Brooks Koepka was grateful and relieved to get such a warm reception in his return to the PGA Tour after four years chasing Saudi riches on LIV Golf. Strange about that vibe at Torrey Pines is that Koepka was never this beloved even before he left for LIV. He was more admired for his five majors than he was adored.
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Probably not, doctors sayA Galapagos albatross' 3,000-mile detour to California puzzles scientistsSome people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn'tIt's freezing cold and you've lost power. Here's what emergency doctors want you to doYoung people are protesting ICE and reenacting immigration raids in online gaming platform RobloxHere’s what dermatologists are saying about your skin care routine: Keep it simpleRecaudaciones muestran a republicanos muy por delante de demócratas antes de elecciones legislativasSportsBrooks Koepka tees off on the second hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Brooks Koepka walks the fourth fairway on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Justin Rose, of England, celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts on the 13th green during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Brooks Koepka tees off on the second hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Brooks Koepka tees off on the second hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Brooks Koepka walks the fourth fairway on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Brooks Koepka walks the fourth fairway on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in San Diego. Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Justin Rose, of England, celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Justin Rose, of England, celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts on the 13th green during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts on the 13th green during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. SAN DIEGO — Brooks Koepka would never consider anything a dream week without a trophy, certainly not a tie for 56th finishing 19 shots behind the winner. “There’s always that little voice in the back of your head,” Koepka had said a few weeks before his return to the PGA Tour after four seasons reaping Saudi riches on LIV Golf. He was referring to whether the PGA Tour would provide a way back, which it did. There also were doubts — that little voice — about how he would be received in the locker room, on the range, in front of a microphone and particularly outside the ropes. It made him uneasy.Strange about this vibe, however, is that Koepka was never embraced like this even before he left for LIV. He had swagger. He was big, bad Brooks. He was admired more than he was adored.. “It’s tough to put myself in their shoes. It’s cool, though. I enjoy it. I think it’s great. I think people are just excited. I’m glad they’re excited to see me back, to have me back. I’m hopeful it continues.”There was another little voice as Koepka walked up to the 18th green on the South course before a large crowd in the opening round. This came from a spectator:More than a five-time major champion and former No. 1 player in the world, Koepka was perhaps seen as a symbol of the fractured golf landscape slowly getting patched back together. That’s what the fans want. LIV Golf was a big topic all week at Torrey Pines. It started with Koepka arriving on Monday. And then came Wednesday’s news that former Masters champion Patrick Reed also was leaving LIV to play a full European tour schedule with an eye toward returning to the PGA TourKoepka is not the solution, not in the way Jon Rahm presumably thought he would force unification with his decision to bolt for LIV. But he might be the flicker of light at the end of tunnel. “As you’re seeing, the dominoes are starting to fall,” Harris English said. “Maybe those guys on the LIV tour are not that happy out there and the grass is not greener on the other side. They’re seeing the PGA Tour getting stronger and having more success, and seeing that money is not the end-all, be-all, that doesn’t fulfill them.” It’s always about the money. That’s why so many players left for LIV in the first place. And while the established tour always offered relevance, even players who hated everything about LIV appreciate how much the rival league has helped their bank accounts. “We’ve all benefited from this chaos in one way or another,” Justin Rose said a week before he came to Torrey Pines and Rose mentioned the equity shares in the PGA Tour, and the 11 tournaments now offering $20 million in prize money . “But we need a premium product,” Rose said. And then specific to Koepka he added, “This is the first time we’ve had someone who moves the needle come back our way.” Koepka — and Reed — strengthen the PGA Tour and weakens LIV, which is off to a rough start in its 2026 debutin Saudi Arabia. Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood have announced they won’t be Saudi Arabia or Australia to start the year. Koepka did everything right at Torrey Pines except putt the poa annua greens. He was grateful the PGA Tour brought him back, and it showed. And he talked about falling in love with golf again and how much he cared, another side of Koepka rarely seen. “Just like everybody else, you walk into a room, nobody wants to feel exiled,” Koepka said. “They just want to be loved.” For Koepka, it’s on to Phoenix. Barring a runner-up finish or better to get into the signature events, he will next play his hometown event in West Palm Beach, Florida. As one longtime caddie noted, “People won’t be talking about this in three weeks.” He’s probably right.During the last visit to Torrey Pines, when the Genesis Invitation was relocated there because of the deadline wildfires near Riviera, Now it’s as far away as ever, and Adam Scott doesn’t see that changing. He feels the best chance for any agreement was when LIV had only one year under its belt. Now LIV enters its fifth season. “Timing has to align for big, intricate things to come together,” said Scott, a player director at the White House last year when President Donald Trump met with PGA Tour brass and the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. “There wasn’t a lot of time behind LIV and now there is,” he said. “It’s harder and harder. That’s my take from a million miles high. They’re four years in and they’ve got something going on. They’re going their direction and maybe it was easier when there was less direction.” Where it all goes now remains to be seen. Scott still believes “it’s all going to end in a good spot.”___Ferguson has been The AP’s golf writer since 1998. He is a recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award.
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