Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf, facing a $5 million charity fee and restrictions. Ian Poulter criticized the PGA's 'hostile' Returning Member Program that facilitated Koepka's reinstatement.
Key points
Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf in December.
Koepka returned to the PGA Tour shortly after.
He paid a $5 million fee to charity for his reinstatement.
Ian Poulter criticized the PGA's Returning Member Program.
Mentioned in this story
Brooks KoepkaIan PoulterPGA TourLIV Golf
Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images
Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images
Brooks Koepka made the decision to leave LIV Golf in December, and then returned to the PGA Tour just a few weeks later.
Now Ian Poulter has delivered his verdict on what he calls the âhostileâ Returning Member Program created by the PGA Tour to help facilitate Koepkaâs reinstatement as a member.
Koepka had to pay a $5 million fee to charity and was not eligible to play in any Signature Events as part of the agreement which allowed him to return to the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour made the âone-timeâ offer to not only Brooks Koepka, but Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith as well.
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
However, the five-time major champion was the only one who took them up on the offer, with the other three remaining as LIV Golf players.
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Poulter has been speaking about the current divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, during an appearance on The Rough Cut Golf Podcast.
He responded when asked to share his feeling on the PGA Tourâs Returning Member Program which allowed Koepka to regain his membership.
âThere is a definite issue between the PGA Tour and LIV,â Poulter insisted.
*â*What did they really open up? They gave an opportunity to four players and four players only. That is not really opening up.
*â*Iâll ask everyone on the outside, how does that honestly look when you will only take players who have won â Brooks, five majors, Cam Smith, who has won The Players and the Open. You would take back Bryson DeChambeau and you gave the opportunity to Jon Rahm. So fâ- everyone else, right?
*â*We just want the biggest four assets that we can nick back from LIV and we donât want any of you lot. How does that look? I donât think that looks very good. I think itâs a mercenary way to turn around and say, we will just scoop a load of your assets back or try to scoop a load of them back. So there is still a fight.
Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images
Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images
*â*That is a hostile offer, in my opinion. Itâs not a full open, letâs let the guys come back and play.
*â*This is we will work a way to have you guys come back to benefit us, now there is a full profit business for the PGA Tour and there is a share option to the members that have been allocated share positions to a certain value, depending who you are.
âSo for every player, even if some say they donât want them back, if two or three players return, their share option becomes more valuable. So they are doing it for their back pocket. Itâs still messy.â
Ian Poulterâs comments on the PGA Tour were naive
Poulterâs stance is understandable, but itâs not a realistic viewpoint of the whole situation.
Why would the PGA Tour want players with no star value to return?
It would make absolutely no sense for them to make a general offer to every golfer on LIV.
Koepka, DeChambeau and Rahm would all be valuable additions to the PGA Tour, while Smith probably would be as well.
They are names that will unquestionably create extra revenue for the PGA Tour, through acquiring extra sponsorship deals, for example.
Koepka, DeChambeau and Rahm have earned their status in the game with their recent success. Now it will be very interesting to see what the latter two players decide to do, with LIV Golfâs future looking increasingly more uncertain.
