With $15,000,000 Up For Grabs at Oak Hill, Brooks Koepka Clears the Air Around ‘Bad Blood’ Between LIV Golf and PGA Tour Players

The PGA Tour vs LIV Golf discussion has been an everlasting debate amongst the golf community since 2022. The Saudi league took the golf world by shock with the change in the game’s format and the hefty paychecks it planned on paying to the players. With the second major of the year ongoing, the discussion about LIV vs PGA was bound to take place, and well, it did! It was none other than LIV golf star Brooks Koepka, who opted to share his two cents about the feud. 

In his recent appearance in the episode of Pardon My Take, Koepka shared what he thought about the tension that people outside just assume exists between PGA Tour pros and LIV golfers. 

Brooks Koepka clears the air about bitterness between the golfers of rival leagues

Some of the biggest names in golf such as Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and other LIV defectors, had to face a lot of backlash when they decided to join the Saudi league. The harsh words were received not only from fans but from fellow golfers as well. Everyone questioned these players’ golfing skills. The backlash was so harsh that LIV golfers were banned from playing in any of the PGA Tour events.

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Amidst all of this, the news of the LIV players getting a chance to play in the majors was like a fresh breath of air. Now during the 2023 PGA Championship, wherein golfers are competing for the prize money worth $15 million, Brooks Koepka talked about the assumption regarding the bad blood between the golfers from the rival leagues.

Koepka recently appeared in an episode of a YouTube show, Pardon My Take. He was questioned by the host about the atmosphere in the locker room among the players of the two Tours, and if things had mellowed down after the 2023 Masters.

To which Koepka replied, “You know it’s so funny, there’s no bad blood. Everybody’s so chill about it.” The 4-time major winner asserted that everyone understands that it is all about business at the end of the day, “Everyone gets it”. He gave an analogy about the same scenario being in sports such as football and basketball where players hold out for contracts. 

He then spoke about how the media is to be blamed for the alleged acrimony. “I think it was more like, media driven than there is anything. But everybody’s cool with each other. But I still get.”  

Amongst all this discussion about the skills of LIV golfers, how are they faring at the ongoing 2023 PGA Championship?

LIV players and their performances at Oak Hill

Saudi League players put on an amazing show at Augusta in April, with Koepka and Phil Mickelson tied for number 2. Lefty even became the oldest player to finish as a runner-up. It seems that the streak of a stellar performance by LIV golfers is continuing in Rochester as well. 

According to Yahoo, 18 LIV golfers were selected to play in New York, out of which 16 players decided to compete at Oak Hills. 11 out of those 16 golfers have made managed to make cut at the 105th PGA Championship.

These golfers include: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Mito Pereira, Harold Varner III, Sihwan Kim, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, Dean Burmester, Thomas Pieters, and finally Mickelson.

It will sure be interesting to see a LIV Golfer pick up the iconic Wanamaker trophy at Oak Hills Country Club. 

Do you think soon-to-be father, Koepka is sharing the truth about the locker room at the tournament? Tell us your take in the comments below.

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