Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson content with LIV Golf, show no intention of returning to PGA Tour
LIV Golf stars Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, as well as other of their peers, expressed that they are not thinking about a return to the PGA Tour for now. They claim to feel "pretty happy" playing on the tour launched in 2022.
During pressers from the Valderrama Golf Club in Cadiz, Andalusia, home of the LIV Golf Andalucia, Koepka said that he has "enjoyed" his experience on the tour.
These were his words, according to Golf Week:
“I’ve been pretty happy with my decision to be here at LIV. I’ve enjoyed it. I’m not going to speak for everybody else, but I would say everybody is pretty excited, and everybody is pretty happy with where they’re at right now.”
He added:
“It’s tough to look into the future and say — I don’t have any control over what other guys do, but I know I’m happy where I’m at right now, and just take it one day at a time.”
For his part, Dustin Johnson is no less pleased than his fellow LIV Golf star. Here is part of what he said from Valderrama, according to Golf Week:
“I’m excited for the future. I think with this agreement, the only thing that’s going to happen is LIV is going to get even better than what it is now, which it’s already great. I’m happy exactly where I am, and I’m definitely not looking to play more golf than I’m playing now, that’s for sure.”
Both players also talked about the favorable schedule they play on at LIV Golf. They agreed in explaining that this has been great for their performance in major tournaments.
This is what Brooks Koepka had to say about it, according to Golf Monthly:
"I think it's been fantastic. I think you can see the way the schedule has played out, how everyone has played in Majors. Phil second, I got second at the Masters. Good showing by a bunch of LIV guys at the PGA, and then the US Open, as well."
"I think the schedule has been fantastic. It's definitely helped us in the preparation for the Majors as well," he added.
For Johnson, the best thing has been to have enough rest time to face the bigger tournaments:
"For me, there hasn't really been much of a difference. I've played about the same amount of tournaments I think the last seven or eight years. The schedule has been pretty good. We've had some breaks. There's been some stretches where we've played a lot, but we've also had some nice breaks, too."
He added:
"We had a week off after the US Open, and then coming over here, we've got a couple weeks, then get a nice break, and then obviously get ready for the Open Championship. I think our schedule has been really nice."
What do other LIV Golf players think?
Other important LIV Golf players also expressed their support for their continuity in that circuit. As reasons, they mentioned its advantages, especially in terms of schedule.
Such was the case of Sergio Garcia. This is what the Spaniard said, according to Golf Week:
“If everything goes according to plan like we expect it to be, I will not be playing much at all on the PGA Tour because I don’t plan on playing 30 events a year. That’s not something that is in my mind at the moment.
"Obviously, as things settle and we know exactly where we all stand, then we can make decisions. But I wouldn’t think so. Not at the moment, I guess,” he added.
Phil Mickelson, for his part, expressed that "the player experience here [at the LIV Golf circuit] is incredible," as a basis for not rushing a return to the PGA Tour.
“Rather than saying yes or no, I know that from a player experience, all of the difficulties and challenges and things that take a lot of excessive energy and output throughout the week have been fixed at LIV. So the player experience here is incredible,” Mickelson said, according to Golf Week.
“I just can’t envision a better scenario for me as a player than playing out here on LIV," he added.
Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio Garcia are among the top stars who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in mid-2022. All received signing bonuses with that circuit for varying amounts, but on the order of nine figures.