Brooks Koepka’s verdict on LIV Golf is more damning than you might expect

After four years and billions of dollars spent, Brooks Koepka is hopeful about the league’s future.

Brooks Koepka has given a damning assessment of LIV Golf’s progress, or lack of, since the breakaway tour was launched in 2022.

The inception of the Saudi-funded circuit ripped the top of the men’s professional game apart. Billions of dollars were invested by The Kingdon’s Public Investment Fund to establish a rival league to the traditional tours and lure some stalwarts of the game to join the cause.

Koepka, a four-time major champion at the time, was one of the big-name captures in 2022. He had been battling injuries but still had exemptions into the game’s four showpiece events and secured a tasty $100 million paycheque for making the move.

Now the captain of Smash GC, he expressed his disappointment at the lack of impact LIV has been able to make in terms of attracting sponsors and drawing in major TV audiences.

It’s no secret LIV has struggled to resonate with viewers. Despite being won by Jon Rahm, the 2024 season-ending championship barely made a splash, with renowned analyst Brandel Chamblee describing it as less popular than pickleball.

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Koepka is, however, hopeful new LIV CEO Scott O’Neil can move things forward.

Speaking on The Joe Pomp Show, Koepka said: “Look we’re four years in, it’s just getting its feet wet and figuring out what direction they want it to go. Obviously, there’s been a lot of change and hires of people within LIV and now having Scott [O’Neil]

“I think Scott’s a great guy and he can lead LIV to where it needs to be or where it should be because we are behind, to be quite fair.”

Pushed to be more specific, he added: “Behind where we should be. From bringing sponsors in to hitting the international market and the US market.

“It [the new TV deal] definitely helps, but we need to take that and expand it and grow it. We’re not on Fox every single day we play. So we’ve still got room to grow but we’ve got the right people in charge now and I’m excited to see where it goes.”

Speculation about the future of Koepka at LIV has been ramping up of late. His contract runs out this year and there have been rumblings that he is eyeing a return to the PGA Tour.

In an interview on Seattle radio station KJR 93.3 FM, Fred Couples stated his belief that Koepka “really wants to come back and play the [PGA] Tour.”

That was described as a “low class jerk move” by Phil Mickelson in a now-deleted social media post but Koepka didn’t exactly shut down the rumours.

Ahead of LIV Golf Singapore, Koepka was asked about Couples’ comments, saying: “Like I’ve said before, I’m not in those rooms. I’ve got a contract obligation out here to fulfil, and then we’ll see what happens. 

“I don’t know where I’m going, so I don’t know how everybody else does.”