Not all that glitters is gold, it seems, amid suggestions Brooke Koepka is regretting his decision to join the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League.
That is the assertion made by the man who famously published Phil Mickelson 's quotes that the Saudis were "scary motherf*****s to get involved with" ahead of LIV's launch last year. That didn't prevent 'Lefty' partnering with the Kingdom in an effort to reshape golf's landscape, with numerous other PGA stars following his lead to LIV's shores.
But one year after the Saudi-backed breakaway first started to cause major divisions in the sport, it's rumoured Koepka is having 'buyer's remorse' over his investment. The 32-year-old earned $8.2million (£7.2m at the time) during the inaugural LIV Golf campaign, where the Team Smash captain banked his sole event win in Jeddah.
"I’m hearing a lot of rumblings that Brooks Koepka has buyer’s remorse," golf author Alan Shipnuck wrote as part of a Q&A for The Fire Pit Collective. "He took the money when his brittle body was still being put back together, and in private he has confided to folks he wasn’t sure if he would ever get fully healthy again. But now Koepka is feeling frisky and supposedly rethinking his career choice."
LIV Golf and the DP World Tour were engaged in an arbitration hearing last week to determine the extent to which the latter can enforce laws concerning sanctions again players who have left for LIV. The result of that week-long case is expected to be announced in the coming two to three weeks, which will have a major impact on how this year's majors and Ryder Cup are played.
Golf's establishment has spent much of the past 12 months on the back foot after some its top names uprooted for more lucrative climes with LIV. However, it would be a ground-breaking coup if certain stars were to return to the PGA, where prize purses have been increased substantially at certain events, for greater competition.
"As for the mechanics of returning to his old place of business, a lot hinges on the European Tour lawsuit that is being reviewed by arbitrators in the UK," Shipnuck continued. "If the players prevail, that opens the door for the LIV guys to have unfettered access to the Euro Tour, which will be a boon to a struggling circuit.
"It would also position LIVers to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup, all of which would put intense pressure on the PGA Tour to forge a truce with LIV. Secretly, [PGA Tour commissioner Jay] Monahan would love for some big-name LIV guys to come home because it would be a P.R. bonanza for the PGA Tour."
One could argue four-time major champion Koepka would be among the most valuable 'gets' if a defector were to return to the PGA, combining huge talent and appeal with the fact he's still very young. These 'rumblings' have emerged just after Tiger Woods admitted he is unsure how he'll react to seeing LIV's defectors at the upcoming Masters, which will put players from both sides under the same roof in Augusta.
