Wyndham Clark ‘torn’ on Brooks Koepka’s return to PGA Tour

Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark said Wednesday that he’s “torn” about Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour, noting that while he’s happy to see him back, he also thinks the five-time major champion should have had “a few more repercussions” after initially leaving for LIV Golf.

“I personally really like Brooks, and I think it’s ultimately really good for the PGA Tour,” Clark said during an interview on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “But also a guy that had an opportunity to go to LIV, it’s kind of frustrating that he’s able to get the cake and also eat it.

“And if you would have told me that I could have gone for a year-and-a-half, make a boatload of money and then be able to come back, play on the tour, I think almost everyone would have done that.”

Koepka signed with LIV in June 2022 for a contract reportedly worth more than $100 million. He left in December with one year left on that deal.

The PGA Tour allowed him to return via a new Returning Member Program that was announced Monday and includes several significant conditions. Some are financial: The tour said Koepka agreed to forfeit any player equity shares for the next five years, won’t be eligible for the $100 million FedEx Cup bonus program in 2026 and will make a $5 million donation to charity.

“It’s a harsh punishment financially,” Koepka told the Associated Press earlier this week. “I understand exactly why the tour did that — it’s meant to hurt. But it [his departure] hurt a lot of people.”

Clark, who played on the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team with Koepka, did note that top players like Koepka returning only helps the health of the PGA Tour, which benefits him, as well.

“At the end of the day, I want whatever is best for the PGA Tour, and I think if guys come back, especially top guys like Brooks, it’s only going to help the tour, which is ultimately going to help me,” he told SiriusXM.