Golf: Brooks Koepka's return to PGA Tour should've surprised no one

HONOLULU — Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, a decision that should have surprised no one. Brian Rolapp, only five months into his role as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, faced what he called a "unique situation." Koepka wanted to return after four years on LIV Golf, where he pulled in more than $41.6 million in earnings — more than he made in nine seasons on the PGA Tour — to go along with a signing bonus Koepka had said was nine figures. Count the commas. That led to emergency meetings, phone calls with key voices on tour, board approval of a path that let Koepka back in and finally a face-to-face meeting with the former captain of Smash GC. All of that was necessary. But the answer could be found last August when Rolapp was 18 days into his new job and introduced buzzwords like "scarcity" and "simplicity" while discussing his plans for significant — not incremental — change on the PGA Tour. He was asked about the priority of getting the best players together, even as the tour's negotiations with Saudi Arabia as an investor had become too broken for even President Donald Trump to fix. "To the extent we can do anything that's going to further strengthen the PGA Tour, we'll do that," Rolapp said that day. "And I'm interested in exploring whatever strengthens the PGA Tour." Whether the return of Koepka achieves that depends on how he plays. His performance also will determine whether the punishment fits the crime of his defection to Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022. By the tour's math — based largely on Koepka not getting equity in the tour for five years — it could be as much as $85 million. But it beats the alternative: leaving Koepka off the roster. "I keep going back to this," said former British Open champion Brian Harman, an avid hunter whose intellect goes beyond how to harvest elk or trap beavers. "In everything that happens, there isn't all winners and all losers. There's some good and some bad. Whenever something like this happens, I try to figure out the positive. The positive is the tour with Brooks Koepka is a stronger tour. "Regardless of how you feel about him leaving the PGA Tour, regardless of how you feel about LIV Golf, the PGA Tour is stronger today." That's the North Star guiding Rolapp, the former NFL executive viewed as a potential successor to Commissioner Roger Goodell. He's the first PGA Tour chief without a deep golf heritage, and that works to his favor in this case. Rolapp wasn't around when Commissioner Jay Monahan rallied the troops against a rival league paying outrageous sums to lure away big names, only to strike a secret deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia that caused a player revolt. All that talk about players not being allowed back if they leave? That didn't happen on Rolapp's watch. He cares only about the road ahead, not the rearview mirror. Does it strengthen the tour? And if retribution is required, find the appropriate penalty. If Koepka being part of the PGA Tour makes it stronger, and its value increases, the loyalists have more to gain. Everyone makes more money except for Koepka. That's the idea, anyway, and Koepka was fine with it. "There was no negotiating," Koepka said. "It's meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It's not supposed to be an easy path. There's a lot of people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that's part of coming back." That includes dealing with any resentment from players and fans. Koepka said he was willing to have private conversations with players who are angered by his return. As for the fans? "Brooks is one person who can handle it," Gary Woodland said. "When he gets inside the ropes, his job is to play golf. He's got broad shoulders. He'll be able to handle any scrutiny that comes his way." Stronger than any financial repercussions was Rolapp's ultimatum in the "Returning Member Program," which apparently has a short shelf life. It applies only to winners of majors and The Players Championship dating to 2022, and that's a short list — Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith. The other three have until Feb. 2 to accept the offer, the same week LIV begins its fifth season in the Arabian Desert while Koepka will be in the Arizona desert at the Phoenix Open before a substantially larger audience. There is no indication any of the other three want to leave, though DeChambeau is the most curious case. He already is negotiating an extension with LIV and this would seem to give him leverage. Can LIV afford to lose DeChambeau now? Rolapp was practically daring the three players to take him up on the offer. "This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations," he wrote in his memo. "Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again." The timing of that window is curious. It could be linked to the year LIV launched in 2022. It's also one year after Phil Mickelson, the ringleader of the LIV movement, won the PGA Championship. Also ineligible for the offer are Dustin Johnson, Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton and seven-time LIV winner Joaquin Niemann. Is there a path back for them if they want? Only if they make the PGA Tour stronger. For Rolapp, it starts there.