Major champions criticize Brooks Koepka’s comeback: ‘I’m so torn’

Since then was announced for the PGA Tour The return of Brooks Koepka, people on both sides of golf’s civil war have mostly stayed behind the script. For those on the PGA Tour side of the equation, it’s a definite coup. For LIV Golf supporters, it’s not a big deal.

But now a PGA Tour pro and major champion is bucking the trend.

In a new interview, Wyndham Clarke expressed his “conflicted” feelings about Koepka’s Tour return, admitting it’s “really good for the PGA Tour” but also revealing his frustration with the controversial situation.

Wyndham Clark frustrated Koepka could ‘have cake and eat it too’

Clark, the 2023 US Open champion, joined SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio’s “Gravy & the Sleeze” Show this week, and co-host Colt Knost quickly got to the point, asking Clark what he thought of Koepka’s Tour return.

“God I’m so torn,” an animated Clark began.

He then indicated that while he thinks Koepka’s return is good for the tournament, and ultimately him, he doesn’t think it’s fair enough.

“I personally like Brooks (Koepka) a lot and I think it’s ultimately very good for the PGA Tour. But also, as a guy who had an opportunity to go to LIV, it’s kind of disappointing that he’s able to have his cake and eat it too. To come back, especially top players like Brooks, will only help the tour, which will ultimately help me.

Clark’s main issue is that he turned down a big offer from LIV in 2024, not knowing at the time that if he had gone to LIV and secured a big financial windfall, he could have returned to the Tour like Koepka did, through the Returning Player Program.

“If you had told me I could have gone for a year and a half, made a load of money and then been able to come back and play on tour, I think almost everybody would have done that,” Clark explained.

When Clark revealed he had turned down an offer from LIV in 2024he said at the time, “I ultimately turned down going to LIV because I felt like I still had a lot left in the tank on the PGA Tour and I wanted to chase records, I wanted to chase world rankings. My dream is to try to be one of the best players in the world, if not the best player. I just grew up always imagining the events. LIV and that’s really what it came down to.”

Interestingly, Clark previously expressed support for LIV players with exemplary PGA Tour “pedigrees” being allowed back on Tour. He even named Koepka as one of the players he endorsed to return.

“Guys that have had careers where they should be PGA Tour lifers, they deserve the right to come play on the PGA Tour.” Clark said on the No Laying Up podcast in October 2024. “If Dustin Johnson wants to come back and Phil Mickelson and the guys who have won, Brooks, who have won majors and are probably Hall of Famers, they deserve to play wherever they want because they’re that good.”

Clark thinks the Koepka Tour penalties should have been harsher

But that wasn’t the only issue Clark addressed in his “Gravy & the Sleeze” interview. He also revealed he has a problem with the financial penalties Koepka agreed to in order to return to the Tour.

Between equity forfeitures, FedEx Cup bonus restrictions and a large charitable donation, Koepka’s fines could rise to $100 million.

Clark thinks that’s not enough.

“I wish there were maybe some more ramifications,” Clark said on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio“but I’m glad the things they decide I think are pretty good.”

Finally, Clark expressed support for another aspect of the PGA Tour’s Player Return Program: that the opportunity for players to return to the tour ends on February 2, 2026.

“And I like the hard deadline, too. I think it’s good,” Clark said. “I just hope they stick with it, and they don’t waver with it maybe in a year or two.”

In other words, Clark hopes the PGA Tour doesn’t offer this unique opportunity to LIV players again in the future, like a year from now when Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV contract is up.