Brooks Koepka’s stunning return to the PGA Tour included the five-time major champ taking a significant financial hit. However, a rules tweak ahead of the season could potentially make that loss lighter.
Koepka’s agreement comprised a $5 million contribution to a charity of the tour’s choosing, no equity grants in the tour for five years, no sponsor exemptions into signature events and no access to FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026. It’s this last part that has been altered in his favour.
“There was no negotiating,” Koepka told the AP’s Doug Ferguson earlier this week. “It’s meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It’s not supposed to be an easy path. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it when I left, and I understand that’s part of coming back.”
It might not hurt as much now, though, with the PGA Tour announcing the $40 million Tour Championship purse is now considered official money and not part of the FedEx Cup bonus pool. That means that while Koepka is still ineligible to earn a piece of the $100 million that will be allocated to those finishing in the top 125 (previously 150) of the FedEx Cup standings, he will be able to earn money—including the $10 million first-place prize—if he qualifies for the season finale at East Lake.
🗣️ "Yeah, but I didn't do the lotto this week, so I could miss out on 50 million for doing that"💰
Shane Lowry gives his verdict on Brooks Koepka coming back to the PGA Tour 🇺🇸#ShaneLowry #BrooksKoepka #PGATour #LIVGolf #IrishGolf pic.twitter.com/C1toJ7fi8N
— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) January 14, 2026
This will likely ruffle some more feathers among PGA Tour pros already unsure how to feel about the situation. However, it also wouldn’t make much sense for Koepka to qualify and play in a tournament in which he’s ineligible to make money.
Tommy Fleetwood on Brooks Koepka returning to the PGA Tour
🗣️"Good for Brooks. I think it's great for him and I'm sure it'll be great for the Tour as well"#TommyFleetwood #BrooksKoepka #PGATour #DubaiInvitational #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/FOJ8cJsRj3
— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) January 14, 2026
The tour also announced a change in how many FedEx points will be awarded during the first two playoff events, the FedEx St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship. Previously, the winners of these events received 2,000 events, but now they’ll receive only 750—the same as the Players Championship and majors—in order “to reward consistent performance throughout the season while further positioning the TOUR Championship as the hardest tournament for which to qualify.”
Koepka’s best career Tour Championship finish in five previous attempts was a T-3 in 2019. After three years of playing LIV Golf, he’s expected to make his PGA Tour return later this month at the Farmers Insurance Open.
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