“I’m trying to focus on the US Open, man,” Brooks Koepka said journalists Tuesday. “I legitimately don’t understand. I’m tired of conversations. I am fed up with all that. You all are casting a dark cloud over the US Open. I think it sucks.
Koepka has already agreed to share some pointed opinions about the Saudi-funded company and who wants to join it, but he hasn’t been heard from recently. the disruptive effect that LIV Golf has had on the highest levels of its sport. This is due in part to the fact that Koepka has been largely off the golf grid since March as he recovers from several injuries and prepares for his wedding to his longtime girlfriend, Jena Sims, which took place this month. The only competitive events in recent times for the double winner of the US Open and four-time major champion came to the Masters and PGA Championship.
“Look, golf is great and I love it,” the 32-year-old said Tuesday, “but at the same time, I have other things to do. Marriage was a really big thing, but just taking care of my body, making sure I’m 100 percent right. …Now that it’s over, we can go play golf.
Before playing golf later this week at the Country Club in suburban Boston, Koepka had a meeting with the media. As with players such as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and especially Phil MickelsonKoepka was peppered with questions about the schism between the PGA Tour, of which he is still a member, and his new deep-pocketed rival.
Noting that “LIV is trying to make a big push for golf,” Koepka discussed the fact that his younger brother, Huntingjoined the Saudi-backed tour while remaining on the PGA Tour.
“Look, I love my brother and I support him in everything he does,” Koepka said. ” It’s the family. I will always love and support him, so whatever he does, I’m rooting for him.
On why he was staying with the PGA Tour and whether it was a “permanent decision,” Koepka responded: “There hasn’t been any other option until now, so where are you going to go?”
When a reporter suggested “LIV,” he responded, “I mean, as of last week, that’s it.” I wasn’t playing last week, so I’m here at the US Open, I’m ready to play the US Open.
“I think it sucks too, y’all are throwing this dark cloud over the US Open,” Koepka continued. “It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you keep doing this, but the more legs you give (LIV Golf), the more you keep talking about it.
Mickelson, who returned from his own layoff to join the LIV, said Monday that the decision “allows me to do things off the golf course that I’ve always wanted to do,” such as spending more time with his family. While the PGA Tour has a nearly year-round schedule, LIV Golf’s inaugural season is made up of just eight highly lucrative events.
However, Koepka indicated Tuesday that he had problems even with that level of commitment. When asked if being able to play relatively few events while still competing in major tournaments seemed appealing to him, he pointed to his current ability to “play as little as I want.”
“I choose my own schedule,” Koepka said, “whatever tour I play.”
The remarks echo comments he made in March 2021, when the Saudi-backed project was in its early stages but already sparking much discussion about what it might entail. “The freedom of being my own boss feels good,” he said then. “So I appreciate that.”
Koepka and a few other superstars would soon received massive offers Saudis, who hired golf great Greg Norman to get their business off the ground. However, in February, comments made by Mickelson about the new circuit provoked a reaction this caused top players to pledge their loyalty to the PGA Tour. This led McIlroy to proclaim that LIV Golf was “dead in the water”, but Koepka offered what would prove to be a more prescient assessment.
“Everyone talks about moneyhe told reporters in February. “(The Saudis have) had enough, so I don’t see them backing down. They can simply double down and they will notice. They will have their guys. Someone will sell out and go for it.
When asked Tuesday if there was a dollar amount that would require him to join others on the LIV Golf Series, Koepka claimed he hadn’t “thought much about it” and chastised the journalists for dwelling on the subject.
“You all are casting a dark cloud over the US Open, and I think it sucks.”
Brooks Koepka was a little annoyed by all the questions about the LIV Golf Series. pic.twitter.com/efRtTldE0D
– TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 14, 2022
Koepka wasn’t the only prominent player at the tournament to express displeasure with the extent to which LIV Golf was dominating the conversation. Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner, described it as “a great distraction”.
Acknowledging that Koepka was “on to something,” Morikawa said: “We’re here to win the US Open, and we’re here to play and beat everyone else in this field, this big field, and that’s what it’s all about. what it’s about.”
“I think when you wake up,” he continued, “and I message my agent or my friend and say, ‘Hey, have you heard about this?’ or, “I’m getting some news about this,” it’s funny, it’s exciting, because it’s gossip. Who doesn’t like gossip, right? But it also becomes a distraction, and you don’t want to focus on this or that. You want to focus on golf.
Morikawa, 25, who also remained on the PGA Tour, admitted it was “upsetting” that the state of the game had gotten to this point.
“All I dreamed of was playing on the PGA Tour,” he said, “making putts to win tournaments, winning major tournaments. And for me, it’s just, how can I focus on this again? … It’s an added distraction to think about this, think about that, and worry about who’s going to ask what.
