Saudi League 'Will Get Their Guys' - Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka has said he doesn’t think the rumoured Saudi Super League is about to go away. Last week, top players including Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, pledged their allegiances to the PGA Tour. Then, yesterday, Phil Mickelson released a statement backtracking on comments relating to the reported league. This was followed by a report that at a mandatory players' meeting, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said that anyone joining such a league could “walk out the door now.”

However, 31-year-old American Koepka is convinced it won’t be going away any time soon. Speaking ahead of the Honda Classic, which takes place at PGA National in Florida this week, Koepka said: “I think it’s going to still keep going. Everyone talks about money. They [the Saudis] have got enough of it. I don’t see it backing down - they can just double up and they’ll figure it out. They’ll get their guys. Somebody will sell out and go to it.”

Despite Koepka’s comments, he is one of a growing list of players to commit to the PGA Tour. Speaking at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this month, the four-time Major winner said: “It’s been pretty clear for a long time now that I’m with the PGA Tour, it’s where I’m staying. I’m very happy. I think they do things the right way. People I want to do business with. I’m happy to be here.”

As well as Koepka, DeChambeau and Johnson, a host of other big names have also said they won’t be joining the reported league. These include Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Indeed, the latter has been among the most vocal in decrying the idea in recent weeks. Speaking after last week’s Genesis Invitational, McIlroy claimed the reported league is “dead in the water” and that “I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go.”

That’s clearly not what Koepka thinks, though. Whether he is proved correct remains to be seen, but, regardless, he certainly doesn’t appear to have any issue with players speaking on the subject, however they see fit. On Mickelson’s comments, Koepka said: “He can think whatever he wants to think. He can do whatever he wants to do, man. I think everybody out here is happy. I think a lot of people out here have the same opinion.”

The golf world has been awash with rumours of the reported league for some time, and, only last week, prominent journalist Alan Shipnuck tweeted that he’d heard from a Tour agent that the league had reached the number of members needed to trigger an announcement – and that it would come the week of The Players Championship next month. If he and Koepka are correct, what is already proving a long-running saga may only just be getting started.