Tuesday at the Travelers, Koepka walked up to Mickelson on the driving range and gave him a fist bump while exchanging a few words. This was enough to send the rumor mill into full swing, as everyone suspected this action preceded an announcement that Koepka would be jumping ship—and these speculations were quickly confirmed Wednesday, with LIV issuing a press release confirming the switch.
On the one hand, this move is not surprising—Koepka, like many of the other golfers who have made the switch is battling injuries that cast doubt on his ability to compete at the top level in the PGA. This paired with older players like Mickelson who are “past their prime” are enticed by the money available to them and the ability to continue to do well against slightly less skilled competition.
BUT
What makes this move in particular so interesting is that Koepka is on the record condemning the LIV tour and the other golfers who “left” the PGA to join LIV as recently as a week and a half ago. This can only mean one thing—LIV gave Koepka a payment he couldn’t logically refuse to change his tune. This will be a bit of an embarrassment for Koepka because of his public comments around LIV in the past, but when you get down to brass tacks, money talks—which is exactly what the PGA is so afraid of.
Zachary Bryson is a graduate from Wake Forest University with B.A. in Economics and a Minor in Entrepreneurship. He is currently JD candidate at Elon University School of Law, Class of 2023. You can connect with him via LinkedIn or follow him on twitter at @ZacharySBryson.
