A number of players certainly damaged their legacies with their decision to join LIV Golf, with the league attracting all sorts of criticism in recent years.

Rightly or wrongly, those who jumped to LIV Golf were painted as villains for a long time. Phil Mickelson was encouraged to miss The Masters in 2022 by Augusta National members following news that he was in talks to sign.

What are your takes from Brooks Koepka’s first showing back on the PGA Tour?

Are you more or less encouraged that he can compete in 2026

The animosity is nowhere near as strong as it was nearly four years ago. With that, it seemed to be a huge boost for the PGA Tour to have Brooks Koepka decide to leave LIV in December.

Of course, Koepka made his first start of the season at the Farmers Insurance Open this past week.

How the crowds treated Brooks Koepka during the Farmers Insurance Open

Koepka probably got a taste of what Tiger Woods feels like whenever he tees it up these days. He was the only player everyone wanted to hear from before the tournament got going at Torrey Pines.

There was always a good chance that the 35-year-old would struggle upon his return. Koepka was also seemingly aware that he would have to deal with some frosty reactions.

But it appears that none of them came from the crowds in California. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Todd Lewis insisted that the reception Koepka received was overwhelmingly positive.

“First off, I think it was a very emotional week for Brooks Koepka. You kind of sensed that emotion. When we talked earlier in the week, he was really, really nervous about that press conference that he had on Tuesday, because he was not only addressing the media, but fans and his fellow tour players as well. And he knew he had to answer some tough questions,” he said.

“But I felt like he did so with humility and gratitude for the PGA Tour for forging a path for him to come back. Once he got through that, then he started thinking about getting ready for this tournament. And that first day on Thursday, when he played the South Course, welcome back to the PGA Tour and get your butt out here on one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. I think he was very nervous on that first tee, and I think mainly because he was unsure how the fans were going to receive him.

“Were they going to be cynical? Were they going to call him out? Were they going to heckle him? But I’m telling you, 99.9 per cent of the time, actually I didn’t hear anything negative. I heard a lot of, ‘welcome back Brooks’, ‘yeah Brooksie, good to see you’. And I think that was pretty emotional for him too.”

Some LIV Golf players may have been very interested in the reception Brooks Koepka received

The reception Koepka has received may have struck a chord with those still on LIV.

It is not clear how many players are genuinely happy with their decision to join LIV. With Koepka and Patrick Reed recently leaving, it seems likely that more players will have some regrets.

Obviously, not every player would have been able to make an immediate return. It remains to be seen when Kevin Na, for example, will be able to tee it up in a PGA Tour event again.

But if that pathway does open up to more players in the future, the reception Koepka received at Torrey Pines will encourage those who are tempted.

It may not be what convinces them to return to the PGA Tour, but it should certainly help.