"It's going to be a mixed bag," Xander Schauffele said when asked about the players' opinions and possible discipline on Brooks Koepka and PGA Tour.
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Billy Horschel was not surprised to hear Brooks Koepka was leaving LIV Golf. Now, Horschel believes Koepka returning could only be good for the PGA Tour.
And he is not sure if severe punishment is necessary.
"At the very beginning, I think I was on the side of, there needs to be some punishment for these guys," Horschel said. "And now I'm on the side that I think for the betterment of the game, for the quality of the PGA Tour product to continue to grow …
"Selfishly, having equity stake in the PGA Tour now, bringing Brooks back, that does add value. So I think there needs to be a process to figure out what (brings) these guys back."
Koepka, the Palm Beach County native living in Jupiter, announced in a Dec. 23 statement released by LIV Golf he was leaving the Saudi-backed league. The 35-year-old said he was “prioritizing the needs of his family and staying closer to home.”
Now, all the attention is on Koepka's possible return to the PGA Tour. The subject certainly will be polarizing, said Jupiter's Xander Schauffele, the No. 4-ranked golfer in the world.
"It's going to be a mixed bag," Schauffele said when asked about the players' opinions, and possible discipline, on Koepka returning. "Depending on who you interview, what point in their career they are, where they sit in the standings, what the world ranking is. You're just going to an array of different answers.
"It's going to be hard to make everybody happy, I can answer that. So do we need everyone to come back together? Absolutely."
Horschel and Schauffele were speaking Dec. 28 after the TGL season opener. Horschel said he has talked to Koepka through the year while Schauffele said he doesn't know Koepka "too well."
Koepka's path back to the PGA Tour, where he has won nine times including five major championships, is to first re-apply for membership. Then it is up to the Tour to decided on any punishment, in form of a fine or suspension.
The Tour could then reinstate Koepka at any time.
Horschel and Schauffele believe players' opinions will vary when asked about the severity of the punishment.
"I think there's a punishment that can be put in place that isn't too harsh," Horschel said. "But for the guys on the PGA Tour that still feel hurt or affected … for those guys that want to see some punishment, then I think there's some punishment that can be worked up that isn't too bad for the guys coming back.
"Sort of makes those guys on the PGA Tour feel a little bit better that there's just not an open door you know policy to come back and play."
Rory McIlroy softens stance on LIV players returning to PGA Tour
Early in 2024, Jupiter's Rory McIlroy, one of LIV's harshest critics, softened his stance, saying anyone who has eligibility on the PGA Tour should be allowed to return without a penalty.
Schauffele wonders if those players struggling to maintain their card would agree.
"Like I said, depends on who you ask," Schauffele said. "Rory just had the best year of his career, so he's not worried about any of that stuff. You got guys who finished 105th in FedEx and lost their card."
McIlroy is ranked No. 2 in the world.
Horschel, 39 and starting his 17th season on the Tour, believes there could be more players looking to leave LIV. The league has had a difficult time selling its product, especially in the U.S., and has lost, according to reports, more than a billion dollars.
LIV is preparing to start its fifth season, its opener Feb. 4-7 in Saudi Arabia.
"I've always thought that the guys that went to LIV would come back to the PGA Tour at some point for a sole fact that the salaries, the PIF, LIV, they've spent billions of dollars and they're not getting any return on their money," Horschel said. Saudi's Public Investment Fund owns and operates LIV Golf.
"They're not going to keep signing these guys for the big contracts if the value for LIV doesn't improve."
Horschel is not "shocked" Koepka, who originally signed for a reported $125 million and has won up to $40 million in prize money, is the first to defect from LIV.
"And it may continue with guys over the next handful of years if the contracts that they expect isn't there, and they're like, 'listen, I made my money I want to go back to the PGA Tour and compete for real championships and a little bit more meaning in golf than just the financial side.' "
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Players discuss Brooks Koepka's penalty for returning to PGA Tour
Category: General Sports
