Why former Dubai Desert Classic champion is unhappy with Koepka’s PGA Tour return

Dubai: Brooks Koepka said at Torrey Pines last week that he hasn’t had hard talks with players unhappy with his return from the LIV Golf league.

That is likely to change this week.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is among those who has backed his return, saying ahead of the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale this week: “I think people want the best people playing together again so when it comes to great players like Brooks or Patrick Reed, having those guys competing out here is great for the tour, great for the fans and great for our sponsors.”

Koepka, who won his first PGA title at Phoenix in 2015 and won again in 2021, said: “Obviously winning it twice helps. Any time you win twice on a golf course, you’re going to feel pretty good and pretty comfortable.”

“Hopefully a good week this week.

“It’s just good to be back. Good to see some golf courses I’m familiar with, know where to hit it and have some familiarity with them. I think that’s a huge thing.”

Unsure of how he’d be received after being freed from his LIV contract, Koepka was admittedly nervous at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open. He didn’t notch his first birdie of the opening round until the 18th hole, but rallied to make the cut and finished tied for 56th.

The best part of the week was the support Koepka received, nearly all of it positive. “I haven’t had any difficult ones. Just happy to see you back, we’re glad you back, type things.

“But then again, there’s a lot of guys, I mean I’m only nine days into this. There’s still a lot of guys I haven’t seen.”

One of ‘those guys’ is likely to be world No 16 and 2022 Dubai Desert Classic winner Viktor Hovland, whose most recent PGA triumph came in last March’s Valspar Championship. While the Norwegian has welcomed stronger competition, he warns the PGA Tour has issues to consider.

“It does kind of put the tour in a tricky position now,” the 28-year-old said. “You’ve said one thing for a long time and now we’re changing things. What precedent are you setting then to the future players now if I can go to a rival tour, get paid, and now seemingly come back again without the biggest consequences?

“I don’t really have an opinion on that. That’s something the tour has to figure out. I’m sure there’s a lot of people not going to be super happy about that, but I just want to compete against the best players in the world.”