‘It’s going to be awful’: Koepka not keen on PGA Tour’s comeback plans
Brooks Koepka has laid out a number of reasons why the PGA Tour’s plan to go ahead without fans won’t work
You can always rely on Brooks Koepka to speak his mind – and he’s not holding back on the PGA Tour’s proposal to restart in June with no fans.
At the moment the proposal is a return to action at the Charles Schwab Challenge, starting on June 11, and the first four events played behind closed doors.
Koepka had already reacted to the news by posting on Instagram that it’s “a little unrealistic”.
“You think about all these guys that are going to be in airports flying everywhere,” he added. “There are so many guys. Everything has to be cleaned. Is it really possible?”
And speaking on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast over the weekend, Koepka admitted that he’s not keen on playing in front of empty galleries.
“It’s going to be awful without fans,” the four-time major champion said. “The energy that the fans bring, that’s what we all live for, we all strive for.
“It’s going to be so weird.”
The current plan is that, as well as the restart at Colonial, the RBC Heritage, Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic will be played with no fans.
And though Koepka has yet to commit to playing in any of the four, he is still apprehensive about how it would play out.
“You want to play coming down the stretch and have everyone cheering for you,” he explained. “Imagine this: you sink the putt on the last hole and no one’s clapping. You’re just there by yourself, and you’re like, ‘Yes!’ Just you, your caddie, and silence.”
And that’s not the only problem he sees with the plan.
“Every once in a while, we just hit some foul balls and the fans help you find it,” he explained. “Guys are going to lose balls because of that.”
Maybe Koepka will just wait to make his return at the first scheduled event with crowds – the John Deere Classic in July.
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Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
