With the first Major of the year, The Masters, just a week away, attention is beginning to turn who could win at Augusta National, and Brooks Koepka believes the title could go to one of the 13 LIV golf players in the field.
Last year, Koepka came close to winning his first Masters title, while another LIV Golf player, Phil Mickelson, finished runner-up alongside him as Jon Rahm, who has since joined the circuit, took the title.
Given the quality of the LIV Golf roster nowadays, Koepka is understandably confident that this year’s tournament could mark the first time a player from the League claims the Green Jacket.
The Smash GC captain, who will be competing at LIV Golf Miami this week, said: “Obviously chances are pretty good. There's a lot of good players. I don't know how many guys are in the field. Usually about 90, right? Usually about 90. So you know, probably got, what, 15 percent.
"When you start breaking all the numbers down, no amateurs, no first-time winner, I don't know, probably goes to what, 70?"
Koepka then turned his attention to his own chances and those of specific players, namely Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann, who won two of the first four LIV Golf events of the season, and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
He said: “Yeah, I like the chances. A lot of guys playing well. Joaco playing well this year and I watch Bryson last year, and I believe, what was it, Singapore, Thailand, we played together and I started to watch what's come for the last, I don't know, eight months, I guess about eight months now. Kind of watched that progress go, so that's been cool. I can see him starting around the corner. And then, I don't know, started playing good till March - this is kind of my time.”
Niemann, who finished T16 in 2023, is appearing next week after receiving a special invite, and he's also confident this could be his year. He said: “It's been a good start of the year. Obviously it's different type of golf courses we are going to, the Majors, Augusta, I think it's a golf course that I've been enjoying the last couple years.
“I haven't had a really good result yet but I'm looking forward for it. If I keep playing the way I'm playing, I know I'm going to have a good chance to win."
Rahm is another who feels he can win next week. The Legion XIII captain said: "This year I feel like I have been playing really good golf but not over that hump of winning yet.
"I'm confident now, and I'm equally confident on my game pretty much any given day of the year. I think that's how any competitor should be. But this is that difference of how I've been playing the last few months. I'm comfortable. A little fresher, if anything, going into these next few weeks, so looking forward to it."
The Masters gets underway on Thursday 11 April.
