Koepka starts process of $5M charity donations to return to PGA TOUR

LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the conditions for Brooks Koepka to return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf was a $5 million contribution to charity. That process is underway, with $1 million going to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, the primary charity of the Cognizant Classic.

Koepka also designated (with PGA Tour approval) $1.5 million to 10 charities. That included the ALS Bridge Foundation, which longtime Acushnet executive Peter Broome recently launched.

Broome, well known from his 30 years in the industry, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in August 2024. His mission with ALS Bridge Foundation is to accelerate the search for life-saving solutions and close the gap between laboratory discovery and when patients receive treatment.

The foundation is directing 100% of proceeds toward programs that accelerate drug trials, improve diagnostic access, and fuel collaborative research across the United States and Canada.

Part of the fundraising includes an auction of exclusive experiences provided by a list that includes Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, and CBS announcer Jim Nantz.

Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki are leading the auction offers in Canada.

The other $2.5 million of Koepka’s contributions will be equally distributed to charities selected by eligible PGA Tour members, such as their foundations or other charities they support.

Chacarra on the PGA TOUR

Eugenio Chacarra was the biggest college star LIV Golf signed when the Saudi-funded league launched in 2022. He was the No. 2 amateur in the world at Oklahoma State, and he won in his first season on LIV.

But it wasn't long before he started contacting various PGA Tour officials, and Chacarra left LIV after 2024 with an eye on getting to the PGA Tour, which he called a lifelong dream.

He gets a start next week as a sponsor exemption to the Puerto Rico Open. His only other time competing in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event was last year in the Scottish Open, co-sanctioned by the European tour. Chacarra is a European tour member from winning the Hero Indian Open last year.

“My goal since I was little is to be on the PGA Tour,” Chacarra said Tuesday. “I’m excited to finally get a chance to play on the PGA Tour. I’ve been working a lot of these couple weeks at home. I needed some time to reset and focus on what’s the most important thing for me right now, that’s to get on the PGA Tour as quick as possible.”

Chacarra, a 25-year-old from Spain, says he has no regrets about joining LIV because he felt that move was right for him at the time.

He said upon leaving LIV Golf, “I see what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes, how you get major access and ranking points. On LIV, nothing changes, there is only money. It doesn’t matter if you finish 30th or first, only money.”

“I think I was losing a little motivation to get better out there on LIV at the last year I was there, so it was time for me to move on and start a new pathway,” he said on a video call.

His best route to the PGA Tour might be getting one of 10 cards to the leading players in Europe because he plays a full schedule there.

Justin Thomas returns

Justin Thomas had his first competition in five months Monday night when he played with his Atlanta Drive team in a TGL match. He took that occasion to announce he will return to the PGA Tour next week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Thomas has been out since back surgery in November. He is keeping expectations reasonable.

“Look, I obviously want to and would love to play well next week, but I’m also understanding that it’ll be almost five, six months since I’ve played a competitive tournament," he said. "So I’m not exactly expecting anything great. But at least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill, so that’ll make me feel a little bit better, hopefully.”

Riviera's fourth

So much was made of the new tee on the fourth hole at Riviera extending it to 273 yards, the longest par 3 among regular PGA Tour stops.

“A horrible change,” Rory McIlroy said, one of several observations (rarely positive) going into the Genesis Invitational.

The previous time at Riviera in 2024, only 15% of players hit the green in regulation, the lowest on tour that year.

But the change wasn't just about length. The tees were moved to the right with hopes of making George Thomas' original redan feature more accessible, and 30 to 40 yards on the right were recontoured to enhance the redan features.

Also, the green was expanded to 5,792 square feet (it previously was 5,082 square feet).

The greens were exceptionally soft last week, a product of heavy rain earlier in the week that allowed players to take on flags without shots bounding over the green. So another year might be required to get a better sense. The results, however were noticeable.

Players found the green 65.9% of the time for the week. The highest rate was Saturday — the hole played 262 yards, the longest of the week — when 37 of 51 players (72.6%) hit the green in regulation.

McIlroy played it 2 under for the week — two birdies and two pars.

Wie West goes indoor

Michelle Wie West played her last tournament outdoors in the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. The former Women's Open champion and still one of the biggest names on the LPGA will return indoors as part of the WTGL to start later this year.

Wie West is an investor in TGL's Los Angeles team.

“I think success for me is really to use WTGL as a platform to keep growing the game,” she said. “I want to see more young girls play the game, and hopefully when they turn the TV on and it’s not just men playing TGL, it’s women, I think that does so much to grow the game.”

Her other goal?

“Be better than Kevin Kisner,” she said, adding at one point she will be nervous about what comes out of her mouth while wearing a microphone.

Wie West joins previous LPGA players who have signed on for the tech-infused indoor league, including world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, Lydia Ko, Charlie Hull and Brooke Henderson.

The WTGL is to start in December, giving the women their own stage with the possibilities of mixed events once it gets established.

Divots

Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods who has committed to play at Florida State, has Players Group Management representing him for name, image and likeness deals. Players Group Management also is handling NIL with another Florida State commitment, Miles Russell, the No. 11 amateur in the world. ... Jimmy Roberts is the 2026 recipient of the Tim Rosaforte Distinguished Journalist Award, presented to the longtime NBC Sports host and reporter at the Cognizant Classic on Tuesday. ... Adam Scott, who finished fourth at Riviera on a sponsor exemption, moved to No. 5 on the “Next 10” list of those eligible for the next signature event at Bay Hill. He withdrew from the Cognizant Classic this week. ... PGA of America vice president Nathan Charnes now holds a seat on the PGA Tour board after the president, Don Rea, had his responsibilities reassigned to focus on PGA member priorities. Charnes is in line to become PGA president this fall. ... Marco Penge has won the Seve Ballesteros Award after his European tour peers voted him player of the year. Penge won three times on the European tour in 2025.

Stat of the week

All six winners on the PGA Tour this year already were eligible for the Masters.

Final word

“Everyone always says the hole looks small when you’ve got pressure. I thought it looked pretty big. I felt good in that moment.” — Jacob Bridgeman on his 3-foot par to win at Riviera for his first PGA Tour title.

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