The best PGA Tour pro reaction to Brooks Koepka’s return, the craziest golf fan on the planet and Anthony Kim’s latest message to the haters

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we’re still reeling from the big Brooks Koepka-PGA Tour news. And as I listened to the new cast recording of “Ragtime” during my commute (If you’re making fun of me, you obviously haven’t seen the show or heard Joshua Henry sing!) I had a funny thought of LIV guys like Brooks and Phil singing Coalhouse Walker’s (played by Henry) enduring anthem.

Stirring stuff! This has been quite a drama unfolding these past few years, but hopefully, professional golf, like America in the classic E.L. Doctorow novel, can keep healing and progressing. OK, so now that we have the most random intro in the history of The Grind out of the way, let’s “Journey on” and dive into the “New Music” being heard by golf fans everywhere.

WE’RE BUYING

Brian Rolapp: I said last week I was sure the five-time major champ would be back well before his year-long suspension was up in August, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly and for us to learn so many details so quickly. It’s almost as if there’s someone new at the helm the PGA Tour. Oh, that’s right, there is! Rolapp, the longtime NFL executive, seems to have made a brilliant (business) decision. Maybe it took a golf outsider who wasn’t still hurt by LIV’s creation to make such a move. Anyway, here was his open letter explaining it all:

Could the penalty have been harsher? Sure. But this solution seems to work for everyone and for Rolapp, more importantly, it strengthens the PGA Tour while weakening the tour’s biggest threat. And it could be a real knockout blow if any of the other eligible LIV players take that deal. Plus, I appreciate the timing of a Monday announcement ahead of The Grind! Good job, Brian.

Brooks Koepka: Or should we say BACKS Koepka with this return to the PGA Tour.

Like I said, the penalty could have been harsher, but it’s certainly not insignificant when you add up the $5 million fine plus future losses in equity shares of the PGA Tour. Then factor in Brooks likely giving back a LOT of LIV money to do this and, well, it’s not quite the noble battle that Coalhouse Walker was fighting, but you have to respect it. I also loved Brooks’ transparency—and the humbleness he showed—about the whole situation in this tweet:

Anyway, Brooks is back and the PGA Tour is better for it.

Anthony Kim: If we’re being honest, AK’s long-awaited comeback has been mostly a letdown. After nearly 12 years removed from the game, the former Ryder Cupper returned to professional golf in 2024 after being given a wildcard spot on LIV and finished near the bottom of the standings for two straight years. But after being relegated from the Saudi-backed league, Kim went out and earned his spot back through the Saudi-backed tour’s version of Q School.

“This is just the first step, but I’m glad I earned my spot so everybody could quit talking s—,” Kim said after. “But I’ll be back soon and I’ll be back winning golf tournaments soon.” Now that’s a guy riding on “The Wheels of a Dream.” We’ll have to wait and see about that, but in the meantime, this was an impressive step by AK.

WE’RE SELLING

Anthony Kim’s response: You got a little taste of it in the above quote, but his whole "screw the haters" act is unbecoming. And it continued on X:

And he did the same thing when he originally announced his comeback. Were there people disappointed he chose LIV as his way of making a return? Sure. But many had been clamoring for him to come back for more than a decade to the point that he had become a legendary figure built up far more than his actual PGA Tour playing résumé deserved. Most golf fans worshiped this guy. So telling everyone to “suck it” is a bit much. Although, I’d probably say the same thing to anyone knocking me for listening to showtunes in the car.

Phil Mickelson’s senior tour chances: The PGA Tour’s one-time deal opens the door for LIV guys who have won a major (or a Players) since 2022 to come back. Now that overlaps with the inception of LIV, but it also leaves Lefty, the 2021 PGA Championship winner, out. And he is well aware of that fact:

Clearly, this isn’t as big of a deal for a 55-year-old golfer. But if you recall, Mickelson did seem to enjoy playing—and winning—on the PGA Tour Champions.

Complicated golf course names: These names are getting out of control! I saw an older gentleman walking around Costco over the weekend with an Eagle’s Ridge at Pebble Creek hat. I thought it was a joke, but I looked it up and it’s not.

Sorry to pick on this place, because they're certainly not alone. But can’t we think of some original, shorter names instead of just combining the old standbys?

ON TAP

The PGA Tour returns! At the Sony Open, AKA that other tournament they play in Hawaii. Well, for now, as our Joel Beall notes. Regardless of the tour’s future plans in the Aloha state, we’re glad to see them there this week. And it proves what many have been saying for years that having more of an offseason—Heck, having any offseason—makes fans more excited for Opening Day/Week. We talked about that and more on this week’s episode of The Loop podcast, featuring PGA Tour winner Keith Mitchell:

Random tournament fact: Jimmy Walker repeated as champ here in 2015 and won by NINE shots. People forget, but there was a brief period of time where Jimmy was the best player on the planet.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Jon Rahm will take the PGA Tour’s deal and leave LIV: 300-500 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Keith Mitchell will win the Sony Open this week: 150-to-1 odds

—Keith Mitchell knows more about college football than me: LOCK

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Well played, Wesley. That's the best reaction to the Brooks news we saw. But, unfortunately for Bryan, it appears he is still on the PGA Tour's naughty list for playing in a LIV nine-hole scramble event. Tough spot.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

A reminder that it’s really good to be a really good tour pro:

Yeah, that definitely beats any package I've come home to.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Chris Gotterup already owns the filthiest shot in TGL history:

That’s going to be tough to top. Or bottom considering how low that stinger went.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Find someone who looks at you the way my 7-year-old looks at a shot-tracer screen:

Hoping this (finally) gets her hooked on the game. And speaking of being hooked on the game, check out the lengths this man went to in order to visit the Old Course at St Andrews:

To quote Frank the Tank from “Old School,” Li, I like you, but you’re crazy.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’ve got a lot of work to do with some of the players. There’s definitely guys who are happy, and definitely guys who will be angry. It’s a harsh punishment financially. I understand exactly why the tour did that—it’s meant to hurt. But it [his departure] hurt a lot of people. … If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships.” —Brooks Koepka in an interview with the AP’s Doug Ferguson. Again, good stuff by Brooks. Although those increased tour purses in his absence should have eased some of the other players’ pain.

THIS AND THAT

For the first time, Masters weekly badges will cost PATRONS more than $500. And, you know what? It’s still by far the best deal in sports. … Jon Rahm tried to hook up Ryder Cup buddies Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry with a deal on hair transplant treatments. Hey, that’s what friends are for. … A Philadelphia golf simulator place let football fans blow off some steam from that playoff loss to the 49ers by having them hit golf balls at a picture of Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo:

Sorry, Kevin, but that’s pretty funny. … And, finally, I’ve been doing a bunch of simulator sessions (among other things) as part of a new year-long game-improvement project I’m working on that’s finally live.

Yep, I convinced my bosses to let me play more golf for a year for work. It’s my best move yet. But it’s also requiring a ton of effort. Anyway, make sure to follow along for advice on how to improve your own game.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How much better will I actually get at golf?

How much money will LIV offer Bryson now?

Whose picture would you like to hit golf balls at?