Phil Mickelson hit with brutal snub as PGA Tour | Golf News

The PGA Tour has rolled out a recent pathway for defectors trying to make their method back, and it seems tailor-made for Brooks Koepka. In doing so, it has quietly but firmly closed the door on one of golf’s most recognizable figures.

The Tour‘s newly minted “Returning Member Program” permits Koepka to rejoin without delay after departing LIV Golf. However, the eligibility necessities make it abundantly clear this is not a blanket welcome.

Only gamers who participated in “unauthorized tournaments,” stayed away from the Tour for a minimal of two years, and captured either The Players Championship or a major championship between 2022 and 2025 can qualify. That restrictive timeframe encompasses just 4 gamers: Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith.

Conspicuously lacking from that roster is Phil Mickelson, whose most current major triumph at the PGA Championship occurred in 2021 — falling just one yr short of the cutoff. The omission is outstanding. Mickelson boasts six major championships and stands as one of the most pivotal personalities in golf’s current upheaval, yet the Tour’s framework gives him no official pathway to return.

Though Mickelson hasn’t expressed any public want to come back, the regulation establishes a distinct boundary between modern elite achievement and historic accomplishments. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp emphasised in a memo to gamers: “This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations,” including, “Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”

For Koepka, the pathway back opened up immediately, though it comes with a vital value. Players who rejoin must give up their eligibility for the Tour’s Player Equity Program for 5 years, will not obtain any FedExCup bonus funds in 2026, and are required to compete in at least 15 tournaments.

Koepka has also dedicated to making a $5 million charitable donation at the Tour’s direction. Rolapp calculated the general financial hit, including forfeited equity, might whole someplace between $50 million and $85 million.

“We recognize there may be questions about how this policy holds a returning player accountable, especially after earning substantial compensation elsewhere,” Rolapp wrote.

“Ultimately, by accepting membership in the Returning Member category, Brooks is making the decision to return to the PGA Tour now – something our fans want, and something that strengthens both the game and our organization.”

Koepka’s comeback will kick off later this month at the Farmers Insurance Open, with the WM Phoenix Open to observe. He’ll be permitted to enter full-field tournaments utilizing his remaining major champion’s exemptions, though he will not be granted sponsor invites into signature occasions unless he earns them through efficiency.

Should he qualify for FedExCup playoff tournaments, the Tour will develop the fields to forestall current members from shedding their spots.