Rory McIlroy has previously expressed his respect for Brooks Koepka with the potential return of the five-time major champion to the PGA Tour being rumoured.  The American golfer confirmed on Tuesday his surprising LIV Golf exit after three years with the Saudi-backed circuit.

The 35-year-old was among several high-profile players who contributed to the split in golf when he chose to join LIV during the summer of 2022. Nevertheless, he will no longer be competing under their banner in 2026 after a statement issued by his representatives. It stated: “Family has always guided Brooks’ decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf.”

Koepka’s unexpected departure now paves the way for a potential PGA Tour comeback, though it won’t be an immediate return to competition for the Florida native. Koepka won’t be permitted to compete on the PGA Tour until August, marking one year since his final LIV appearance.

This extended period of ineligibility stems from the Tour’s previous decision to suspend players who participated in the breakaway series for twelve months. That said, Koepka retains eligibility to compete in the four major championships and can also participate on the DP World Tour. A return to the circuit where he initially established his reputation could potentially receive backing from McIlroy, who has maintained a positive relationship with his American rival over the years.

Congratulating Koepka

Despite finding himself at the heart of the rivalry between the tours in 2023, the Northern Irishman still made a point of congratulating Koepka after he secured his third PGA Championship. The reigning Masters champion was captured on Netflix’s Full Swing documentary, praising the then-LIV star in the car park. McIlroy could be heard calling out: “Brooks! Brooks! I am really happy for you.” The two embraced before the American told his fellow five-time major champion: “I’ll give you a shout man!”

Friendship admission

With only a year separating Koepka and McIlroy in age, the American revealed last year that he greatly admired McIlroy during his early major victories, as the Northern Irishman made his impact on golf before Koepka did. Koepka stated: “I think, especially when I was first coming up, from ’12 to ’16, obviously I don’t want to say ‘idolised,’ that would be the wrong word. But I looked up to him a little bit.”

He discussed how their relationship has evolved since then, saying: “But then our friendship has just developed over the years. “I’ve enjoyed playing with him, playing against him. I’m pretty sure he’s done the same thing. But it’s a lot of fun, man. We practice at the same place. Live in the same area. How could you not?”

Training together at Masters 

Unafraid to publicly acknowledge their friendship despite the sport’s divisions, McIlroy shared a practice round with Koepka at the 2023 Masters. Following their time on the Augusta course, the 36-year-old said: “It’s OK to get on with Brooks and DJ [Dustin Johnson] and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to it.”

The duo hadn’t played together for a year, and Koepka, who considers McIlroy a friend, admitted he’d missed teeing off alongside him. “It’s more just two friends just wanting to play together,” the American explained at the time.

“I guess you could look at it that way. But yeah, I just wanted to play with him, just compare my game. I know he’s been playing well. So it was good for me to see, and I think it’s fun to be able to go play with these guys. We haven’t played with these guys in a long time, so just getting out to go play with them has been nice because it’s been a lot of just seeing everybody.”

Mutual respect revealed

Both golfers have achieved remarkable success in the sport, yet there was a period when McIlroy confessed to studying Koepka’s game as inspiration to reclaim his position at golf’s summit. It was during their showdown at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2019 that McIlroy reached that realisation.

McIlroy had begun the final round of the Memphis event holding a slender one-stroke advantage over Koepka, but that lead evaporated as Koepka carded a 65 whilst McIlroy managed only 71. Acknowledging his opponent’s superiority, the 36-year-old conceded he needs to adopt some of his rival’s qualities.

McIlroy said: “Brooks went out there in Memphis and shot 65 and just basically dominated the tournament, dominated me. And I realised if I want to become the dominant player in the world again, I need to be more like that.”