“I’ve got nothing. Everybody else seems to know more than I do,” Koepka said Wednesday during a press conference ahead of this week’s LIV Golf League event in Singapore, responding to speculation that surfaced two weeks ago by former Masters champion Fred Couples, a close confidant.

“I talk to Brooks Koepka all the time. I love Brooks Koepka, and I’m not going to say anything extra except I talked to him all the time,” Couples said in a radio interview on KJR 93.3 FM in Seattle before adding a bit more that started speculation about Koepka’s status on LIV Golf. “He wants to come back. I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the tour.”

Koepka, a five-time winner on LIV after joining in 2022, did seem to leave the door open to the possibility of rejoining the tour, where the 34-year-old has nine career victories, including five major championships. The PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV, are in continued negotiations about an arrangement that could reunify the pro game, but no deal is imminent.

“I don’t know where I’m going, so I don’t know how everybody else does,” Koepka said. “Right now I’m just focused on how do I play better? How do I play better in the majors, how does this team win? And then we’ll figure out next year and how to play better again. It’s the same thing. It’s just a revolving cycle.

“Yeah, Fred texted me after, I guess, the comments came out,” he continued. “I don’t know when it was. Sometime last week. Yeah, everybody seems to have their own opinion, and no one asks me. I talk to Fred quite a bit, but we don’t go too much into detail about what’s going on. Like I’ve said before, I’m not in those rooms. I’ve got a contract obligation out here to fulfill, and then we’ll see what happens.”

It’s unclear if Koepka’s contract with LIV Golf runs through 2025 or beyond.

Koepka’s comments were more circumspect than those of reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who last week denied rumors that he sought a return to the PGA Tour and expressed his continued support of LIV.

“I’m very excited about the future of LIV Golf,” DeChambeau said at LIV Golf Hong Kong. “I’m very excited to be the captain of the Crushers and continue our legacy that we’re starting to create. That’s my goal is to create this lasting legacy where we impact millions and millions of golfers’ lives around the world. That should tell you everything you should know.”

Main Image: Warren Little

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For many professional golfers, these tendencies can be seen in various aspects of their lives, especially food. Some worship Chipotle with an almost religious zeal. Others toss their pickles in the trash like they’re handling nuclear waste. Then there was Bryson’s infamous chonk-up, which defied everything we thought we knew about peak male performance. Perhaps the oddest of all, however, is Brooks Koepka’s diet, which he revealed in a viral Smash GC clip earlier this week.

No ketchup, no hot drinks… that’s a new one

Shop his hat here https://t.co/8moMASBcHG#LIVGolf #SmashGC #BrooksKoepka pic.twitter.com/PFgNWIG3i5

— Smash GC (@SmashGC) October 7, 2024

Koepka’s admission that he hasn’t “cooked in years” isn’t exactly shocking. Top pros are on the road most of the year and employ their own chefs and nutritionists. But to have made it to the age of 34 without ever drinking a warm beverage or eating ketchup is pod-person behaviour. We can argue until the cows come home about whether ketchup belongs on a hot dog (it doesn’t), but it’s in and on a million things. High-end chefs even use it to emulsify various sauces. Even if you don’t like, you have probably tried it … unless you’re the 2023 PGA champion, that is.

That pales in comparison to Koepka’s hot-drink phobia, however. The Smash GC skipper was born and raised in Florida, which is 9,000 degrees with 500% humidity (actual meteorological data) year-round, but still, we assume he’s been chilly before. Seriously, if Brooks and Jena go on ski trip to Aspen in January, does he order a cold brew for breakfast? Oh wait, of course he doesn’t, because Koepka ALSO DOESN’T DRINK COFFEE.

To each their own, of course. We’re all a bunch of freaks and weirdos at the end of the day, and Koepka’s fear-nothing-but-a-bottle-of-Heinz approach has served him well thus far. But still, we’d like to introduce him to the autumnal glory of a hot apple cider. ‘Tis the season, after all.

Main Image: Andrew Redington

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The 44-year-old from Portrush, Northern Ireland had decided to wash his hands of golf’s two strongest and most powerful tours, where he claimed a total of 13 victories, with the last ironically being the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in 2020.

McDowell even has a major title to his name at the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach where he overcame a chasing pack including Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson and he also has the bragging rights of clinching the winning moment in the 2010 Ryder Cup for Team Europe by defeating Hunter Mahan. All being a catalyst that sent him on his way to a career-high of number four in the world in 2011. But it seemed he didn’t want any of those privileges anymore.

Jeff Gross

For what it is, and like many others, McDowell alongside with close friends Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood all moved across to LIV Golf in 2022, spearheaded by CEO Greg Norman.

But it wasn’t plane sailing for McDowell. He played poorly during his first two years in LIV and after ending up outside the top 24 and within the free trade category to then be in danger of being ejected from the league. Not before Brooks Koepka threw him a lifeline and invited him to play for team Smash GC.

If we just rewind a bit first though. Why did Koepka sign the out-of-form McDowell?

The pair have history. They formed a friendship when both were competing back on the then European Tour (DP World Tour) where Koepka’s caddie and McDowell’s close friend, Rickie Elliott, who is also from Northern Ireland became the bond for the pair.

Another seed growing this friendship was horse racing, as McDowell explained to Golf Digest.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said McDowell. “I’m not a horse racing expert, but I feel like ‘ve grown up around horse racing. In the UK and Ireland it’s something that people are really into.”

“I love being around people like JP McManus and meeting people like AP McCoy. That’s how we met Harry Derham.”

“In the beginning, Harry obviously trained horses under Paul Nicholls, a 14-time champion jumps trainer, plus JP’s got a lot of horses with him. So Harry always had dream of having his own yard and we said, hey when that day comes let’s, let’s get a couple of horses with you.

 

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“We initially bought Fourofakind at the start of 2023, which we own with a few of the guys out here on LIV. Then last summer, Brooks had just won his fifth major, so I said to him this is it, it’s meant to be my friend, and we called it Givemefive.

“All Brooks said was how much is it and where do I send the cash? That’s pretty much how Brooks operates!

“We’re on a cool WhatsApp group with Harry and the team at the yard, and Brooks enjoys staying in touch with what’s going on. I think he wants a few more horses. Maybe to get something in the U.S. like a horse that can run on the flat, maybe get him to the Kentucky Derby one year!

“But Givemefive is certainly paying its way right now, and we’re having a good time which is a good thing to have as a team. It’s something else to bond over and get excited about.

“We have a great group of guys that are very competitive and obviously having a horse, which is competitive as well as is definitely something fun for us to be focusing on.

 

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Maybe the form of Givemefive has rubbed off from the racing track to the course. Not only is Givemefive a part of Smash Racing, but it carries the colours of Smash GC. Since McDowell made the trade across to the new-look Smash GC team, it has been close to a dream start for not just himself, but the whole crew.

A dominating performance in Smash’s performance in Saturday’s final round of LIV Golf Las Vegas allowed skipper Brooks Koepka to celebrate his fifth trophy of any kind since joining LIV Golf, while teammate Talor Gooch became the first player to win trophies with three different teams.

But perhaps the most meaningful celebration came from McDowell, for the first time in his 24 starts in LIV Golf, he had his hands on a trophy once again.

His five under par 65 was two strokes better than any other player, as he fuelled Smash’s late surge on the final holes to break open a tight leaderboard.

“It’s been it’s been fun,” he said. “You know, being surrounded by players like Brooks, Jason (Kokrak) and Talor, who was the individual champion last year which is no small feat against the field that we have out here. It brings it’s own level of competition.

“These guys are motivated and they’ve got a great work ethic. I still want to win every week and you know these guys are going to compete at every event. So you better get going or else you’re going to get left behind,” McDowell said.

“I feel like for me, at this point in my career, I feel like I’m still good enough. I just need that motivation and that momentum.

“We’ve got a team now which believes that it can compete every week.”

Main image: Sam Greenwood/LIV Golf

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The McDowell signing was announced in late November. The Gooch trade was finalised in mid-December.

Six weeks later, a format change for the 2024 LIV Golf League season was unveiled. For the first time in the regular season, all four scores will count for their teams in the final round.

Suddenly, a Smash team that already expected to be stronger now had another reason for optimism.

“I thought it was great having three,” Koepka said, “but then I think it actually turned to our benefit. Look, we’ve got a lot of firepower, a lot of guys on this team that know how to win, know how to play golf.”

It took just two tournaments into the 2024 season for Smash to reap that benefit, as Koepka & Co. won LIV Golf Las Vegas by seven shots.

At one point midway through the final round, there were four teams within a few shots of each other. But Smash pulled away down the stretch. The trio of Gooch, Koepka and Jason Kokrak were a cumulative 6 under on their last 18 combined holes; McDowell was 4 under on his last nine.

The foursome shot a cumulative 10 under in the final round – and was the only team with all four contributors under par, particularly impressive given the tough scoring conditions on a windy, chilly day at Las Vegas Country Club.

“With four scores to count here on LIV on Sundays this year, the expectation levels for the whole team, you want to play well for your guys,” said McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champ who spent the majority of his LIV career with Cleeks GC. “There’s a lot of extra pressure out there. I think it’s a phenomenal format.”

Meanwhile, Majesticks GC had the only other team score under par Saturday, shooting 4 under. Starting the round in last place, the Majesticks finished seventh to earn points for the team standings.

Had it been under the previous scoring format of just three rounds counting, the Majesticks would’ve finished outside the points in ninth.

“I’m much happier with four rounds,” added Majesticks Co-Captain Ian Poulter. “Everyone has got to do their bit, right?”

In LIV Golf’s previous two years, just the three best scores counted in the final round of the regular season, meaning a team could overcome a poor performance by one of its players. But with the format change, there’s no hiding in the final round. Good or bad, each player will impact his team.

LIV Golf captains Martin Kaymer and Kevin Na are at opposite ends of the spectrum concerning the change.

Kaymer, the Cleeks captain, thinks that the new rule should be in effect over multiple rounds.

“In my opinion, it’s still more on the individual side,” Kaymer said. “When we talk about prize money and things like that, I think it would be more exciting for fans if we go more team. Even maybe have the last two rounds count all four scores … I think we are heading in the right direction.”

On the flip side, Na – the Irons Heads GC captain – considers the change a bit penal for teams whose lineups can’t match the depth of the top foursomes.

“I don’t think it levels the playing field, honestly,” Na said. “… I think making it three out of four was really exciting because when you make all four scores count, it’s going to favour the stacked teams.

“Our team is great. We can flat-out all play. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what I’m saying is when you’ve got a stacked team, I think they have an advantage.”

Neither the Cleeks nor the Iron Heads have been consistent contenders since the debut of LIV Golf for the 2022 beta season. That the format change falls between their captains’ opposing viewpoints is a positive sign for its implementation this season.

In fact, multiple captains were asked to provide input, and the majority favoured counting all four scores in the final round. Previously, the only rounds in which all four scores count for each team happens during the final day of the season-ending Team Championship.

“A tougher test on Sunday for the teams is definitely probably a good thing,” said Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith. “… A team could technically be up five or six with one hole to play, and it’s really not over around here.”

“I think that’s the way it should have always been,” added Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann. “That puts a lot more input on the team aspect. I think having all four guys making count every shot on Sunday, I think it makes it a lot more interesting.”

Makes things a lot more rewarding, too, for the teams that thrive under pressure. The first two tournaments of the season were claimed by the teams with the best performances in the final round.

At Mayakoba, Jon Rahm’s expansion Legion XIII won in their debut with a field-best Sunday total of 14 under to finish at 24 under for the week. All four Legion players shot under par on the final day. Finishing second in Mexico was Crushers GC, which had the second-best total on Sunday.

“I haven’t experienced anything else, so I think it’s better because even if you don’t have your best two first days, your score still matters,” said Rahm on the eve of his team’s victory. “There’s nobody going to be out there kind of just like, today doesn’t matter. You can be in last place and still post a 7-under, which individually might not make a big difference, but you can help your team win.

“I think it was the right move because it’s going to make the team championship even more exciting, so yeah, I’m glad they changed it.

Then came the final round of Las Vegas. Smash produced the best performance while Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC had the third best score of the day (even par) to claim second place, with DJ earning the individual trophy.

It pays to perform in the final round.

“This is what a team is about,” Kaymer said. “When you play for Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, you cannot say seven players were good and four were [crap]. It doesn’t work like that. When it comes down to that, all players should count, and I like that way of playing.”

Main image: Smash GC celebration counting scores. LIV Golf

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Smash for Success wields golf as a vehicle for personal growth with values like integrity, discipline, and respect taught through the sport that will consequently help build the character of each golfer. In its pilot year, Smash for Success built the foundation for its future by inviting local community junior golfers and coaches to attend each US-based LIV Golf event. Those invited came from under-represented communities and were given best-in-class exposure to the professional golf world. In total, over 75 kids and 15 junior golf coaches were hosted across eight events.

“This year, we’re pumped to be taking our community initiatives to the next level with our Smash for Success Scholarship and Mentor of the Year Award,” says Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka. “We want every junior golfer to apply and know that we’re supporting them. We believe in inspiring the next generation of golfers and the people they will grow to become.”

The Smash for Success Scholarship will award a deserving student a college scholarship and will be presented the award at the LIV Golf Houston tournament in June. In recognition of those who dedicate their lives to supporting young futures, the Mentor of the Year Award honoree will be presented a prize and plaque at the LIV Golf Team Championship in September. Applications for both initiatives are open from now, and will extend through May 1, 2024.

“I wouldn’t be here today without the help of so many, that’s why we’ve also made it a priority to recognise those mentors that go the extra mile,” says Koepka. “It’s important to every one of us on this team that we make a positive impact beyond what we can do on the golf course.”

To signify the launch of the program and new initiatives, Smash GC went into the Las Vegas community earlier today to visit student-athletes at Valley High School. Five-time major champion, Brooks Koepka, 2023 LIV Golf Player of the Year Talor Gooch, US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, and teammate Jason Kokrak put on a life skills education session with the students, followed by an interactive golf activity. The Valley High School student-athletes are also being honoured as VIP guests on the first day of the LIV Golf Las Vegas tournament.

Image: LIV Golf

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But for 2024?

Eh, let’s not jump to conclusions.

In trading for Talor Gooch, Koepka is adding the reigning LIV Golf Individual Champion to the Smash roster. While winning three times as a member of RangeGoats GC in 2023, Gooch accumulated 192 points over the 13-tournament regular season – 40 points more than Koepka, who finished in third place, the last of the bonus-paying positions.

Gooch is one of the few players who have outperformed Koepka at LIV events during the first two seasons. Of the 19 regular-season events in which they’ve competed against each other, Gooch has produced the better result 11 times to Koepka’s eight.

Both have won three times in that span. Last year at LIV Golf Andalucía, they were in the leaders’ group on the final round, one shot apart. Gooch shot 67 to overtake Bryson DeChambeau for the win. Koepka shot 68 and settled for third.

Koepka responded against Gooch at the regular-season finale in Jeddah. Both finished regulation play at 14 under to force a playoff, which Koepka won on the second playoff hole. The runner-up finish, however, was good enough for Gooch to seal the season-long Individual title.

Just three captains have led their teams in points in each of the first two seasons – Koepka, Dustin Johnson of 4Aces GC and Cameron Smith of Ripper GC. While there’s certainly a hierarchy from the organizational standpoint with the captains, the competition inside the ropes is wide-open.

Koepka insists that he wants each member of his Smash team – Gooch, free-agent signee Graeme McDowell and holdover Jason Kokrak – to feel like they’re the top dog inside the ropes.

“I hope so,” Koepka said. “I hope [Gooch] thinks he’s the No. 1 guy on the team. That’s a good thing. That’s what I want. That’s the competitiveness we’ve been lacking.

“He’s a competitor. He’s gritty. Hope he comes in thinking he’s No. 1. I hope Jay thinks the same thing. I hope G-Mac thinks the same thing, because all that’s going to do is just drive everybody to play better and work harder. Success on the individual side for them and success for the team side.”

From Gooch’s standpoint, the internal competition against the five-time major winner should only help improve his game.

“Obviously, it’s Brooks’ team,” Gooch said. “He’s one of the best players of this generation. He’s the face of the team – and I’m excited to be there to hopefully make him the second-best scorer on the team over the next few years.

“We’re just doing this together and I don’t think either of us really care who’s No. 1 or 2 or anything like that. We want to be standing on the podium at the end of the week. That’s all we care about”

Gooch and Koepka have found themselves grouped several times in LIV Golf events thanks to their consistent appearances at the top of the leaderboard. That’s when Koepka began to realize that Gooch shared the same intensity for winning, even if he lacks the outsized reputation Koepka has earned through his major victories.

“Just liked his attitude, like the style of golf he plays,” Koepka said. “Just really liked him, getting to know him a little more over the last two, three years. It’s been fun.”

Fun wasn’t usually a description associated with Smash in 2023, as internal mid-season discord contributed to poor results. But in acquiring Gooch for Matthew Wolff and signing McDowell to fill the vacancy left by brother Chase Koepka’s relegation, Koepka feels like his revamped lineup is ready to make an impact in the team standings.

“I’m excited, especially with this group of guys,” the captain said.

Brooks Koepka at LIV Golf Media Week – LIV Golf

From McDowell’s perspective, he isn’t surprised that Koepka gravitated towards wanting Gooch.

“I knew what Brooks’ goals were for the team,” the 2010 U.S. Open winner said. “He really wants to build a sustainable team for the future, and I knew he was looking at a guy like Talor specifically, who was certainly under the radar eight months ago but no longer under the radar.

“He’s a young, highly motivated, highly talented winner, and I know Brooks likes winners. He likes guys with a sort of extra tenacity – kind of who he is himself. I mean in golf, you kind of have your mega-talented flamboyant players that are maybe not closers. I think Brooks likes closers and I think that’s what he looks to be himself.”

McDowell then revealed that his 7-year-old son Wills’ favourite player is Gooch, drawn in by the victories last year as well as Gooch’s tendency to wear his sunglasses on the back of his hat. Never underestimate the appeal of the cool factor.

Last year at the Team Championship in Miami, G-Mac had Gooch sign a cap for his son. Wills also ranks Koepka as among his favourites, too.

“I think dad’s probably in the top five of the world ranking of players he likes as well,” McDowell said with a smile.

Ah, rankings. McDowell doesn’t take offense that he’s not even No. 1 in his own home. No worries. As long as the Smash players are intent on beating each other on any given week, the rest should take care of itself.

Image: LIV Golf

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The timing couldn’t have been better. Koepka had just won the PGA Championship in May for his fifth career major victory. If ever there was a time to bet on a horse’s name, this was it.

“I’m like, mate, this is a perfect horse for you,” McDowell said about the sales pitch. “You just won your fifth and this boy’s called Givemefive.”

On Tuesday, McDowell and Koepka became partners again – this time on a turf more suited to their own abilities, as G-Mac signed a contract to join Koepka’s Smash GC for the 2024 LIV Golf League season.

McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, fills the vacancy left by Koepka’s brother Chase, who was among four LIV golfers relegated after finishing the 2023 season ranked 45th or below in the season-long Individual points standings (otherwise known as the Drop Zone).

The move ends McDowell’s time with Cleeks GC, the team he played for in his last 20 LIV Golf starts dating back to the third event of the inaugural beta-test 2022 season. McDowell’s contract expired after the 2023 season, and since he finished in the Open Zone as the 42nd-ranked player, he entered free agency with some uncertainty.

“It’s been a difficult time the last couple of months, obviously being out of contract and looking at the rankings and doing the math and realizing there wasn’t really going to be a lot of open opportunities and open slots within LIV for me to be able to slot into,” McDowell said. “Being able to have relationships and have respect levels from guys like Brooks was really, really important. …

“I was disappointed that the Cleeks wanted to move in a different direction, didn’t want to pick me up. But I guess sometimes things happen for a reason. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”

Unlike Chase, G-Mac isn’t family, but Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott is practically an older brother, the two having grown up in Portrush, Northern Ireland, and now living near each other in Orlando, Florida. G-Mac even helped Elliott land Brooks’ bag. They’ve been together for pivotal moments in each other’s lives.

McDowell was careful not to lean too heavily into his friendship with Elliott to land the Smash roster spot, but … well, it never hurts to chat with a fellow Ulsterman over a pint.

“I obviously didn’t want to put Ricky in a tough situation with Brooks and kind of be an advocate for me coming to Smash next year,” McDowell said, “but certainly there were plenty of whispers in the ears over a few beers, trying to kind of say, Hey, listen, how cool would this be? Can you put a good word in for me with the chief?”

Just as instrumental – if not more so – is that McDowell and Koepka have been close friends for many years, bonding over their shared competitive mindset. They fall into the same category of golf’s grittiest performers despite the disparate ways they attack the golf course off the tee.

Although Koepka won the individual title at LIV Golf Orlando and finished in a bonus-paying third position in the season-long standings, his Smash team fell short of expectations, finishing eighth in regular-season points and failing to advance out of the quarterfinals at the Team Championship.

Adding the 44-year-old McDowell should pay dividends not only inside the ropes but also in the team room. If the 33-year-old Koepka needs a sounding board or help for organizational matters, he can lean on G-Mac.

“He likes great competitors,” G-Mac said of his new captain. “I think that’s why we’ve always had a little bit of mutual respect for each other. He sees a little bit of himself in me, and vice-versa. …

“I feel like I bring that little bit of experience and that little bit of grit and determination and hopefully can help Brooks carry some of the load and carry some of the water and give him the opportunity just to go and be the best he can be. Help him handle some of the team logistics and the team media stuff and whatever it is he needs me to be, I’m certainly ready and willing to be that guy for him. And obviously first and foremost, play as hard as I can and see if I can go and be competitive next season and win a tournament.”

Koepka’s wager is that McDowell will produce improved results with his new team. In 20 stroke-play LIV starts, McDowell remains without a top-10 points finish; his best result in 12th. He’s finished inside the points-producing top 24 just five times – three in 13 regular-season starts in 2023.

A classic U.S. Open-type 72-hole grinder, G-Mac acknowledged the difficulties of adjusting to LIV’s 54-hole tournaments that generally require a fast start out of the gate and a shorter backstretch to make up ground. A poor round is severely penalized with the reduced competition timeframe.

He’s worked on changing his style, playing more aggressive – and he thinks the fresh start with Smash and teaming up with Koepka will generate better finishes.

“I know what I’m still capable of,” McDowell said. “I really feel like I’ve started to play great the last few months and I’m just missing that little bit of X factor – and I feel like the X factor’s going to come from the pressure of trying to hang with a guy like Brooks Koepka, who’s one of the best players in the world, the intensity and the mentality that he brings. I think it’s just what I need for myself to see if I can produce the golf that I know I’m still capable of.

“I’m hoping ‘24 is going to be the comeback season for me. Compete, try and win an event or two. Like I say, perfect timing for me right now.”

Even more perfect timing – Givemefive may be running his first hurdles race on Saturday at Newcastle Racecourse in England. After months of training, it’s time to compete as a hurdler during the United Kingdom’s winter jump season when the track is a bit softer. The multi-race program – that includes a distinguished Grade 1 hurdle race called The Fighting Fifth – could make for a nice coming-out party for the horse.

“He’s a two-miler plus,” McDowell said. “So he’s a little grinder as well.”

Sounds like another terrific fit for the Smash stable.

Image: LIV Golf

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What is looking clear, should the 2024 season play on, is the unlikelihood that Matthew Wolff will remain on the Smash GC team captained by Brooks Koepka.

On Friday, after the opening round of the LIV Golf Invitational event in Saudi Arabia, Koepka was asked a question about the “brotherhood” between the members of his team, which includes Wolff, Chase Koepka (Brooks’ younger brother), and Jason Kokrak. His response was telling.

“There’s only three of us on our team,” said Koepka, who would go on to win the tournament in a playoff over Talor Gooch. “I mean, obviously my brother, I’m pretty tight with him, and then—I’ve enjoyed being around Jay for the last—I’ve been pretty close with Jay for maybe the last three years. I’ve enjoyed being around him. He’s a good player, super talented. It’s been fun to be around him, and he’s played pretty solid this year. Yeah, I can’t say anything bad about him.”

But in saying nothing about Wolff, Koepka sort of said a lot.

In July, Koepka did specifically call out Wolff during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” Koepka said. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. It’s very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you’ve got one guy that won’t work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it’s very tough. I’ve basically given up on him—a lot of talent, but I mean the talent’s wasted.”

Wolff, who has been open about mental-health challenges he has faced since turning pro in 2019,  responded in a statement by saying Koepka’s comments were “beyond disappointing”: “When I chose to join his team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks’s stature. Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment. This has been quite difficult for me. My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health have been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day.”

Wolff is scheduled to compete for Smash at this week’s LIV Golf team championship event in Miami. But with his T-38 in Jeddah, he wrapped up the regular season in 27th place on the individual points list. Outside the top 24, it means he can be traded or released from his team during LIV’s offseason.

Main image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf

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It was a unique opportunity for the Koepka brothers, who had rarely seen each other in recent years as Brooks focused on winning majors and playing on the PGA Tour while Chase sought to make his mark on various developmental tours around the world.

“Our schedules never matched up,” Chase said. “Now they’re matched up and it’s awesome being able to spend time together. Our relationship has gotten better.”

But now a potential break-up looms. Not by choice, of course, but by performance.

Chase enters LIV Golf Chicago as one of four players in the Drop Zone on the individual points standings. Non-captains ranked 45th or worse after the regular season will be relegated out of the league. Chase currently ranks 48th with just one point. He has this week’s event and next month’s tournament in Jeddah to climb out of the Drop Zone.

Otherwise, he’ll be relegated, which means he’ll have no status for the 2024 LIV Golf League unless he plays his way back in during the promotional tournament later this year.

In essence, Brooks may be forced to jettison his own brother from the Smash line-up unless things improve.

LIV Golf

The situation is urgent, to say the least. That’s why they’ve practised together every day the past two weeks in the lead-up to Rich Harvest Farms. While Brooks has been priming his game for next week’s Ryder Cup, he’s also been helping Chase solve the issues that have led to this predicament.

It’s a perspective that’s familiar to Brooks, as he struggled with his own play while battling injuries before pulling himself out of it in the last year with two LIV Golf wins as well as his fifth major victory in May at the PGA Championship.

“I told him, I’ve been through that stretch where you’re not playing well,” Brooks said. “He’s working hard, I’ll give him that. That’s why I haven’t gotten on him. I’m proud of him. He’s gutted through this thing, and eventually it’s going to turn right side up, and that’s what I just keep telling him. I’ve been in those shoes two years ago. It will come around.”

But will it come around in time for Chase to keep his spot on the Smash roster? He has six regular-season rounds left to make a move.

“It’s all in my hands,” Chase said. “If I play well, I can get myself out of it. It’s not like this is the first time anyone’s been in this situation and played their way out of it. It can be done. Luckily, I’ve got two weeks. If it doesn’t happen this week, it can happen in Jeddah.”

For it to happen, he’ll need to solve the issues with his short game.

Chase is currently ranked 47th in scrambling, and 46th in putting this season. Those rankings are out of 48 LIV Golf regulars. Since he’s not a bomber like his older brother, Chase must rely on his short game to score. But it just hasn’t happened for him this season — and as he struggled to find a solution, it impacted other parts of his game.

“Honestly, it’s been bad, to the point where I felt like I had the chipping yips,” Chase admitted. “It’s not been fun.”

He and Brooks have focused on hitting the reset button. They’ve put in long hours, arriving at the gym at 6am and not returning from practice until 8pm. Putting and chipping games have been intense. The goal was to make practices so hard that playing a competitive round actually would be easier.

Meanwhile, they’ve tried to adjust Chase’s approach. Stop concentrating on the results and just go out and play golf. “Not results-focused this week,” Brooks said. The stars couldn’t be aligned more properly for a big week for Chase.

Last year at Rich Harvest Farms, he tied for eighth on the traditional leaderboard and finished ninth in points. It’s his best result in 18 regular-season LIV starts. So, he should have good vibes on the course.

There’s also the party-hole element on the par-3 17th, mimicking the Watering Hole in Adelaide earlier this year. Chase, if you recall, had the shot of the season in the final round in Australia when he produced a hole-in-one and set off a raucous celebration with flying drinks and endless chest bumps.

“Tell you what — I’m gonna get a lot of boos if I don’t repeat, which will be a tough ask,” Chase said with a smile. “But I think it’s awesome we’re able to do a hole here in the States.”

And in the first round, he’ll play with Smash teammates Kokrak and Matthew Wolff, as all non-captains will be playing together as teammates on Friday. “He’ll be comfortable with Wolff and myself,” Kokrak said. “It’ll settle him down, especially from the start.”

Ultimately, though, Chase’s fate for next season will be decided with his performance. If he can find his short game this week, he can produce a good-enough result to move outside the Drop Zone and give himself some breathing room going into Jeddah.

If he doesn’t, then he’ll go to Saudi Arabia in mid-October facing do-or-die pressure. Having just become an uncle to Brooks’ newborn son Crew, Chase dearly wants to maintain a parallel schedule to his brother, sharing in family get-togethers as well as sharing common goals as teammates.

“He’s rooting for me to play well and get out of the situation that I’m in,” Chase said. “We’re both rooting for each other. If you ask him, the first name he looks for on the leaderboard is my name. And it’s the same thing when I look for his name.

“We stick together as brothers and push each other as hard as we can. That’s why this is so special.”

Main image: LIV Golf

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Bald Head Blues, a lifestyle and performance golf brand, has been announced as the official apparel partner of LIV Golf’s Smash team.

Founded on the coast of North Carolina, Bald Head Blues takes the reins as Smash’s clothing partner for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. In addition to team members Jason Kokrak and Chase Koepka sporting the beach and lifestyle brand on-course, the team apparel line will go live for sale in merchandise tents at LIV Golf Greenbrier in early August with items becoming available on the Bald Head Blues and LIV Golf websites in the coming weeks.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with Smash GC. It’s a true thrill to be a part of this team, and to be their official on-course apparel partner,” said Bald Head Blues CEO Claude Pope. “We look forward to bringing the Bald Head Blues brand to Smash GC fans online and in-person at merchandise tents at LIV Golf events.”

Known for its iconic Golf Cart Surfboard logo, and founded on a golfcart-only island, Bald Head Blues is coined as the most authentic brand in beach and golf lifestyle. Found in over 400 resorts and country clubs, the high-performance apparel brand was built for the best golfers in the world.

“I’m very excited to be adding Bald Head Blues to the Smash GC family as our first official partner,” said Jason Kokrak. “From the first time I wore Bald Head Blues, I was very impressed with the fit, comfort and feel. I’m looking forward to introducing the custom line to LIV Golf and Smash GC fans and giving them a new way to support us both on and off the course.”

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