Brooks Koepka makes PGA Tour return: Five-time major champion opens 2026 Farmers Insurance Open with 73
CBSN
For the first time since March 2022, Koepka played in a non-major PGA Tour event
It is not often that five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is nervous, but nerves are what he expressed Tuesday when speaking with the media La Jolla, California, ahead of his return to the PGA Tour. Getting the hard part out of the way, Koepka was able to focus on golf alone Thursday as he signed for an opening 1-over 73 at the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open.
"[I was nervous] just because I care," Koepka said. "I think I've fallen back in love with the game. And honestly, watching my son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me, or I guess want him to watch me play well and realize how much this game's given me, how fun it is and how cool it is to just be out here."
Koepka's score positions him 11 strokes behind first-round leader Justin Rose, who blitzed the North Course at Torrey Pines with a stellar 10-under 62. As for those who played on the more difficult South Course, like Koepka, Seamus Power was the low man with a 7-under 65. Power and Koepka will face a less stern test on Friday as the North Course was more than three strokes easier than the South Course in Round 1.
Not only did Koepka's return mark his first start on the PGA Tour (not including major championships) since the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but Thursday saw him take his first competitive reps since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in early October 2025. As such, some form of rust was inevitable as he played alongside Max Homa and Ludvig Åberg.
"I felt like it was pretty good," Koepka said. "I struck it really well. I didn't hit enough fairways. If I was able to get to the back of the ball, I felt like I hit a good quality shot. Didn't really make any putts besides 18 right there. Yeah, it felt good. It's been a while since I played competitive golf, so I like the way I'm playing. I just need to kind of play my way into it."
