The LIV Golf International Series has poached yet another star golfer from the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka will join the series and compete in LIV Golf events for the foreseeable future. Koepka is one of the higher-profile golfers to leave the PGA tour. LIV Golf is expected to announce his addition to the series in the coming days.

He is now the eighth Top 50 ranked player to sign with LIV Golf. Koepka was anticipated to participate in LIV’s upcoming event in Portland while he was still signed with the PGA Tour.

Tour commissioner Jay Moynahan had said that those slated to participate in the event without a conflicting-event release would face suspension. Other Top 50 players such as Bryson DeChambeau (30th) and Patrick Reed (38th) are also expected to compete in the event, but it is unclear if they plan to resign from the PGA Tour.

It was also rumored that 20th-ranked Abraham Ancer would also leave the PGA in favor of LIV as well as 4th-ranked golfer Collin Morikawa.

Morikawa tweeted out a statement denying those rumors expressing that he is “here to stay” with the PGA Tour.

Koepka is a four-time majors winner and was recently ranked number one in the world before a slew of injuries caused him to have a shaky finish at three majors this season, missing the cut at the Masters, and placing 55th in the PGA Championship and last week’s U.S. Open.

At the Open, Koepka waved off any questions about his rumored intention to join LIV Golf. “I’m here at the U.S. Open,” he said. “I’m ready to play the U.S. Open, and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that. The more legs you give [LIV Golf], the more you keep talking about it.”

Moynahan is expected to speak with the media on Wednesday. It is unclear whether he will deal out punishment for the other golfers who have not been suspended. Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have already been indefinitely suspended.

The first U.S.-based LIV Golf event will take place on June 30 in Portland.

On its way to being recognized as a legitimate league, the LIV Golf Invitational Series will apply for Official World Golf Ranking Points this week. CEO of LIV Golf Greg Norman said that the tour has a “very compelling” case to be granted points to allow their golfers to be officially ranked within the Official World Rankings.

Norman also referenced the fact that he is unsure if PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monohan would exclude himself from voting on LIV Golf’s application. Monahan is one of the eight members of the OWGR board of governors. “It’ll be interesting to see if Jay Monahan recuses himself from that vote because of what he said on television with Jim Nantz the other day,” Norman said. “So, it’s very interesting and it’s sad to be, you know, putting that additional exerting pressure on it because our tour is a good tour. It’s supported, it’s got an incredible field. Our point should be that if we get the OWGR points, then everything else takes care of itself.”

Monahan had been steadfast in his opposition to the newly formed LIV Golf Series. He has already suspended 17 players who have left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-financed league. Reportedly, there will be additional PGA Tour players, including 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed and 2020 U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau will be playing in LIV Golf’s first United States event on June 30. These players haven’t formally left the PGA Tour, however, Moynahan said that their informal absence from PGA events would bring about the same punishment that the 17 suspended players received.

“Why do they need us so badly? Because those players have chosen to sign multiyear lucrative contracts to play in a series of exhibition matches against the same players over and over again. You look at that versus what we see here today and that’s why they need us so badly. You’ve got true, pure competition. The best players in the world are here at the RBC Canadian Open, with millions of fans watching, and in this game, it’s a true and pure competition that creates the profile in the presence of the world’s greatest players. And that’s why they need us. That’s what we do. But we’re not going to allow players to free-ride off of our loyal members, the best players in the world,” Moynahan said in a June 12 interview with CBS Sports.

If LIV were granted recognition by the OGWR, it is likely that its players would receive fewer points due to its difference in format from the PGA Tour. The PGA consists of 72 holes with 156-man fields while the LIV only has 54 holes in 48-man fields.

The PGA Tour lost one of its biggest stars on Tuesday as Dustin Johnson has officially resigned from the tour and will play in LIV Golf events and major championships in the future. The former Masters’ champ has made his decision effective immediately saying, “For right now, I’ve resigned my membership on the tour and I’m going to play [LIV] for now, that’s the plan,” Johnson said at a press conference for one of LIV’s events this week.

Johnson said that he had thought over his decision over the last six months and felt this was the best decision for him and his family. “At that time, I was committed to playing the PGA Tour,” Johnson said. “I’m very thankful for the PGA Tour and everything it’s done for me. I’ve done pretty well out there for the last 15 years. But this is something that was best for me and my family. It’s something exciting and something new.” This announcement comes as a surprise as Johnson previously stated in February that he was committed to the PGA Tour.

Saudi-financed LIV Golf International Series has poached a number of high-profile golfers from the PGA Tour. It is rumored that they offered Johnson around $125 million to join the upstart league. Johnson joins fellow golfers Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel in their decisions to leave the PGA.

As for the upcoming major, Commissioner Jay Moynahan had released a statement saying that golfers could not golf in both leagues simultaneously, essentially barring LIV golfers from participating in major championships, however, Johnson’s 2017 U.S. Open win earned him a 10-year exemption into the competition while his 2020 Masters victory earned him a five-year exemption into both the Open Championship and PGA Championship. It is unclear whether or not the USGA will bar players from participating in the major championships at the time.

“I can’t answer for the majors, but hopefully they’re going to allow us to play, obviously I’m exempt for the majors, so I plan on playing unless I hear otherwise,” Johnson said regarding his plan.
Johnson has earned a total of $74.2 million during his 15-year tenure with the PGA Tour.