Brooks Koepka’s former Ryder Cup teammate Wyndham Clark frustrated by PGA Tour return

Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open winner, has expressed his frustration over the decision to allow Brooks Koepka to make an immediate return to the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf.

Koepka announced at the end of last year that he would be departing the Saudi-backed rebel series after four seasons, with the five-time major champion forgoing the final year of his contract.

The 35-year-old has subsequently been allowed to begin playing immediately back on the PGA Tour via the new “Returning Member Program”, with Koepka meeting strict criteria, forfeiting any player equity shares for the next five years and making a $5m (£3.72m) donation to charity.

Koepka’s return has opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm or Cameron Smith to make a similar move, although no other current LIV competitors are eligible.

Clark, a teammate of his fellow American at the 2023 Ryder Cup, admitted that he was “torn” on the issue, believing Kopeka to be a positive returnee for the PGA Tour but not feeling he had been sufficiently punished for accepting an offer from LIV in 2022.

“I personally really like Brooks, and I think it's ultimately really good for the PGA Tour," Clark said during an interview on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. "But also a guy that had an opportunity to go to LIV, it's kind of frustrating that he's able to get the cake and also eat it.

“And if you would have told me that I could have gone for a year-and-a-half, made a boatload of money and then be able to come back, play on the tour, I think almost everyone would have done that.

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"At the end of the day, I want whatever is best for the PGA Tour, and I think if guys come back, especially top guys like Brooks, it's only going to help the tour, which is ultimately going to help me.”

Koepka has won nine times to date on the PGA Tour, including three PGA Championships and two US Opens. He is set to make his return to the course in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, which begins on 29 January.

The “Returning Member Program” expires on 2 February and is open only to winners of a major or The Players Championship since 2022. All of DeChambeau, Smith and Rahm have indicated that they will remain with LIV Golf.