Question of the week [January 19-25]: What is your opinion regarding Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour?
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Great for the game. Nothing is constant but change. Tired of watching the PGA Tour with names I did not grow up with.
David Meszaros
Pinehurst, North Carolina
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He no longer moves the needle to watch or attend PGA Tour events. The Tour let him have his cake and he gets to eat theirs also.
Jeff Stoltz
Sun Lakes, Arizona
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I am happy that the PGA Tour is allowing Brooks Koepka to return, but do not at all agree with them punishing him with his future potential earnings, forcing him to make a charitable donation, and possibly not being allowed into certain tournaments.
Branham Stovall II
Wilmington, North Carolina
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Disagree.
Timothy Cullen
West Newbury, Connecticut
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Unless he improves his play it won't matter. Last year, he missed cuts in three of four majors and was not even in the top 30 players on LIV Golf, which only had 52 total players.
Scott Abel
Phoenix Arizoa
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Welcome back.
Frank Flanagan
San Diego, California
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It is fantastic. The PGA Tour should be based on merit, with the opportunity to host the best players in the world
Rodney Liddle
Boca Raton, Florida
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I'm OK with it. It involves some penalties. It's not just an open-door free ride, but I think the addition of a player like Brooks Koepka can only help the PGA Tour. I see nothing to be gained by banning him and the others completely or making it even more difficult for them to return. It also helps strengthen the Tour's position, that it can offer something besides just money. Once a player like Brooks is financially secure, he finds the LIV tour lacking, and others will likely follow. I think it's a good strategic move for the tour.
John Abercrombie
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
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I think it's bullsh-- that the PGA Tour used a cutoff of 2022 for the return of past major champions. Yes, I know 2022 is when LIV Golf started, but that's a red herring. A bullsh-- move to narrow the pool to a scant few. No Phil Mickelson, no Patrick Reed, no Graeme McDowell, no Henrik Stenson ... just a handful of the turncoats. If some major-winner turncoats are to be welcomed back, all of them should be.
It's just another reason why I despise the PGA Tour's leadership, and have for a number of years now.
Andrew Turnbull
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
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Brooks Koepka can afford the financial penalty, so it was a good way to get one of the best back playing with the best on the PGA Tour. I would have liked to see all of them get a one time amnesty deal with a hard deadline and treated similar to Brooks. Depending on evaluation of their play at LIV, a very limited, elite group would be allowed to play the PGA Tour immediately. The rest would be sent to the Korn Ferry Tour or Q-School to earn a spot for 2027. I would let Phil Mickelson play limited PGA Tour Champions events in hopes he could eventually play Tiger Woods again and get beat like an old rug.
Dennis Brown
South Windsor, Connecticut
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My first reaction is that it will strengthen the weekly PGA Tour fields and give Scottie Scheffler real competition. Missing players like Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, etc. has allowed Scheffler to run roughshod over lesser players.
The fines and penalties are too foolish and extreme to even discuss. Rory McIlroy and others will get their pound of flesh, and now all these multimillionaires can move on.
Joining LIV Golf was a business decision. Our government and most Fortune 500 companies do business with the Saudis. Why pro golfers were singled out to be vilified remains a mystery.
Vinny Mooney
Poughkeepsie, New York
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The First Call invites reader comment. Write to editor Stuart Hall at shall@buffalogroupe.com. If your comment is selected for publication, we will not publish your email address. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.
Front: Brooks Koepka shown during the final round of the 2023 U.S. Open.
Photo: Mateo Villalba | Golffile.