Brooks Koepka has never been the kind of golfer to shy away from speaking his mind. Whether it’s calling out opponents, brushing off critics, or backing himself up with confidence, the five-time major champion knows how to make headlines. But sometimes, words can come back to bite—even for a player of his stature.

Heading into LIV Golf Singapore, Koepka was under the radar. The rumors of him moving to the PGA Tour just after his contract expires were all over the news. Instead of addressing them directly at the time, he carried himself with his usual swagger. But as the tournament unfolded, things didn’t go quite as planned.

Instead of proving his dominance, he found himself frustrated, stuck in the middle of the pack, and, at one point, letting slip an 8-word comment he probably wished he hadn’t said. Koepka’s Round 1 performance wasn’t bad—it just wasn’t great either. He finished at -4, tied for 15th, with five birdies and a single bogey keeping him from making a stronger statement. Meanwhile, the real action was happening elsewhere, with Cameron Tringale (-8), Joaquin Niemann (-8), and Dustin Johnson (-8) storming ahead at the top.

If Koepka was hoping for a comeback in Round 2, he didn’t get it. He stalled with just two birdies and two bogeys, failing to gain momentum. Then came the moment that made his frustrations boil over. After a poor shot on hole 8, Koepka muttered under his breath: “Oh, You should go back to the Korn Ferry.” Realizing his shot wasn’t as bad as he initially thought, he quickly backtracked, saying, “I wouldn’t go there just yet.”

But the damage was done. In a tournament where he was already struggling, his own words became his biggest opponent.

Brooks Koepka’s boast that backfired

Koepka’s mid-round meltdown was made even worse by the fact that he had hyped up his own game just days earlier. That X post—“Right where I want to be… SmashGC onto Singapore.” It was meant to sound confident. Instead, after two underwhelming rounds, it felt more like a bad omen.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t just Koepka’s struggles that stood out—his Smash GC team was also falling behind. While teams like Aces GC (-15), Torque GC (-13), and Fireballs GC (-12) surged forward, Smash GC was stuck playing catch-up.

The disappointing showing in Singapore isn’t just a one-off—it’s part of a bigger trend for Koepka this season. Last year, he was a force to be reckoned with. He won two LIV events, recorded four other top-10 finishes, and became the winningest player on the circuit with his victory at LIV Greenbrier.

This year? A completely different story. In three starts, he has managed just one top-10 finish, and last week, he finished T35 at the Hong Kong event—a steep fall for someone of his caliber. Now, with one round left, Koepka has a shot at saving some pride. But in the bigger picture, the damage is done. Once again, he’s not making headlines for his golf—he’s trending for his own words coming back to haunt him.