10 April 2024 , 18:44
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Brooks Koepka believes the formation of LIV Golf has not stopped the best players from competing against each on the PGA Tour, as the American gears up for this week's Masters.
Koepka is on the hunt for his maiden green jacket at Augusta National, as he bids to complete the career Grand Slam. The five-time major winner is one of 13 LIV Golf stars in the field this week, as they reunite with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the first time since last summer's Open Championship.
The Smash GC captain became one of a number of big-name stars to leave the PGA Tour and join LIV following its inception in June 2022, and is joined by the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm.
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The addition of LIV to the professional golfing ecosystem appeared to have split the sport in two. Koepka however believes that even before the formation of the Saudi-backed league, the amount of times that the world's best actually teed it up alongside each other on the PGA Tour was sparse.
Quizzed on whether he missed competing in the American-based circuit's leading events alongside McIlroy and co, he responded: "I mean I think that's subjective. Look, the best players in the world never got together week in, week out. I think that's kind of forgotten.
"We always, if you look at the Tour schedule, it was the majors, WGCs, I never played API that much, like later in my career, or at Memorial, but those were pretty much the 10 events where everyone was, for sure, going to be there. And then it was just kind of sprinkled in everywhere else.
Brooks Koepka is in action at this week's Masters (Getty Images)"I think that's kind of how it is. You don't have the 40 best players in the world competing every single week. I think that's one thing that's forgotten." This week however does see the best players from both tours compete, with the target of all to get their hands on the green jacket.
After almost two years of fallout, the tension within the game does appear to be starting to ease with the PGA Tour continuing to negotiate a deal with LIV backers the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). Since making the shock announcement last June, two rivals are still yet to finalise the pending peace deal.
And like many, LIV star Koepka remains left in the dark as to what is going to come next. "Nobody knows," the five-time major champion told Mirror Sport ahead of his trip to Augusta National. "We don’t know on our side, they don’t know on their side."