Koepka issues pointed LIV Golf defence after rebel players' Masters showings

10 April 2023 , 10:05

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Brooks Koepka defended his fellow LIV Golf rebels after their Masters showings

Brooks Koepka made a stuttering finish at the Masters but is adamant LIV golfers proved a point with their strong showings at Augusta.

Four-time major champion Koepka made his name as a ruthless closer of the most eminent events in golf before his switch to the controversial LIV breakaway tour.

But the American failed to capitalise on his two-stroke advantage heading into the final round as he ran out of steam with a closing 75 on a marathon Sunday.

Koepka finished four shots behind Spanish playing partner Jon Rahm, who claimed his first Green Jacket on the day his legendary compatriot Seve Ballesteros would have celebrated his 66th birthday.

Many had written off the hopes of 18 LIV players teeing it up at Augusta with the suggestion that the renegades had surrendered their competitive relevance by defecting to the Saudi-backed circuit.

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But Koepka shared second with fellow LIV rebel Phil Mickelson, while there was also room in the top six for the maligned 2018 champion Patrick Reed.

The mercurial Mickelson fired a stunning closing 65 - the lowest Augusta round produced by anyone aged over 50 - to give himself a faint chance before Rahm powered home.

And Koepka soon dismissed the notion that players on Greg Norman's controversial LIV circuit can no longer compete with their PGA Tour rivals.

Mickelson fired a stunning final round 65 on Sunday (Getty Images)

"We're still the same people. So I mean, I know if I'm healthy, I know I can compete," he said. "I don't think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either. When Phil plays good, we know he's going to compete. P-Reed, the same thing.

"I think that's just manufactured by the media that we can't compete anymore, that we are washed up."

There was somewhat of a truce in golf's ongoing civil war during the tournament, and Koepka insisted that personal relationships remain strong across both sides of the divide.

"I guess it is fractured from the fan's perspective. But as far as us, I think everybody saw it this week. It's nice to see everybody. There's no hard feelings pretty much. I think that's the way everybody should see it."

LIV Golfers who made the cut at the Masters:

T2: Brooks Koepka -8
T2: Phil Mickelson -8
T4: Patrick Reed -7
T16: Joaquin Niemann -2
T29: Harold Varner III +1
T34: Talor Gooch +4
T34: Cameron Smith +4
T39: Abraham Ancer +5
T43: Mito Pereira +6
T48: Dustin Johnson +8
T48: Thomas Pieters +8
50: Charl Schwartzel +9

Ben Parsons