Brooks Koepka reveals ‘honest’ reason for joining LIV Golf
Brooks Koepka has admitted to the true reason why he left the PGA Tour to sign for LIV Golf in the summer of 2022…
Brooks Koepka has made it clear why he joined LIV Golf.
The five-time major champion said money is why he left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed circuit while speaking on the BS w/ Jake Paul Podcast,
Koepka transferred in June 2022 for a reported nine-figure sum having implied he’d stay put and remarked “somebody will sell out and go to it” in the previous February.
“Look, I’ll be honest with you – I signed for the dough,” Koepka said.
“I’m 100% behind that. I don’t know if tomorrow I’ll get in a car accident and never play golf again but my family is taken care of.
“That was a big thing for me, not doing it for anything else. Everybody else, they go to their 9-5, most of them don’t like their 9-5, but they’re doing it because they get the pay cheque. That’s the same thing as us.
“I enjoy playing golf, I enjoy winning. I’d say I’d do it for free because I love it that much, but at the same time you’ve got to take care of each other.”
At this year’s Masters, Koepka admitted his decision to join LIV might’ve been harder to make had he been fully healthy and injury-free.
He once described his body as “glass” having experienced wrist, hip and knee problems during his illustrious career.
In his last season on the PGA Tour, he missed seven cuts in 16 events and just before the second LIV Golf season started earlier this year, the American missed the cut at the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour.
Since then, he’s added a third PGA Championship trophy to his cabinet and three LIV Golf titles – his most recent in Jeddah last week.
His emotions were laid bare in the Netflix docu-series ‘Full Swing’, which peaked behind the curtain of Koepka’s life and his injury struggles.
The 33-year-old also addressed this on the podcast:
“I lost all confidence. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to keep playing, which is not fun. I wake up every day and I can’t bend my knee.
“I know I’m supposed to. If you just don’t feel like you can do something, you’re not going to do something, that’s the hard part.”
Now read: What’s in the Brooks Koepka LIV Golf bag?
With reports of a lucrative Brooks Koepka LIV money deal, do you think he should’ve stayed on the PGA Tour? Tell us on X!
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
