Brooks Koepka says Rory McIlroy can ‘think whatever he wants’ as he brushes off Northern Irishman’s ‘duplicitous’ jibe aimed at LIV Golf rebels who performed U-turns on the PGA Tour to join controversial Saudi-backed series
- Brooks Koepka has spoken out on his decision to join the LIV Golf series
- The four-time major winner says Rory Mcllroy is entitled to his own opinion
- The Northern Irish golfer accused those who switched of being ‘duplicitous’
- Koepka joins Bryson DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff in defecting to tour
Brooks Koepka has hit back at Rory Mcllroy following accusations by the Northern Irishman that players who have joined the LIV Golf series have acted in a ‘pretty duplicitous’ manner.
Mcllory did not mention the 32-year-old by name, but criticized the players that initially committed to the main tour only to then change their minds later on and join the series in Saudi Arabia.
Responding to Mcllroy’s comments, four-time major winner Koepka said he was doing what’s best for his family and that Mcllroy can think whatever he wants.
Brooks Koepka says that Rory Mcllroy can think what he likes over his decision to join the LIV
Mcllory had hit out at the golf rebels joining the LIV series and called them ‘pretty duplicitous’
The American said: ‘Look, I got respect for Rory as a player. He’s good. He’s phenomenal.
‘I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t see it [the ‘duplicitous’ comment]. I didn’t hear about it until basically like a day ago.
‘So, look, he’s entitled to his opinion. He can think whatever he wants. He’s going to do what’s best for him and his family, I’m going to do what’s best for me and my family and can’t hate on anybody for that, and like I said, opinions change.’
Koepka and Mcllroy have different views on the controversial LIV Golf series
Back in February Koepka had scoffed at suggestions he would join the controversial Saudi-backed rival league, claiming that ‘Somebody will sell out and go for it.’
Brooks then saw his brother, Chase, join the fold for the first LIV tournament earlier this month in London.
Now Koepka has joined former Masters winner Patrick Reed and Pat Perez in signing on for the series, claiming that one of it’s big appeals was its lighter schedule – ideal for the Floridian, who has recently fought through knee, hip and wrist injuries.
Brooks has joined forces with Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf
The recent wave of defections, has also included Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. With world number 31 DeChambeau claiming his decision to U-turn on the LIV series was down to ‘a personal business decision’.
Earlier this month, the PGA Tour suspended members who joined LIV Golf, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan saying they had ‘decided to turn their backs’ on the tour.
The Portland leg of the series will be the second of eight events that will offer up purses totaling £210m. LIV promises its competitors more money with far fewer tournaments on the golf calendar.