Brooks Koepka becomes latest star golfer to leave PGA Tour for LIVGolf

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the latest golfer to defect from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Koepka, 32, is one of the highest-profile players to join the breakaway circuit, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and is fronted by two-time Open winner Greg Norman.

[{"selector":"#anim-2d6fced7-a93d-4fc2-9d48-1f168170a0b3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bbd9c174-b0e1-4584-a776-941aa41b3dfe","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.80409%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bc75914d-e66b-4922-bfbe-540bad38b1b3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cbf3cd43-e360-48be-84cd-8d09273b08b7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 130.22802%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Koepka, who is ranked 19th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is expected to compete in the first LIV Golf event in the United States, at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon, starting June 30.

[{"selector":"#anim-07253810-a7e2-4b0a-92a7-ecabd48467da","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b3105008-fc62-4852-bb84-5e8da9eb5023","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 164.11110%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ed2fbb40-d408-4158-95d3-11e97beb6b5e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b67b7030-98eb-47e6-a9fb-41bc825d653a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.76921%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Koepka's pending departure from the PGA Tour was first reported Tuesday by the Telegraph of London. A source confirmed that Abraham Ancer, who is ranked 20th in the world, also is leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.

[{"selector":"#anim-83c78a1c-c5de-489f-b632-22121525acca","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f3e3aaed-ea23-454b-a3a1-81d872c77b4d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 123.25181%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-272f7f00-9b13-4e1d-b50d-02d0b18bf45c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-413f653b-c39c-4e6c-aa57-974575a4ef5e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -94.02159%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

LIV Golf has now signed eight of the top 50 players in the world; Bryson DeChambeau (ranked 30th) and Patrick Reed (38th) are expected to compete in the event in Portland as well.

[{"selector":"#anim-057548a7-dabf-4d7d-80e7-5a3316cdd1e4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dccf7dd3-5097-4ff6-adf2-8c68a1700519","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 159.61110%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7733bb0a-d823-40cf-bbb7-f38f23db0241","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-120ea111-22e3-48cd-9000-da9157ae21a2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -96.98778%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan suspended 17 players, including two-time major winner Dustin Johnson and six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, for competing in LIV Golf's inaugural event outside London two weeks ago.

[{"selector":"#anim-3bc54005-4c18-4fc4-9bfc-d22070a83fc1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-727b2c8d-225f-4bc8-9b4c-93a5d803da73","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 123.25181%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e194553b-5144-45bb-8174-e218c2bfad7c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f9ba7e5c-2426-4220-bcc3-37aa6a97f5ad","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -97.12035%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Monahan is meeting with players Tuesday morning at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. The PGA Tour's players advisory council also was meeting Tuesday.

[{"selector":"#anim-ca4eea87-4a33-46af-9f73-b5b079071d5c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bef0dbc3-e93a-49e5-8afb-2dfeeddc15bc","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 159.61110%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-698b99de-7e7a-40f6-b03d-18d1952587f5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5a873b9c-abaa-4d77-ade9-c7c7bbc501b8","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.24311%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

In 2019, Koepka became the first player in history to hold back-to-back victories in two major championships simultaneously; he won the U.S. Open in 2017-18 and the PGA Championship in 2018-19.

[{"selector":"#anim-54065c16-6df4-42f4-9ca5-b9ae877d09e8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-123b69d3-d59f-427a-ad8d-3fe50677e961","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 132.84813%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5a6afd00-e13b-49ad-9e74-2ea32f71f464","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a8889466-13ce-43db-a14c-8168de6babb4","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.81214%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Koepka joins his longtime friend Johnson and his brother, Chase Koepka, who also competed in the London-based LIV event.

[{"selector":"#anim-465edc04-8eca-4a32-97e2-c0dada184804","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a835aa26-bd55-4a5b-b493-fd8649ed102e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 206.44911%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-247d21a0-7cad-4ead-815e-6d7d548c8515","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bfc98d18-c435-41c7-8454-d326c2b379db","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.79903%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]