Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka will jump to LIV Golf, the latest in a string of high-profile PGA Tour defections for the breakaway Saudi-backed golf league.
The four-time major winner will join LIV in time to play in next week’s event in Portland, Ore., according to the Daily Telegraph.
It’s the latest blow for golf traditionalists, who just concluded a renaissance weekend full of glory at last week’s U.S. Open. It’s also a stark reminder that the legacy and history on which the PGA Tour has built so much of its reputation and business model aren’t quite so attractive to players who are being offered substantial appearance fees and guaranteed paydays every tournament.
Koepka joins fellow major winners Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed on the LIV tour, as well as his brother Chase. Like Johnson, Koepka is a former world No. 1 player.
Given that the PGA Tour has indicated it will suspend any player that joins the tour in the future, Koepka is presumably about to join that suspension list. He also will be unable to play on the Presidents Cup. However, the majors have, for the moment, left the door open for LIV players, making LIV an attractive and lucrative option.
At the U.S. Open, Koepka didn’t exactly give a resounding show of support for the PGA Tour, and ripped reporters for asking repeated questions about LIV. “There’s been no other option to this point, so where else are you going to go?” he said. “think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that.”
LIV Golf is slated to play seven more tournaments this year, five in the United States.
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Contact Jay Busbee at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee.