Brooks Koepka has applied for reinstatement to the PGA Tour, the first step in the five-time major winner’s return to the tour after 3 1/2 years on LIV.

A source briefed on the matter, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Koepka has filed the necessary paperwork. ESPN first reported it Friday.

It remains unclear when Koepka would again be eligible to compete on the PGA Tour. Players who have left LIV, either through relegation or because they were not re-signed, have typically had to serve a year’s suspension from their last LIV appearance. The difference, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, is that Koepka did not resign from the PGA Tour. He simply didn’t reapply for membership for the 2022-23 season. Now that Koepka has reapplied for membership, the PGA Tour needs to decide on disciplinary action. If the one-year suspension strategy is implemented, then Koepka would be eligible to return by August.

Koepka does have a vocal supporter in his corner in Rory McIlroy. “I think they’ve already paid their consequence,” McIlroy said in an appearance on the British podcast “The Overlap.” “They’ve made the money, but they’ve paid their consequence in terms of the reputation and some of the things they’ve lost by going over there.”

Koepka announced last month that he would not be competing for LIV in 2026, the last year of the contract he signed in 2022. He was a significant signing for the rebel tour in its first season, along with Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.

“Family has always guided Brooks’s decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home. Brooks will continue to be a huge supporter of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf and will keep fans updated on what’s ahead,” Koepka’s representatives said in a statement.

Though Koepka was captain of his own team, Smash, and enjoyed on-course success with LIV, including winning the 2023 PGA Championship, he was never among its most vocal supporters. “I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that’s no secret,” Koepka said before the 2025 Masters.

He is eligible to compete in all four majors in 2026, regardless of the PGA Tour’s decision, and can also choose to compete on the DP World Tour. That’s where he first made his name after his collegiate career at Florida State, and it would allow him to remain a degree of tournament-sharp leading into the majors should he be forced to sit out most or all of the PGA Tour season.