Brooks Koepka names 1 ‘huge advantage’ the PGA Tour has over LIV

Five times major champion Brooks Koepka has fallen back in love with the “boredom” of PGA Tour life. He also feels “in complete control” of his game, both of which should worry other Tour players as the season heads into the summer.

Unlike many of the stars who competed in last week’s PGA Championship (with the exception of Scottie Scheffler AND Jordan Spieth), Koepka doesn’t take a break after his sophomore year. He is processing it this week CJ 2026 Byron Nelson Cup.

Because of the penalties he accepted to enable his PGA Tour returnKoepka should play whenever he’s eligible as he tries to climb the FedEx Cup rankings to qualify for the PGA Tour’s biggest events.

It’s a big departure from his years with LIV Golf, where Koepka only had to worry about qualifying for the majors.

But along with giving updates on his game and the PGA Tour during his Wednesday pre-tournament press conference, Koepka also revealed one way in which PGA Tour players have a “huge advantage” over their LIV Golf counterparts.

Brooks Koepka reveals ‘new love’ on PGA Tour return: ‘Enjoying the fight’

This week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch represents Koepka’s 11th start surprising return of the PGA Tourpowered by the newly formed (and short-lived) Returning Member Program.

A major catch in Koepka’s deal was that he could not accept sponsor exemptions at Signature Events this year. If he wants to play in the biggest tournaments on the Tour, he has to play his way.

“Every week is a fresh new start for me, and obviously with my suspension I’m not allowed to play in every event, and if I get a chance to play, I want to play,” Koepka said Wednesday in Texas.

As the season progressed, Koepka’s worked harder and harder with the promised land at the Signature Event. He earned a top-10 finish at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches in February and posted strong finishes at the Players Championship (T13), the Masters (T12) and the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic (T11), which was contested the same week as the Truist Championship, a signature event.

This pushed him to 69th in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 50 automatically qualify for all Signature Events, and Koepka is just a few spots away from the Aon Next 10, another path to those tournaments.

However, instead of lamenting having to grind it out as a tournament rookie, Koepka revealed that he has “fallen back in love” with the experience.

“I’ve mentioned it a few times, I’ve fallen back in love with it. I’m enjoying the grind. I’m enjoying battling it out here,” Koepka said Wednesday. “Yeah, it’s just a new found love, a new passion for the game and something I really enjoy being back on the road, grinding it out and trying to find it in the mud. I think there’s something to be said for that.”

He added: “Every week it’s getting more and more fun and I’m really enjoying it.”

His increasingly solid results help with that, no doubt. According to Koepka, his improved finishes are a direct result of rounding his game into shape.

“I’m driving the ball fantastic. I feel like I’m in full control. Since Augusta, where we noticed the setting was at B1 and we turned it back to A1 on that driver, I can work it both ways. The flight is very, very good. Iron play has been fantastic,” Koepka said. “I feel like I’m in complete control of my golf ball — the shape, the spin, the trajectory, everything seems to be right where I need it. It’s just a matter of hitting those shots.”

With another top finish this week, Koepka could finally gain access to the Signature Events. But even if he doesn’t, he’s already qualified for next month’s most important tournament: the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Koepka, a two-time US Open champion, won his second title at Shinnecock in 2018.

Koepka Says PGA Tour Equipment Access Is Higher Than LIV: ‘I Wasn’t Secreted Sometimes’

“Grand” isn’t the only thing Koepka is enjoying about his return to the PGA Tour. On Wednesday, he also showed another way his life on Tour is better than his time LIFE Golf: device.

Specifically, Koepka explained that his access to new equipment on the PGA Tour, for testing purposes and mid-tour adjustments, is much better than his access to equipment was at LIV Golf events.

“Yeah, it’s totally different, like I said, just being able to see all the different — just having so many options, it’s probably a little overwhelming, at the same time, because access to equipment trucks, grip changes, things like that, sometimes I haven’t been informed the last four, five years. During the majors it was kind of the only time you saw Koepka.”

He continued: “So to come back here and have the option if you have to make a little change to something, it’s a lot easier, or damage a club during the game, get a replacement, a shaft change, whatever.”

He went on to describe the handling of PGA Tour equipment as a “huge advantage” over LIV Golf.

“Just more access to everything, I think that’s been a big advantage,” he said. “I’m not going to do too much of it. I know I keep changing the stock almost every week now, but as far as the rest of the equipment I have, I’m very happy with it. I’m very, very happy with it.”

If other LIV Golf players have called Koepka tips for making the transition to the PGA TourKoepka said no. The reason? He changed his phone number.

“I changed my number a while ago, so I don’t think a lot of guys have my number, which is great,” Koepka said. “So I haven’t had to worry too much about it.”