DP World Tour clears path for LIV players to return, family joy in Oban, Fox’s error-filled graphic, and Fleetwood’s new look. The Back Nine.
Survived: Brooks Koepka has completed his first week back on the PGA Tour with dignity. Finishing T56 at Justin Rose’s winning Farmers Insurance Open wasn’t a spectacular feat, but in this case, the journey was the goal. Koepka opened with a one-over-par 73, made the cut with a second-round 68, and closed the weekend at Torrey Pines with scores of 73 and 70. Mission accomplished. By Friday, after making the weekend cut, the five-time major champion said he had fallen in love with the game again. That’s what had been missing during his LIV stint: competition. The intense struggle. Fighting for a three-meter putt even when 20 shots behind the leader. Every stroke counts, especially when hundreds of players share the same goal. \”I’m glad to be grinding it out there again,\” Koepka said.
Elsewhere, criticism remains over Koepka’s comeback, which some see as too easy or too smooth. Not only Wyndham Clark but also Hideki Matsuyama expressed unusually candid remarks before the Farmers in an interview with Golf Digest Japan. Given his typically polite and reserved demeanor, one could say: the 2021 Masters champion is furious.