PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — Brooks Koepka on Wednesday dropped a serious hint that he wants back on the PGA Tour once his LIV Golf contract is up.
The five-time major championship winner responded for the first time publicly about comments Fred Couples made recently about Koepka’s desire to leave LIV Golf and return to the PGA Tour.
Koepka, speaking to reporters in advance of this week’s LIV event in Singapore, left the door more than ajar that he might well return to the mainstream tour when his LIV contract has expired.
Couples made news and ruffled some feathers when he told a radio show that Koepka “wants to come back (to the PGA Tour),’’ adding, “I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the Tour.”
Koepka, who seems to revel in his role as a contrarian and being intentionally ambiguous, is the only LIV player who doesn’t wear a LIV team logo on his apparel, said, “I’ve got a contract obligation out here to fulfill (at LIV), and then we’ll see what happens.’’
That was hardly a strong endorsement for the Saudi-backed tour, which paid him a reported $100 million to join in 2022. LIV doesn’t divulge details of its contracts, so it’s not known when Koepka’s contract expires, but it’s believed to run through 2026.
“Everybody seems to have their own opinion and no one asks me,” Koepka said in responding to Couples’ comments.
“I don’t know where I’m going, so I don’t know how everybody else does. Right now, I’m just focused on how do I play better, how do I play better in the majors, how does this team win, and then we’ll figure out next year and how to play better again. Everybody else seems to know more than I do.”
Koepka confirmed on Wednesday that he does talk to Couples often, and Couples even texted Koepka after his comments went public last week.
“Yeah, Fred texted me after, I guess, the comments came out,’’ he said. “I talked to Fred quite a bit, but we don’t go too much into detail about what’s going on.”
These were Couples’ comments: “I talk to Brooks Koepka all the time. I love Brooks Koepka. And, I’m not going to say anything extra except I talk to him all the time … and he wants to come back, I will say that. I believe he really wants to come back and play the [PGA] Tour.”
Couples comments spurred Phil Mickelson, a fellow LIV Golf member, to rip Couples with a social media message that he later delated: “If it’s not true he damaged a relationship which he cares about. If it is true he took away Brook’s [sic] control of the timeline and narrative. Either way this is a low-class jerk move by Fred.”
