The PGA Tour just dropped a video building the anticipation for an exciting season ahead. While one tournament has already been completed, the 2026 American Express is the first tournament that will feature some of the biggest names. And their campaign does include some players on the Pete Dye Stadium Course; they have also included Brooks Koepka to end the video with a bang.

As NUCLR GOLF tweeted, “🚨🎬⛳️ ‘WHERE THE BEST BELONG’ — PGA Tour debuts its 2026 marketing campaign, which includes Brooks Koepka at the end of the video. Does this make you want to watch golf?”

While there is a week left for his first PGA Tour appearance in 2026, Koepka is already a part of their campaign. With a tagline, “Where the best belong,” Brian Rolapp’s team has sent out a clear message to other pros who are a part of the LIV Golf setup. They are not shying away from showing off the fact that Koepka is back on the PGA Tour. And others who choose the same path might also receive the same treatment.

They also had compelling messages from the pros in the narration of the video.

It included Rory McIlroy‘s quote from the 2025 Ryder Cup, “We’re here, and we’re playing for history. And we’re playing for the players that came before us.”

Scottie Scheffler‘s interview after he won The Open Championship 2025, when he said, “I’ve worked since I was two or three years old to have a chance to play professional golf for a living.”

Tommy Fleetwood’s thoughts after he claimed his first PGA Tour win in the 2025 TOUR Championship: “The guys who win the most, they’re in contention so much. They’re up there all of the time. That’s where I wanna be.”

But the internet wasn’t convinced by the PGA Tour’s efforts to promote itself.

Netizens call out the PGA Tour for its cringeworthy marketing effort featuring Brooks Koepka

Nothing triggered the fans more than the inclusion of Brooks Koepka at the end of the video. That prompted one of the fans to say, “Has an air of insecurity.”

Brian Rolapp & Co. opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau & Jon Rahm to also make a comeback while reinstating Koepka. But neither of them accepted the proposal. That might have driven the PGA Tour to launch such a campaign.

Another netizen put it out clearly, “Making your slogan ‘where the best belong’ is acknowledging LIVs upward momentum. Imaging your competitors living so rent free in your head that your slogan for the entire season is a result of them existing. That’s the PGA i know.”

The user seems to think that the PGA Tour tried to take a jab at LIV Golf with the advert. However, even they believe that it is acting insecurely by focusing their entire season’s campaign on their rivals. The fact that they didn’t make such an advertisement before Koepka’s return might also suggest that they didn’t already have the best golfers in the world before his arrival.

Someone commented, “A tour that’s based on competition hates competition from any other tour.”

As competitive as the PGA Tour is for its players, it has been quite cautious against other competitive leagues. They have also had issues with the DP World Tour in the past. However, the Strategic Alliance in 2022 allowed both Tours to unify.

A comment read, “Makes me cringe harder at the pga.”

The PGA Tour’s efforts to include Koepka in the campaign just to say ‘Where the best belong’ is probably what triggered the reaction. The former Smash GC captain’s return to the Tour has already received a lot of criticism. Having him as a part of the campaign only added to the issues.

Lastly, one of the fans also said, “It doesn’t make me want to shovel snow…..”

Despite their creative attempt, the PGA Tour wasn’t able to convince the fans to want to tune in for live events. As they stated, they didn’t find the advert that compelling.