Brooks Koepka’s journey with LIV Golf has been anything but uneventful. Just a year before making the jump to the Saudi-backed league in 2022, he had been one of the PGA Tour’s most outspoken critics of players defecting, famously stating he would “never” take the leap. Yet, after battling knee and wrist injuries that threatened his dominance, the allure of LIV’s guaranteed money and limited schedule proved too tempting to resist. Still, there were moments of unease after his choice. At the 2023 Masters, cameras caught him venting his frustration over LIV’s 54-hole format, suggesting that had he been playing a full-length event regularly, he might not have let his lead slip.

But any doubts about his competitive spirit were erased weeks later as he won the PGA Championship, proving that he could still thrive on the biggest stage, no matter where he played. But despite the success he has seen, Koepka now finds himself at a crossroads with LIV Golf. His four-year contract with the organization will be up at the end of this year and it could mean a move back to the PGA Tour if a new agreement is not reached.

Veteran journalist Alan Shipnuck noted that LIV could find itself in a crunch situation with a number of initial signings like Bryson DeChambeau and Koepka coming towards the end of their deals and their departure could be damaging for the breakaway league. At LIV Golf Chicago last year, Koepka also made it clear that for him, it’s all about the majors; “The majors were terrible. I put a lot of emphasis on those, and just cutting those wasn’t—that’s how I judge my year.”

For a guy who has won five majors and built his career on showing up when it matters most, that statement felt telling. Was LIV just a paycheck? Was he rethinking things? But then, Koepka showed up at LIV Golf Adelaide—and if anyone was expecting a guy with one foot out the door, they were in for a surprise.

If there’s one event that embodies LIV Golf’s vision, it’s Adelaide. And there’s a good reason for that. In 2023, the tournament pulled in a staggering 77,000 fans, making it LIV Golf’s biggest success story. But 2024 took things to another level—ticket sales surged by 50%, bringing total attendance to around 115,000. That kind of crowd isn’t just good for LIV—it’s proof that this event has something special.

So when Koepka spoke to the media, he didn’t just praise the event—he went all in. “Yeah, I think — actually I know that I can speak for all the players. This is the one event every year that we look forward to coming back,” he said before summing it up in eight words: “We’ve got the most fans, the most energy.” In 2023, there were wild scenes of wild celebration when Chase Koepka holed in one at the 12th – now renowned as golf’s ultimate party destination, the Watering Hole.

“That’s what LIV Golf is about. Make it fun for the players, make it fun for the fans and families that come out, and I think this event just proves exactly what we’ve been trying to do year after year. This is the pinnacle of our events, and hopefully in the future this is the bar that we set,” he also said. Does that sound like someone who is planning to exit? No, right?

Koepka’s comments make one thing clear—he’s still enjoying his time in LIV. But does that mean he’s staying long-term? That’s the million-dollar (or $130 million) question. His love for the majors hasn’t changed. His competitive fire is still burning. But right now, he’s embracing what LIV offers—the fan energy, the different atmosphere, and… the financial security. But skepticism looms.

In 2023, Alan Shipnuck noted that Koepka had “buyer’s remorse” over the move to LIV Golf. “I’m hearing a lot of rumblings that Brooks Koepka has buyer’s remorse. The guy has one of the biggest egos in golf, and as the PGA Tour creates ever-increasing buzz with its elevated events and even the state-sanctioned TGL, Koepka has to feel like he’s on the outside looking in,” Shipnuck wrote for The Fire Pit Collective.

Since then certain developments may contribute to a change of heart for Koepka. On 5 February, the USGA created an exemption category for LIV Golf players to compete in the US Open, and days later, the R&A created an exemption category for LIV Golf players to compete in The Open.

Speaking about these developments, Koepka said, “Yeah, this is the first step of many I think we’re looking to take. The opportunity is there. I think the organizations around the world, the R&A, the USGA, are looking at LIV Golf as part of the golf ecosystem now. With that is a huge, huge step forward for us.”

But with his and Bryson DeChambeau’s contracts coming to a close, LIV Golf faces a major decision. Though, it seems Koepka isn’t going anywhere, the stakeholders still face a battle on their hands in case either one of their major names decide to take the exit route.

Can LIV Golf sustain itself if top names start to leave?

LIV Golf may have all the money in the world, but its real currency is star power. Guys like Koepka, DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm are the ones keeping the league relevant. If Koepka were to walk away, would others follow? Not sure, but if they did, what would that mean for LIV’s future?

That’s the big question facing Yasir Al-Rumayyan right now. With merger talks between LIV and the PGA Tour dragging past the original December 2023 deadline and now pushed to April 2025, keeping top players on board is more important than ever. Alan Shipnuck even argued that for this duration only, that is contracts of big players nearing expiration is when the PGA Tour strategically planned its merger talks. After all, their presence—or absence—could determine whether LIV negotiates from a position of strength or desperation.

“If LIV loses those two guys [then] it’s over,” Shipnuck said. “So it’ll be really itching to see [where this goes]. This is a moment of inflection for Yasir [Al-Rummayyan, LIV’s chairman and governor of the PIF]. I’m sure when the framework agreement was announced 20 months ago he thought it was all going to be done and dusted. He never imagined he was going to be negotiating with these guys with the future of LIV at stake. It continues to be messy and fascinating.”

LIV Golf may try their best to keep Koepka, who it seems is enjoying his time with the organization at the moment. But there could still be a long way to before an agreement is reached and it could well shape LIV’s future.