Brooks Koepka won the Greenbrier event on Sunday night to make LIV Golf history, but was in no mood to discuss his credentials compared to his rivals on the circuit
Brooks Koepka wasn’t willing to discuss any comparisons to his LIV Golf rivals (
Image: LIV GOLF YOUTUBE)
Brooks Koepka etched his name into LIV Golf’s history books on Sunday night by clinching his fifth individual title in the breakaway series, yet he shied away from any rivalry talk post-victory to avoid ruffling feathers among his peers.
The golf star, who has bagged five major championships and was an early signee to the controversial Saudi-backed tour, edged out Jon Rahm in a playoff at Greenbrier following a stellar performance. The US Ryder Cup hero notched a remarkable 19-under par over three rounds, tying with Rahm and just one stroke ahead of Smash GC mate Jason Kokrak.
Fortune favoured Koepka during the playoff’s first hole when Rahm’s tee shot veered off course, landing in a bunker and leading to a bogey, while Koepka kept his cool to putt for par and secure the win. Despite his season’s success, including a victory in Singapore, Koepka dodged questions about his standing on the LIV circuit at the press conference.
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Confronted with whether he sees himself as the top player in LIV Golf, Koepka sidestepped, saying: “I mean, that’s a setup question. I’m not going to answer that because I’m sure everybody will tear me apart. But you have to believe in yourself and be super confident. I feel like this year hasn’t been — this year has not been very good. It’s nice to kind of try to end it on a high note. Obviously we’ve got two events left, so we’ll see what we can do.”
Despite pocketing a cool $4 million in prize money – before the team’s $3 million has been divided – Koepka remained firm that this year has been a letdown for him. He had previously expressed his dissatisfaction with his performances in 2024 thus far, and he reiterated this sentiment on Sunday night.
When asked about the 2024 season as a whole, Koepka responded: “No [the season has still been disappointing]. The four majors were pretty disappointing. I think I’ve only had two chances to win and I won them, but that’s not enough.” Koepka continued to be self-critical, especially when discussing his win-rate on LIV. Despite winning five events in 31 starts, a record most would find impressive, Koepka insisted there was room for improvement, citing Rahm as an example.
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Brooks Koepka beat Jon Rahm in a playoff at LIV Golf Greenbrier ( Getty Images)
“I mean, that’s pretty good. I wish it would be a lot more. I mean, everybody does,” he said. “But yeah, just trying to go compete and go win. Like I said, I’ve only been — I had a chance to win two of these, and I’ve pulled them off. The key is actually being a little bit more consistent. You look at Jon all year, he’s had, what, eight, nine events maybe where he’s top 6 or has a chance to win on the back nine. I think that’s what needs to happen for next year.”
Rahm has had a standout debut season in LIV after signing up for a whopping $450 million in golf’s ‘off-season’, and even bagged a victory at the UK event, solidifying his position at the summit of the individual rankings.
Whispers arose pre-Greenbrier tournament about the Spaniard having second thoughts on his LIV Golf swap, suggesting he’d return the cash he got from Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund in a heartbeat if it meant a re-entry to the PGA Tour.
However, those whispers were swiftly refuted by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman during the Saturday broadcast, clearly stating: “I read an article yesterday about how Jon is so unhappy here [LIV Golf] and that he wants to give back his money. It’s just not true. You speak to Jon’s general manager, it’s like laughable. I just truly don’t get it. I truly don’t get the divide.
“The division is still there when we are actually showing how we do work within the ecosystem and how the ecosystem is accepting us and how the people are speaking out there. I just don’t understand why it is this way. It tells you there is some deep seeded something there. But we are going to keep ploughing through it and stay true to ourselves.”
