LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka has downplayed the chance of animosity between the big-money circuit’s players and PGA Tour stars at The Masters.
The four-time Major winner is preparing to compete in the third LIV Golf event of the season at Orange County National in Orlando. However, he revealed he had encountered several high-profile PGA Tour players earlier in the week at another Florida course, Jupiter.
While there has been speculation over the reaction LIV Golf players will receive next week from those on the PGA Tour, Koepka said there had been no hint of any issues as their paths crossed at the course, and instead, he even became engaged in conversation with Rory McIlroy about the recently announced golf ball bifurcation plans.
He said: “Down in Jupiter, we see each other – I was just with Rory and J.T. [Justin Thomas] yesterday, and I think Keegan [Bradley] was there. We see each other quite a bit. I mean, there’s a lot of conversations. I was talking with Rory for probably about 30 minutes just about the ball and all the other stuff that’s going on.”
Koepka also claimed he’s yet to witness any anger between any of the players on the rival circuits. He said: “No one is angry at anybody from what I’ve seen. I’ve had relationships with them for – I’ve known JT since maybe 13, 14 years old maybe. Rory for, I don’t know, the last 10 years. It’s not anything we don’t see each other normally on a normal basis.”
While Koepka has not experienced any issues between players in different camps, there have been some indications that next week’s Augusta National Major may not be entirely harmonious. At February’s Genesis Invitational, PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods admitted he doesn’t know how he’ll react to the LIV players.
Before that, World No.3 Jon Rahm predicted that the Champions Dinner, which will include Masters champions from LIV and the PGA Tour, could be “tense”. There was also the incident between McIlroy and Koepka’s fellow LIV Golf player Patrick Reed before January’s Dubai Desert Classic, where the Northern Irishman blanked the American, who appeared to toss a tee in his direction.
Eighteen LIV Golf players have qualified for next week’s tournament, a number that includes six former winners of the event.
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