{"id":127242,"date":"2026-04-09T17:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/pga-tour-broke-promise-on-brooks-koepkas-return-honorary-masters-starter-tom-watson-says-127242"},"modified":"2026-04-09T17:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:27:53","slug":"pga-tour-broke-promise-on-brooks-koepkas-return-honorary-masters-starter-tom-watson-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/pga-tour-broke-promise-on-brooks-koepkas-return-honorary-masters-starter-tom-watson-says-127242","title":{"rendered":"PGA Tour broke promise on Brooks Koepka\u2019s return, honorary Masters starter Tom Watson says"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Legendary golfer Tom Watson offered a blunt take the new program that paved the way for Brooks Koepka\u2019s return to the PGA Tour.<\/a><\/p>\n

Koepka left LIV Golf in December 2025. At the time of his departure, the three-time PGA Championship winner had roughly one year remaining on his contract with the Saudi-backed circuit.<\/p>\n

Koepka applied for PGA Tour reinstatement<\/a> and quickly gained approval under the tour’s new Returning Member Program. Watson, a two-time Masters champion who participated in Thursday morning’s ceremonial tee off at Augusta National, voiced strong criticism about the process.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“The Tour \u200bmade a decision to renege on what they promised when the players left for LIV. They felt \u200cthat the compensation that he’s paid is good enough,” Watson said at the 90th edition of the Masters.<\/p>\n

Watson then laid out what he believes should happen going forward.<\/p>\n

“I thought the LIV players,<\/a> when they left, they were supposed to be banned for life. If I was commissioner, that’s what I \u200bwould do. I’d say if you’re finished with your contract with LIV Golf, if you want to play \u200bthe PGA Tour again, you come back, and you must play the Korn Ferry Tour for \u2060a year to qualify for it.”<\/p>\n

BROOKS KOEPKA’S ATTORNEY GIVES INSIDE LOOK INTO GOLFER’S LIV DEPARTURE, RETURN TO PGA TOUR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Koepka addressed his return to the PGA Tour in a post on social media.<\/p>\n

“When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the PGA Tour, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA Tour,” Koepka said in a statement posted to X on Jan. 12. “Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me. I believe in where the PGA Tour is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake.”<\/p>\n

“I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those,” his statement continued.<\/p>\n

He agreed to five years in the player equity program \u2014 a penalty worth up to $85 million, according to the tour’s CEO Brian Rolapp. The pro golfer also committed to $5 million in charity donations and will have to earn his way into the tour’s signature events.<\/a><\/p>\n

Several LIV golfers \u2014 including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith \u2014 rejected the PGA Tour\u2019s controversial offer. Hideki Matsuyama and Wyndham Clark, who reportedly passed on financially advantageous LIV deals, said Koepka\u2019s move left them conflicted.<\/p>\n

Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan he was “shocked” by Koepka\u2019s return, adding that he respected the decision but was discouraged by what he saw as a lack of communication from the tour.<\/p>\n

Watson joined the PGA Tour in 1971, winning eight major during his storied career.<\/p>\n

He also suggested that LIV defections created a fundamental breach of the sport\u2019s core principles.<\/p>\n

“When the players left, they \u200bviolated the No. 1 rule that we really had out here, which is to \u200bprotect the sponsors,” \u2060he said. “Sponsors need players. They need the names to be able to promote their tournaments. If the players play wherever they want to play without a conflicting-event rule — where you had to seek the permission of the PGA Tour to play in a \u2060tournament opposite \u200bof a PGA Tour tournament — the sponsors would be hurt by that. \u200bI think we all understood that.<\/p>\n

“When the players left for LIV, I think it was basically over. They chose to go for the money, which \u200bis fine. But to return to the tour, I thought, was a nonstarter. But apparently it’s not.”<\/p>\n

Watson last played competitively at the 2019 Senior Open Championship and continues as an honorary starter to open the Masters for a fifth consecutive year.<\/p>\n

Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s<\/strong><\/i> sports coverage on X<\/strong><\/i><\/a>, and subscribe to<\/strong><\/i> the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/strong><\/i><\/a>.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/pga-tour-broke-promise-brooks-koepkas-return-honorary-masters-starter-tom-watson-says <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legendary golfer Tom Watson offered a blunt take the new program that paved the way for Brooks Koepka\u2019s return to the PGA Tour. Koepka left […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-127242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPGA Tour broke promise on Brooks Koepka\u2019s return, honorary Masters starter Tom Watson says - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/pga-tour-broke-promise-on-brooks-koepkas-return-honorary-masters-starter-tom-watson-says-127242\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PGA Tour broke promise on Brooks Koepka\u2019s return, honorary Masters starter Tom Watson says - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Legendary golfer Tom Watson offered a blunt take the new program that paved the way for Brooks Koepka\u2019s return to the PGA Tour. 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