Brooks Koepka says he has missed playing against the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler and returning to competition with them will make the Masters extra special – as he reiterated Greg Norman’s celebration plans if a LIV Golf star were to win the Green Jacket.
Koepka will head to Augusta National in the best possible frame of mind after claiming the LIV Golf League trophy in Orlando on Sunday, and says he is excited to return to Magnolia Lane.
When he and his fellow LIV golfers arrive in Georgia, it’ll be a first Masters meeting since the huge split in golf, and one of the biggest subplots to the week will be how the 18 qualifiers from the Saudi-backed enterprise are welcomed.
The four-time Major champion says he is relishing a return to Augusta National, and playing against the likes of McIlroy and defending Masters champion Scheffler will make the event even more special.
“I'm looking forward to it,” said Koepka. “Just to see everybody and compete against them, because at the end of the day, I'll be honest, I do miss playing against Rory, I do miss playing against Scottie, and I'm sure they miss playing against us, as well.
“That's a fact; you always want to play against the best. That's going to make Augusta even more special.”
Koepka has been one of those playing down any potential friction in the reunion, saying he still talks to the likes of McIlroy and Justin Thomas and that there’s no bad blood between them.
The likes of Joaquin Niemann, however, have gone a different route by claiming that “everyone hates us” and says it would be even sweeter for a LIV golfer to beat the PGA Tour players to a Major title.
Norman also said that if a LIV star was to win the Masters then all 17 of his fellow stablemates would be at the 18th green at Augusta to celebrate in a show of LIV Golf unity, or supremacy depending on your point of view.
And Koepka agrees that it would be a huge statement for LIV Golf as an entity if one of their players were to win the Masters, and also confirmed that the rest of the players would be there to greet him at the final green.
“Yeah, I think if one of the LIV players does win, I think it'll be definitely a huge statement for LIV, and I know that all 18 of us want to win,” he added.
“I think when you look at it, if one of the guys does, I would be shocked if all of us aren't there.”
Although many of the players are still on decent terms, you can only imagine what scenes of 18 LIV Golf players celebrating on the 18th green at the Masters would do for relations with their PGA Tour rivals.
It adds yet another level of intrigue and interest into what is already the most hyped event in golf – as the 2023 Masters shapes up to be pure must-watch entertainment.
