15 October 2023 , 15:35
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It is set to be an awkward post-tournament celebration for LIV Golf Jeddah winner Brooks Koepka, after his brother Chase was relegated from breakaway league.
Koepka defended the title he won in the Saudi Arabian capital one year earlier, after seeing off overall 2023 winner Talor Gooch in a play-off after the pair were tied at 14-under-par for the week. The victory saw the five-time major champion take home £3.3million ($4m) in prize money, whilst finishing third in the season-long standings.
It was a bitter-sweet week for the Smash GC camp and Koepka family though, as whilst Brooks prevailed as champion, his sibling Chase was once again dwindling at the opposite end of the leaderboard.
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Whilst his older brother finished top of the Jeddah leaderboard, 29-year-old Chase finished dead-last, after carding a four-over-par 74 in his final round at Royal Greens. His bottom spot had added implications too, as it also confirmed his relegation from the Saudi-backed league.
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The younger Koepka was joined by James Piot, Jediah Morgan and Sihwan Kim in finishing in the drop zone. Chase has endured a tough year on the breakaway circuit, a polar opposite season to his five-time major champion-winning brother who won two LIV events, as well as the PGA Championship in May.
Ahead of Sunday's final round Brooks was questioned about his sibling's pending relegation, but admitted for all his talents he was unable to offer Chase any help for his on-course troubles. "I mean, there's nothing I can do. At the end of the day, it's up to him," Brooks said on Saturday.
It was a bittersweet week for the Koepka family"I've been there. We've all been there. Every golfer has. It's part of it. You look at it, he was playing mini-tour golf 16 months ago. I don't think the last year and a half has been too bad for him." It is not all bad for Chase, who alongside his fellow relegated players will be given the chance to regain their LIV card for 2024.
Ahead of their third campaign, the breakaway league are set to host a 72-hole strokeplay event for players hoping to earn a spot on the circuit next year. It is expected that Chase will turn to the Asian Tour for the 2024 campaign.
LIV recently invested £247 million in the Asian-based circuit, and players are set to be able to access events on the tour. Chase has appeared five times on the Asian Tour in 2023, competing in the circuit's International Series. The American has missed two cuts in that time, with his best finish coming in a tie for 30th at the St Andrews Bay Championship.