Brooks Koepka Goes Out on a High Note
There are worse ways to close a book on a season than draining an eagle on the 18th hole at St. Andrews. That's exactly how Florida State's most decorated PGA Tour alumnus wrapped up 2026 — with a 66 at the iconic Old Course, a round that served as both an exclamation point and a palate cleanser after a year that tested his patience on multiple fronts.
Koepka, a five-time major champion, was openly frustrated with how his PGA Tour season wound down stateside. Rather than pack it in, he pivoted to Europe, teeing it up three more times before saving his best for last. The eagle on 18 at St. Andrews was pure Koepka: theatrical, clutch, and at one of the most recognizable addresses in golf.
The round capped a season that carried genuine storyline weight well beyond the scorecard. When Koepka returned to the PGA Tour in January, it looked like the opening move in a broader exodus from LIV Golf — a signal that the competitive and financial calculus was shifting back toward the established tour. That domino effect never materialized. Bryson DeChambeau's own return has been characterized as unlikely, with LIV 2.0 promotional activity reportedly rubbing PGA Tour board members the wrong way. Koepka, for now, remains the exception rather than the herald of a trend.
That context makes his European farewell lap feel even more deliberate. Whether by design or circumstance, Koepka spent the back end of his season recalibrating — and a 66 at the Home of Golf is as strong a statement as any about where his game stands heading into the offseason.
The Rest of the Noles on Tour
FSU's roster on the PGA Tour is deep, spanning multiple generations from Jeff Sluman and Hubert Green to rising names like Luke Clanton and John Pak. No additional performance news from the Seminole contingent surfaced during the September 28–October 4 window, leaving Koepka as the singular headline from Tallahassee's golf pipeline this week.
That's not unusual for a program that produces quietly prolific professionals — but it does underscore just how much Koepka remains the gravitational center of FSU's golf legacy. When he's closing tournaments with eagles at St. Andrews, no one else in the program needs to say a word.
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