Leading up to last week’s U.S. Open, Brooks Koepka admonished the press for asking questions about the LIV Golf tour.
The breakaway, Saudi-funded league has turned the golf world on its head, and Koepka said the media was casting a “black cloud” over the U.S. Open after he was asked how much money it would take for him to join his approximately 20 colleagues who have spurned the PGA Tour and joined the LIV Golf series.
“I haven’t given it that much thought,” Koepka said before going on a rant about how he’s focused on the U.S. Open and not on the LIV Golf tour.
Well, just two days after the U.S. Open ended, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman must’ve learned what Koepka’s magic number was, because the 32-year-old golfer has jumped ship to join the controversial tour, according to multiple reports. The Telegraph was the first to report Koepka had joined LIV Golf.
Koepka is one of the most well-known golfers in the world. Ranked No. 19 in the world, Koepka is a four-time major champion with two PGA Championships (2018, 2019) and two U.S. Open trophies (2017, 2018).
Koepka, a former world No. 1 for 47 weeks before dealing with injuries recently, brings further legitimacy to the LIV Golf tour, joining Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau as the biggest names to accept checks funded at least in part by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. It’s unclear how much Koepka was paid to join the new tour. Mickelson reportedly received $200 million, while Johnson got $125 million.
Like Johnson, DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, Koepka is also in his prime. LIV Golf’s detractors have said the tour is filled with players whose best golf is behind them, as most of the players at the inaugural event in London were over 40 years old. World No. 20 Abraham Ancer, 31, is also reportedly joining the LIV Golf tour, according to ESPN.
Koepka, whose brother Chase played at the event in London, is expected to play in LIV Golf’s first tournament in the United States at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon, beginning June 30. DeChambeau and Reed will also make their LIV debuts in Oregon. Their punishment from the PGA Tour is likely to be the same as the 17 PGA members who played in LIV’s inaugural event: an indefinite suspension.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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