How the five-time major winner is received - inside and outside the ropes - remains to be seen. He is the first player to be invited back to the PGA Tour after taking Saudi riches to defect to LIV Golf in 2022.

"I have a lot of work to do with some of the players," Koepka said in a phone interview on Monday. "There are definitely guys who are happy, and definitely guys who will be angry. It is a harsh punishment, financially. I understand exactly why the Tour did that - it's meant to hurt, but it [his departure] hurt a lot of people.

"If anyone is upset, I need to rebuild those relationships."

Koepka has been allowed back under a one-time "Returning Member Program" which the PGA Tour board developed and approved last week. It applies only to players who have won a major or The Players Championship between 2022 and 2025.

The penalty is a $US5 million contribution to a charity the Tour will help decide, no access to FedEx Cup bonus money in 2026, no sponsor exemptions to the $US20 million signature events and, most importantly, no equity grants in the Tour for the next five years.

Based on Koepka performing at the level allowed to win five majors, the financial repercussions could be worth anywhere from $US50 million to $US85 million.

"There was no negotiating," Koepka said about his conversation last week with Brian Rolapp, the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. "It is meant to hurt, it does hurt, but I understand. It is not supposed to be an easy path. There are a lot of people who were hurt by it when I left; I understand that's part of coming back."

For those not happy to see him return, Koepka said he looks forward to having much-needed private conversations.

"The first week I'll be a little bit nervous," Koepka said. "There is a lot going on than just golf. I will be glad to put the first week behind me - dealinto g with the media, dealing with the players, and then getting some of those tougher conversations. 

"Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Yes. In a weird way, I want to have those conversations."

Jordan Spieth said Koepka just needed to be the same person who left.

"You are not going to ask somebody to change to please other people," Spieth said. "I don't think he needs to ... walk along the range and shake everyone's and say, 'I'm sorry.' He just comes back and plays really good golf. That is good for everybody."

The 35-year-old Koepka will return at Torrey Pines on January 29. 

Word first began to circulate in November last year that negotiations between Koepka and LIV Golf - he had one year left on his contract - were not going well. He had publicly complained last summer that LIV was not as far along as he would have liked.

And then on December 23 came the announcement from LIV of an "amicable" split, with Koepka reapplying for PGA Tour membership.