By Steve Keating
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – With two good knees and a sturdy back Brooks Koepka carried the LIV Golf flag all the way to the top of the Masters leaderboard on Thursday, signalling his many injury woes were behind him.
Coming into the year’s first major there were questions about just how competitive the 18 members from the Saudi-bankrolled rebel circuit teeing it up at Augusta National would be, having staged just three events.
There were even more question marks hanging over Koepka, who has struggled with knee, back, hip and wrist injuries that had the 32-year-old American questioning his golf future.
But riding the momentum from his victory at the LIV Golf tournament in Orlando last weekend Koepka has looked more like the golfer who won four majors (two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships) from 2017 to 2019.
“I don’t think I’ve rediscovered anything,” said Koepka. “I just think I’m healthy, so I can move the way I want to.
“If your body won’t allow you to do the things you want to do, it’s frustrating.
“Wake up pain-free. Being able to move.
“Not having to get shot up to play. Not having to do anything.
“It’s been nice, it’s a new normal, but it’s definitely pretty close to what it was.”
After multiple surgeries Koepka joked that his knee modelling days are over, but his golf game is looking good carding a seven-under-par 65 to join Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Spain’s Jon Rahm at the top of the Augusta leaderboard.
Part of the reason behind Koepka’s decision to jump to LIV, along with the reported $100 million sign-on payment, was the circuit’s limited schedule that would allow him time to heal and put less stress on his body.
LIV Golf has scheduled 14 events for this year and is offering $405 million in prize money.
“I’ll spare everybody the details of what had actually happened,” said Koepka, adding he now knows how Tiger Woods feels after a car crash in 2021 nearly resulted in the five-times Masters champion losing his right leg. “It was pretty gruesome.
“You feel like you’re never going to be healthy.
“My knee modelling days are over. It’s not a good-looking knee but it looks about as good as it’s going to look.”
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Augusta; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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