One of the conditions for Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour included a $5 million donation to charity. 11 foundations received a portion of the money, and ahead of the Cognizant Classic, Koepka revealed the process that helped him decide on the charities to include in his donation. 

Talking to the media at the PGA National Champion Course, the five-time major champion said, “It was mutual. Me and the PGA TOUR got together.” 

“All those charities are charities that I've been involved with for years, either participated in or have gone and helped around or donated to before, and I just feel like it was a good opportunity to donate to something where I know the money is actually going to, things where I'm involved with already.”

$1.5 million was equally distributed among ten recipients (ALS Bridge Foundation, Best Buddies, Baby Quest Foundation, Pageant of Hope, Hannah’s Home of South Florida, Quantum House, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Palm beach County Sheriff’s Foundation, UnLIMBited Foundation, and The Thomas Healy Hambric Foundation - Beyond the Spectrum). 

Meanwhile, Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation received a million dollars. And the remaining $2.5 million was equally distributed to beneficiaries that eligible PGA Tour members selected. These included their foundations or charities that they support. 

But why did Brooks Koepka agree to donate to these specific charitable foundations? The reason lies in their locality. 

Koepka stated, “A lot of them are local, which is very cool, so you get to see the progress over years and years and get to go visit them.”

With the $5 million donation, Koepka found his way back into the PGA Tour. But coming to the Cognizant Classic after four years created another problem for him. 

Brooks Koepka Had to Reconnect With a Lot of New Faces Upon His Return

The 35-year-old admitted, “Honestly, there's probably more guys I've just had to introduce myself to. There's a lot of people I don't know.”

“It's good to see guys you haven't played with in a while, too. But it's been fun. It's been enjoyable. The feedback has been pretty good.”

Koepka last competed on the PGA Tour in 2022 before moving to LIV Golf. Returning to the PGA Tour in 2026, he has made two appearances already. His stance at the Farmers Insurance Open ended with a T56 finish.

Later, he missed the cut for the WM Phoenix Open. But can he do any better at the Cognizant Classic?

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Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu