The LIV Golf Invitational Series has picked up two further notable names. On Tuesday morning, James Corrigan of The Telegraph reported that four-time major champion Brooks Koepka (currently ranked 19th in the world) is heading to the controversial Saudi-backed series, and that he’ll make his debut at their second event next week (at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, near Portland, Oregon). ESPN’s Mark Schlabach then reported that multiple sources have confirmed Koepka’s move, and added that a source confirmed that 20th-ranked Abraham Ancer is also heading to LIV Golf. Corrigan writes that this is the culmination of months of talks between Koepka and LIV Golf, and adds this comes after Koepka pushed back on journalists who asked him about the series at last week’s U.S. Open:
Koepka, 32, has been in talks with the Saudi-funded series for months and sources have confirmed that the deal has finally got over the line.
…Koepka’s move comes less than a week after the world No 19, rounded on journalists for questioning him on LIV in the build-up to a major.
“I’m here at the U.S. Open,” said Koepka, who won America’s national championship twice. “I’m ready to play US Open, and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favourite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that. The more legs you give it, the more you keep talking about it. Y’all are throwing a black cloud over the U.S. Open, and I think that sucks.”
Koepka (seen at left above at last week’s U.S. Open) won the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018 and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019. He’s also been known for his back–and–forths with Bryson DeChambeau, who he faced off with in The Match last November, and who he’ll now be competing with again in LIV Golf events. His brother, Chase, also competed in the first LIV Golf event in London.
As for the 31-year-old Ancer (seen at right above in May’s PGA Championship), a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S. who played college golf at Oklahoma, his only PGA Tour victory so far was in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last August. But he’s posted a number of other impressive results, including top-10 finishes in the last two PGA Championships. We’ll see how this move to LIV Golf works out for him and Koepka.
[The Telegraph, ESPN; Koepka photo from John David Mercer/USA Today Sports, Ancer photo from Orlando Ramirez/USA Today Sports]
