PGA Tour this time around? Tell us in the comments!

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu