Of all the LIV Golf players in the field at this year’s Masters, the performance of Brooks Koepka was by far the most outstanding of the first two rounds.
The 32-year-old finished the opening round in a tie at the top of the leaderboard with Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm, and he didn’t let up on day two either, with a five-under 67 to extend his lead going into the weekend.
However, it wasn’t just his impressive performance at Augusta National that was noted. Intriguingly, Koepka was also not wearing the logo of either LIV Golf or the team he captains on the circuit, Smash GC.
Instead, Koepka has been sporting the Nike logo, and he was asked about that move following his first round. He responded: “I've got a big 'swoosh' on me.“ Koepka was pressed further on the issue, with the reporter pointing out he wasn’t wearing his LIV Golf team logo, and he replied: “Yeah, because I'm sponsored by Nike.”
The reporter tried one last time to persuade Koepka to open up on the decision, reminding him he had a team on LIV, and the American said: “Yeah, I have a team, but I'm also sponsored by Nike.”
LIV is placing significant emphasis on the team aspect of its competition this year, with captains encouraged to grow their franchise by attracting sponsors and fan interest. However, according to The Telegraph, its players taking part this week reportedly held a meeting beforehand and agreed not to wear LIV Golf logos “out of respect to the tournament”.
It was also agreed that players without a sponsorship deal, including Phil Mickelson, would wear their team outfits. However, Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith explained he’d kept his options open on that decision. He said: “I have another set of clothes made up this week without them [the team logos]. We haven't really heard much from Augusta National about the logos, and for me personally, I'm really proud of where I'm at and what I'm doing. Unless it's a problem for these guys, I'm going to wear it.”
Following his second round, Koepka admitted his decision to join LIV Golf would have been ‘more challenging’ with full fitness. For now, he appears fully focused on matters far away from the circuit, all while paying due respect to a tournament he has his sights firmly set on winning.
