PGA Tour broke promise on Brooks Koepka’s return, honorary Masters starter Tom Watson says

Watson faults PGA Tour over Koepka's quick reinstatement

Tom Watson accused the PGA Tour of reneging on a promise to ban players who joined LIV Golf after Brooks Koepka returned through a new program. The two-time Masters champion, serving as an honorary starter at the 90th Masters, criticized the tour for allowing Koepka's swift approval despite roughly one year left on his LIV contract when he departed in December 2025. Watson argued that LIV defectors violated sponsor protections and should face lifetime bans or a year on the Korn Ferry Tour to requalify.

Koepka, a three-time PGA Championship winner, applied for reinstatement under the tour's new Returning Member Program and received quick approval. He announced his return on X on Jan. 12, citing family proximity, belief in the tour's direction under new leadership and investors, and acceptance of financial penalties. Those include up to $85 million over five years in the player equity program, according to tour CEO Brian Rolapp, plus $5 million in charity donations and earning entry into signature events.

Watson, who joined the PGA Tour in 1971 and won eight majors, highlighted the conflict-of-interest rules that LIV players breached by competing without permission opposite PGA Tour events. He said players chose money over sponsor commitments, making their return a nonstarter in his view. Several other LIV golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith, rejected the PGA Tour's return offer.

Hideki Matsuyama and Wyndham Clark expressed mixed feelings over Koepka's move, with Matsuyama telling Golf Digest Japan he felt shocked and discouraged by the tour's lack of communication. Watson, last competitive at the 2019 Senior Open Championship, opened the Masters for a fifth straight year with the ceremonial tee-off.