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Report: Brooks Koepka Leaving PGA Tour for LIV Contract; Likely to Debut Next Week

Adam Wells

Add Brooks Koepka to the growing list of PGA Tour stars who will be playing for the LIV Golf International Series.

Per James Corrigan of The Telegraph, Koepka is expected to make his first appearance for the new golf circuit at the June 30-July 2 event in Portland, Oregon.

Koepka is believed to have commanded a "seven-figure sum" from the circuit funded by the Saudi Arabian government.

Fellow LIV signees Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson reportedly received a combined $325 million to join, and there is a total of $225 million in prize money available over just eight events.

The amount of money available to the players has caused controversy in itself, but the Saudi Arabian government's involvement is also an issue for many who see the series as part of sportswashing efforts to draw attention away from the country's human rights violations.

Amid speculation that he was considering joining the LIV Golf International Series, Koepka seemed annoyed that he was being asked about it leading up to the U.S. Open last week.

"Like I said, y'all are throwing a black cloud on the U.S. Open," Koepka told reporters on June 14. "I think that sucks. I actually do feel bad for them [the USGA] for once because it's a s--tty situation. We're here to play, and you are talking about an event that happened last week."

Chase Koepka, Brooks' brother, played in the inaugural LIV event in London in early June.

A four-time major champion, Koepka joins a group of players that includes Johnson, Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter who have defected from the PGA Tour to LIV.

The PGA Tour previously announced it has suspended all 17 members who competed in LIV's London event. The announcement also noted players who took part in future LIV events would be suspended.

Those players are no longer eligible to compete in Tour-sanctioned events or the Presidents Cup. They are eligible for the four major tournaments, which are not governed by the PGA Tour.

   

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