Brooks Koepka responds to Fred Couples’ comments
Brooks Koepka is pushing back against speculation that he’s unhappy in the LIV Golf League—but he’s also not shutting the door on a potential return to the PGA Tour.
Speaking at a press conference in Singapore on Wednesday, the five-time major champion addressed recent comments from Fred Couples, who claimed Koepka “wants to come back” to the Tour. While Koepka dismissed the claim, his response left room for interpretation.
“I’ve got a contract obligation out here to fulfill, and then we’ll see what happens,” Koepka said. “I don’t know where I’m going, so I don’t know how everybody else does.”
Koepka reportedly signed a $100 million-plus deal with LIV Golf when he joined in June 2022, with his contract expected to run through 2026.
Couples’ Comments and Koepka’s Response
Couples, speaking on a Seattle radio station earlier this month, claimed that Koepka was eager to return to the PGA Tour but hasn’t been able to make it happen.
“He wants to come back. I believe he really wants to come back and play the Tour,” Couples said.
Koepka acknowledged hearing about the comments and even received a text from Couples afterward. However, he downplayed the conversation.
“Fred texted me after, I guess, the comments came out. I don’t know when it was, sometime last week,” Koepka said. “Everybody seems to have their own opinion, and no one asks me. I talk to Fred quite a bit, but we don’t go into too much detail about what’s going on.”
LIV-PGA Tour Talks Still in Limbo
As the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) continue discussions about a potential reunification of professional golf, the future of team golf remains a major sticking point.
Adam Scott, one of the PGA Tour’s player directors, admitted that finding common ground between the PGA Tour’s structure and LIV Golf’s team format has been one of the biggest hurdles in negotiations.
“We’re starting from two different sides of this, so I think it’s hard to find the balance that’s acceptable for everybody,” Scott said. “And it also may not be ultimately possible.”
Koepka’s Current Form and Future Outlook
Koepka, the captain of Smash GC, currently sits 22nd in LIV Golf’s individual standings. His best result this season was a T-7 finish in Adelaide on Feb. 16.
Despite winning his third PGA Championship title in 2023, Koepka has fallen to 181st in the Official World Golf Ranking due to LIV events not awarding world ranking points.
For now, Koepka is keeping his focus on the present.
“Right now, I’m just focused on how to play better, how to play better in the majors, how to help this team win, and then we’ll figure out next year,” he said. “It’s just a revolving cycle. I’ve got nothing. Everybody else seems to know more than I do.”
While Koepka remains committed to LIV Golf, his comments leave plenty of room for speculation about where his career might lead once his contract is up.
Photo – CNN
