In 2019, the week Brooks Koepka would lead wire-to-wire at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black and capture a fourth major title in 23 months, he broke down why he believed he’d become the most dominant player on golf’s biggest stages.
“(There are) 156 in the field,” he said, “so you figure at least 80 of them I’m just going to beat. From there you figure about half of them won’t play well. So you’re down to about maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them just. … pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you’ve just got to beat those guys.”
Koepka recently has become one of those guys others “I’m just going to beat.” A non-factor in this year’s majors and rarely in contention in the last year, Koepka, whether because of injuries, the distraction of planning a wedding or maybe just being past his peak, is leaving the PGA Tour to join Greg Norman’s LIV Golf Series.
The announcement came Wednesday, after Koepka withdrew from the Travelers Championship late Tuesday.
Koepka, at 32, is a big get for the Saudi-backed series searching for credibility and attention, one whose events are shown on YouTube because it does not have a television deal. LIV’s first event two weeks ago in London featured just two golfers who move the needle, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. Add Bryson DeChambeau and Koepka for the upcoming event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside of Portland, Oregon, and now it has four.
But none of that matters to the 20 or so players who have defected from the PGA Tour and others who are struggling to find their footing in the world of professional golf.
Why other golf players are joining Liv Golf
All that matters are the checks hitting their accounts. Everyone from Charl Schwartzel, who won $4.75 million for winning the individual title and being a part of the winning team in London; to Andy Ogletree, who took home $120,000 in prize money for shooting 24-over and finishing last in the 48-man-field, is in LIV for one reason.
In two decades as a pro, Schwartzel never won $3 million in a year, including 2011 when he won the Masters. Ogletree’s career earnings in four years of playing tour events is $38,186.
Koepka’s decision certainly has to do with adding to that $38 million he’s earned in PGA Tour prize money, plus millions more off the course, in his career. It also gives us a peek into the mind of a golfer who at one time was considered among golf’s royalty, held the No. 1…
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