Brooks Koepka Unable To Gain Traction In First Round Back On PGA Tour
You’d think a guy with five major championships sitting on his mantle wouldn’t sweat a Thursday morning tee time. But when Brooks Koepka stepped onto the first tee at Torrey Pines this week, the usual stone-cold swagger was missing. In its place? Genuine, rattling nerves.
It wasn’t the rough on the South Course that had him worried. It wasn’t the narrow fairways or the tricky poa annua greens. It was us. The fans. The peers. The world he left behind nearly four years ago for the LIV Golf League.
“Just because I care,” Koepka said after his round, dropping the tough-guy facade for a moment. “I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game.”
The 35-year-old’s return to the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open wasn’t a triumphant march to the top of the leaderboard—at least, not yet. He signed for a 1-over 73, leaving him well back of the leaders. But for Koepka, simply getting the ball in the hole without being jeered off the property felt like a victory in itself.
Koepka Battles Nerves and the Rough At Torrey Pines
Let’s call it what it was: a rusty outing. Koepka looked like a guy who hadn’t played competitive golf in 14 weeks. His driver, usually a weapon of mass destruction, was more of a liability on Thursday. He hit just six of 14 fairways, a dangerous game to play on Torrey Pines’ unforgiving South Course.
When you’re hacking it out of the thick stuff all day, scoring becomes a grind. Koepka managed to scramble well enough to save par on the front nine, but bogeys on the 4th and 13th holes stalled any momentum. It wasn’t until the par-5 18th that he finally circled a number on his scorecard, draining a birdie putt to salvage the day and finish at 1-over.
He’s currently sitting tied for 97th. That’s not where Koepka lives. He lives in the top 10. But given the layoff and the emotional baggage he carried to the first tee, a 73 isn’t a disaster. It’s a starting point.
“I didn’t hit enough fairways,” Koepka admitted. “If I was able to get to the back of the ball, I felt like I hit a good quality shot… It’s been a while since I played competitive golf, so I like the way I’m playing, I just need to kind of play my way into it.”
A Warm Welcome After the LIV Golf Exit
The biggest headline of the day didn’t happen on the scorecard. It happened behind the ropes. Koepka left the PGA Tour in 2022 amid a storm of controversy, defecting to the Saudi-backed league for a massive payday. When he announced his return earlier this month, the big question was how the galleries would react. Would he be the villain?
As it turns out, golf fans have short memories and big hearts for prodigal sons. “Welcome back!” was the chant of the day. There were no boos. No hecklers. Just fist bumps and cheers.
“I just wanted a warm reception,” Koepka said. “Just like everybody else, you walk into a room, nobody wants to feel exiled, they just want to be loved. I mean, that’s human nature I think.”
Even the starter on the first tee got in on the action, cracking a joke that “pants are required here”—a cheeky dig at LIV allowing shorts. It broke the tension, and Koepka cracked a smile. He might have been expecting a firing squad, but he got a group hug instead.
Why Koepka Returned To the PGA Tour
So, why come back? Why leave the guaranteed money and the lighter schedule? Koepka mentioned his son, Crew. He talked about legacy. He talked about wanting his boy to see him play on the biggest stages against the deepest fields. It seems the time away gave Koepka some perspective. Sitting on the couch for three months gave him time to reflect, and he realized he missed the grind. He missed the history.
The landscape of golf has changed since he left. Patrick Reed is following in his footsteps, announcing his own departure from LIV this week. The barriers are coming down, and Koepka is the first major domino to fall back into place.
Can Koepka Climb the Leaderboard?
Now that the emotional band-aid has been ripped off, Koepka has work to do. Justin Rose lit up the North Course with a 10-under 62, putting him miles ahead of the pack. Koepka needs to go low on Friday just to make the weekend.
He heads to the North Course for round two, which is historically the easier of the two tracks. If he can find the fairway and get the putter hot, he’s got a chance to stick around. But regardless of where he finishes this week, the message has been sent. The villain arc is over. The “bravado” is softer. Koepka is back, he cares, and he’s ready to work. And honestly? The PGA Tour is a lot more interesting with him inside the ropes.
