American Brooks Koepka will be the next high-profile PGA Tour golfer to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, as first reported by The Daily Telegraph in the U.K.
LIV Golf has yet to announce that Koepka is joining its tour, though it is expected to “in the coming days,” according to ESPN.
The 32-year-old Koepka, a four-time major champion, is currently ranked 19th in the official World Golf Ranking.
The Associated Press reported that Koepka will still be eligible to play on the PGA Tour “until he hits a shot on the LIV Golf circuit.”
The next PGA Tour event is the Travelers Championship, which starts Thursday. Koepka remains in the field for the Travelers, though he wasn’t present at a Tuesday players meeting, the AP reported.
What PGA Tour players have joined the LIV Golf Series?
With Koepka’s addition, that makes six of the PGA Tour’s top 15 “biggest draws among U.S. sports fans” who have or reportedly will join the LIV Series, according to Morning Consult sports business reporter Mark J. Burns.
The others on that list include Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau.
UPDATED: 6 of the PGA Tour's top 15 biggest draws among U.S. sports fans have joined/reportedly will join LIV Golf:
— Mark J. Burns (@markjburns88) June 21, 2022
2️⃣Phil Mickelson
6️⃣Sergio Garcia
7️⃣Dustin Johnson
8️⃣Rickie Fowler
1️⃣2️⃣Brooks Koepka
1️⃣4️⃣Bryson DeChambeau
(data is from a Sept. '21 @MorningConsult survey) pic.twitter.com/SaKJWnPn5k
More than 20 of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking have left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, per Sporting News. That includes Abraham Ancer, currently ranked No. 20 in the world, who ESPN reported is also joining the startup league.
What is the LIV Golf Series, and why is it so controversial?
The LIV Golf Series is funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, a department in the Saudi government, which has an estimated value of $600 billion, per Golf.com.
Two-time major champion Greg Norman is CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf.
Its critics, among them longtime sports broadcaster Bob Costas, accuse the league of buying players with “blood money.”
“The Saudis have money to spend and don’t even care if they get a return on their investment, at least not a financial one. The consensus is that they simply want to polish their image,” Deseret News columnist Doug Robinson wrote.
“It’s called sportswashing — buffing the state’s image through sports.”
When is LIV Golf headed to the United States?
Earlier this month, the PGA Tour suspended all players who competed in the first LIV tournament that was held outside London.
The league’s next tournament comes to the United States, though. The LIV will host its first series event in Portland on June 30-July 2.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Koepka is expected to play in the Portland tournament.