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Rory McIlroy believes Brooks Koepka showed his real motivations when he left LIV Golf to compete for the top prizes on the PGA Tour. Koepka, 35, cancelled his huge LIV Golf contract early to return to the PGA Tour, nearly four years after defecting to the Saudi Arabian backed rebels.

He applied for reinstatement to the tour via the 'Returning Member Programme' which is available to players who have won a major or the Players Championship. Koepka is said to have paid around $5m (£3.63m) to charity and will miss out on the PGA Tour's Player Equity Program, which could see him miss out on as much as $90m (£65m). Meanwhile, another player who has flirted a return to the PGA Tour is Patrick Reed, who even revealed after he won the Dubai Desert Classic that he has not yet re-signed for LIV. McIlroy used Reed as an example to explain why Koepka may have returned to the PGA Tour.

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When asked about Koepka's return, McIlroy said: "Yeah, I think it says more about Brooks than anything else. He obviously is a very competitive person and wants to compete at the highest level.

"I think he made the decision that he thought competing at the highest level meant coming back to the PGA Tour. You've seen others say this recently.

"Patrick Reed said it in Dubai last week. It seems like some of those guys are maybe starting to realise that they're not getting everything that they wanted out of going over there, and that's obviously a great thing for the PGA Tour."

After Reed's victory in Dubai, which saw him win the Desert Classic by four shots, he revealed he is yet to sign up for LIV again. Having previously said he would consider a return to the PGA Tour, it triggered suggestions he may also turn his back on the money-laden circuit.

Speaking to the Telegraph, the Masters winner, when asked if he would like to play on the PGA Tour again, said: "Of course. I mean, if it's up to me, I'd play everywhere.

"I'm already playing on three tours [LIV, the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour], so why not add one more? I always enjoyed my time out there on the PGA Tour. I mean, let's be honest, it's the best tour in the world.

"Look at what they've done in golf. You know, I could see myself playing there at some point again. I mean... you just never know.

"Everything's so fluid, everything's discombobulated in golf. But at the end of the day, whatever my name's called, I'm going to show up and play and, you know, try to play the best and not only represent myself, but my family, and also whatever my team [is]."