Koepka defected to LIV last year
Brooks Koepka doesn't "give a f---k" what you think about his move to LIV.
The five-time major winner naturally became a rather controversial figure when he made the move to the Saudi-backed golf league.
Koepka was one of the biggest names to make the move, alongside Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.
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Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a second shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 21, 2023, in Rochester, New York. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
In a new book titled "LIV and Let Die," longtime golf writer Alan Shipnuck discusses a time when Pat Perez thanked Johnson for convincing him to join LIV, citing incredible financial gain. As for Koepka, he had a similar sentiment.
Koepka is said to have felt criticized for the move by golfers like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who had childhoods that were different from Koepka's. Koepka says he "grew up with nothing." Ironically, he was originally critical of those who jumped ship, but for him, it was a guaranteed payday after injuries that affected his game, and he did not know whether he would return to his 2018 and 2019 form.
After cashing in on nine figures, he answered back at the critics.
"F–k all of those country club kids who talk s--t about me. You think I give a f--k what they think?" the books claims Koepka said, via the New York Post. "You think I care what people say about me? I just had three surgeries, and I’m supposed to turn down $130 million?
Brooks Koepka of the United States team plays his second shot on the first hole in his match against Ludwig Aberg during the Sunday singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on October 1, 2023, in Rome, Italy. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
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"I grew up with nothing. After signing that contract, the first person I called was my mom. We both cried."
After tearing a patella tendon, he won just one PGA event from mid-July 2021 until his move to LIV, and his results in majors last year were abysmal. His two missed cuts sandwiched finishes of T-55th at the PGA Championship and 55th at the U.S. Open. This year, he won the PGA Championship a third time and played well enough to be a captain's pick in last week's Ryder Cup.
Koepka said after his second round at Augusta that had he been healthy, he might have never joined LIV.
"Honestly, yeah, probably, if I’m being completely honest," he said when asked whether his decision to join LIV would have been more challenging had he been healthy.
Brooks Koepka catches a ball on the 14th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament at the Los Angeles Country Club on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt York)
But he has no regrets.
"I’m happy with the decision I made," he said at the time.
"The only time I ever thought about not playing was if I couldn't move the way I wanted to. If I wasn't going to be able to move the way I wanted to, I didn't want to play the game anymore. It's just that simple. There was definitely moments of that last year. Last year was pretty tough, . . . " he said. "But a lot better now."
Koepka went 1-1-1 in Team USA's loss to Team Europe in Rome.
