Bubba Watson’s true feelings on Brooks Koepka leaving LIV Golf

When Koepka and co left the PGA Tour for LIV, it sparked rage from players. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods publicly slammed Koepka, and they weren’t alone.

But LIV Golf emphasizes players’ freedom of choice, so if its players targeted Koepka with the same anger, it would have been incredibly hypocritical. Instead, Rahm, DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson wished Koepka the best and supported his decision.

As did Watson, who was asked by The Mirror for his reaction to the Koepka news. Watson responded, “The league’s in a great spot. One person’s not going to dictate what the league’s doing.

Is this the end of LIV Golf?

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I certainly hope not. It is so much better the the PGA tour if you like to attend in person. I love watching my favorite players, who I actually know will be playing, rather than the primadonnas on the PGA tour who will bail on any tournament at any time.

“The beauty is, though, now he gets to spend more time with his family. That’s what he wants. And so that’s good.

“It’s great for him as a friend. I hope he has a great time, and it’s great that he’s still playing professional golf. LIV has always been about pathways to play other tours, and so it’s great.”

It seems that LIV players are all on the same page. LIV told Koepka he could leave the tour, as he never looked truly happy to be there from the moment he signed. The consensus is that this isn’t a major loss for LIV, as the tour will now allocate all its resources to retaining DeChambeau and Rahm for 2027 and beyond.

Bubba Watson names his key goal for 2026

Watson signed with LIV as a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour and a two-time major championship winner. But he hasn’t been able to replicate that level of success with his Range Goats team.

He came close at LIV UK, finishing second and receiving a compliment from NBA superstar LeBron James in the process, but Watson hasn’t yet won an individual event.

What’s the biggest reason you don’t watch LIV Golf?

I don’t think it brings me the format I’ve watched over decades. But I also want to watch the players I’ve come to know in the tournaments I know. You can’t re-create traditions just by attracting a few name players.

He said that he wants to put that right in 2026: “Well, I want to win on LIV. I haven’t lifted an individual trophy on LIV or a team trophy. I’ve lifted a team trophy, but not a championship.

“I would love to lift a championship trophy for a team on LIV. That would be another notch on the belt.”

At least with Koepka leaving and no big names added to the tour this offseason, there’s slightly less opposition standing in his way!