PGA Tour Offers A Limited Time Membership Opportunity, While Supplies Last
Players who have won a major from 2022 to 2025 can return by February 2, 2026. Brooks Koepka is the first taker. The program appears to be targeting Jon Rahm.
The not-brief-enough, “will-he-be-welcomed-back-into-the-club” nightmare has ended before coma-inducing agony could set in: Brooks Koepka has agreed to a “restricted” PGA Tour membership created for players who captured a Grand Slam title from 2022 to 2025. He will pay a $5 million fine to charity while forfeiting a role in the Tour’s “Player Equity Program” for five years. Nor will he get to play where he wants at the outset.
On Monday, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the new program just days after news reports revealed that Koepka applied for reinstatement. Mitzvah of all mitzvahs.
It seems the new club president is welcoming back any former member who won a major or a Players Championship during a very selective stretch (sorry Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed, and Dustin Johnson).
What if you only captured a member-guest or Thursday afternoon Skins? You’re outta luck, Tyrrell’s and Joaquin’s of the world. At least, for now. The “Returning Members Program” is subject to change at any time.
Here’s the meat of Rolapp’s letter to fans kicking off Sony Open week. Apologies in advance for the rude interruptions from Quad HQ:
On Dec. 23, 2025, Brooks Koepka notified the PGA TOUR that his previous affiliation had concluded, and he subsequently applied for reinstatement of TOUR membership. This prompted our Boards to evaluate how we deliver the best version of the PGA TOUR for our fans, players and partners — with severe and justified consequences — which has resulted in our new Returning Member Program.
Severe and justified consequences! Those Boards and their forty-eight members do not mess around.
BTW, thoughts and prayers to the assorted folks who had to work through the holidays cooking up Bushwood’s ex-member punishment scheme.
Designed to provide an alternative path back to PGA TOUR competition for past members who have achieved the highest accomplishments in the game, the Returning Member Program mandates heavy and appropriate limitations to both tournament access and potential earnings that we believe properly holds returning members accountable for substantial compensation earned elsewhere. It also includes elite performance-based criteria that requires winning The Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or The Open Championship between 2022 and 2025.
Nice of the Boards to acknowledge majors as the highest accomplishments in the game. The Players component only includes Cam Smith. But he is also eligible to return via his 2022 Open victory. I suspect someone just wanted to use their all-caps keys.
Here comes the hammer drop. Cover your eyes, kids.
Its strict limitations, which Brooks has agreed to, include a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA TOUR’s Player Equity Program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $50-85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the TOUR.
Well, aren’t we high on our own supply future!
At the request of the PGA TOUR, Brooks has also agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution, the recipient(s) of which will be determined jointly.
Nice write-off if you can get it.
Importantly, the Returning Member Program will not take away playing opportunities from current members—fields will be expanded as needed.
The Making It Up As We Go World Tour rolls on.
Now here’s the international intrigue portion of today’s announcement.
