Four-time Grandmaster Brooks Koepka is the last golfer to reach the PGA Tourist LIV Golf Invitational Series, sources told ESPN.
Koepka, 32, is one of the highest-profile players to join Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund-funded breakout round, led by two-time Open winner Greg Norman.
LIV Golf is expected to announce the addition of Koepka in the coming days, sources confirmed. Koepka, ranked 19th in the world’s official golf rankings, is expected to compete in the first LIV golf tournament on June 30 at Pumpkin Ridge, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Koepka was announced for the first time on Tuesday by the London Telegraph to leave the PGA Tour.
The source confirmed that Abraham Ancer, who is ranked 20th in the world, will also leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Later on Tuesday, the world’s 4th Collin Morikawa refuted rumors that he too was planning to join LIV Golf, tweeting that he was “here to stay” on the PGA Tour and “nothing has changed”.
As a remark, you are all wrong. I’ve been saying on the Riviera since February that I’m here to stay @PGATOUR and nothing has changed. If you’ll excuse me now, I have some milk to pour in
– Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) June 21, 2022
LIV Golf has now signed with eight of the world’s 50 best players; Bryson DeChambeau (30th) and Patrick Reed (38th) should also compete in the Portland event.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has banned 17 players, including two-time winner Dustin Johnson and six-time winner Phil Mickelson, as they competed outside London at LIV Golf two weeks ago. Monahan had said that tour players who competed in future LIV Golf tournaments without releasing a controversial event will face a similar penalty.
Monahan will meet players at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Tuesday morning. The PGA Tour players’ advisory board also met on Tuesday.
Koepka, who is ranked 84th in the FedEx Cup standings, remained on the Travelers Championship, although he did not attend the TPC River Highlands.
Monahan has to talk to the media on Wednesday.
In 2019, Koepka became the first player in history to win two grand championships at once; he won the 2017-18 US Open and the 2018-19 PGA Championship.
Koepka joins his longtime friend Johnson and his brother Chase Koepka, who also competed in the LIV competition in London.
Koepka was the world’s leading racketer for 47 weeks, but has been bothered by back, hip and wrist injuries in recent months. Koepka has two top-10s in 15 starts, but did not do well in the first three major tournaments this season. He missed the Masters, finishing 55th at the PGA Championships and was 55th at the US Open last week at The Country Club outside Boston.
Koepka criticized journalists last week for throwing a “black cloud” at the US Open with questions about LIV Golf.
“I’m here at the US Open,” he said. “I’m ready to play at the US Open, and I think it’s bullshit, you’re all throwing that black cloud over the US Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you’re going to keep it up. [LIV Golf]the more you talk about it. “
Ancer, a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States, played in Oklahoma. He won his first and only PGA Tour victory at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitationalil. He also finished in the top 10 in the previous two PGA Championships, including finishing ninth last month in Southern Hills.
Ancer quit last week’s US Open, citing illness. He’s not in the passenger field.
Ancer was one of the brightest places on the international team at the 2019 Presidential Cup in Melbourne, Australia. He had a 3: 1: 1 record, his only loss in the singles against Tiger Woods.
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