The PGA Tour has unveiled a new route for defectors to return, seemingly designed with Brooks Koepka in mind. However, the policy has effectively closed the door on one of golf’s most recognisable figures – Phil Mickelson. Under the Tour’s new ‘Returning Member Program’, Koepka can rejoin immediately after departing LIV Golf. Yet the eligibility requirements make it clear this isn’t an open invitation.

Only players who participated in “unauthorised tournaments” have been absent from the Tour for a minimum of two years, and secured either The Players Championship or a major between 2022 and 2025 can apply. This restrictive timeframe applies to merely four golfers: Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith. Conspicuously missing from that list is Mickelson, whose most recent major triumph, the PGA Championship, occurred in 2021 – falling just one year short of the qualifying period.

The omission is remarkable. Mickelson boasts six major championships and stands as one of the most significant figures in golf’s recent division, yet the Tour’s framework offers him no official pathway back.

Whilst Mickelson hasn’t expressed any public desire to return, the regulation draws a distinct boundary between contemporary elite achievement and historical accomplishments.

“This is a one-time, defined window and is not a precedent for future situations,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp wrote in a memo to players. “Once the door closes, there is no promise that this path will be available again.”

For Koepka, the pathway back has opened up swiftly, though it comes at a significant cost. Returning members will lose eligibility for the Tour’s Player Equity Programme for five years, won’t receive any FedExCup bonus money in 2026, and are required to compete in a minimum of 15 events.

Koepka has also committed to making a $5million charitable donation at the Tour’s behest. Rolapp calculated the overall financial implications, including forfeited equity, could amount to somewhere between $50million and $85million.

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

“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 commence later this month at the Farmers Insurance Open, before heading to the WM Phoenix Open. He’ll be permitted to enter full-field tournaments using his remaining major winner’s exemptions, though he won’t be granted sponsor invitations to signature events unless he qualifies based on performance.

Should he advance to FedExCup playoff tournaments, the Tour will expand the fields to prevent displacing existing members.