16 October 2023 , 21:57
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Brooks Koepka's brother Chase made £5.3million in on-course earnings before being relegated from LIV Golf following the end of the 2023 regular season.
The younger Koepka's fate was sealed on Sunday after his rock-bottom finish at LIV Jeddah saw him finish in the drop zone alongside Sihwan Kim, James Piot and Jediah Morgan. It was not all bad for Chase though, who collected £98,000 in winnings for finishing last. The cheque added to the millions he had already made whilst competing on the breakaway circuit over the past two seasons. Chase signed with LIV last summer, joining Brooks in making the Saudi switch.
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And whilst he has failed to replicate the impressive performances of his five-time major champion-winning brother, it has still been a profitable 16 months for the American. In total Chase has made £5.3m across 20 events, a stark contrast to the £250,000 he earned on the PGA Tour in seven years of competing.
His debut year as part of the Saudi-funded series was his most impressive, as he raked in nearly £3.5m in 2022, with his best finish coming at LIV Chicago where he came ninth. His second season on the LIV Golf setup has proved much more difficult though. In his 13 outings in 2023 Chase failed to break into the top-20, with his best a 26th place finish at LIV Tulsa in May. His relegation on Sunday will have been a bitter pill to swallow for the 29-year-old but it was not all bad for the Koepka family, after Brooks successfully defended the title he won in Jeddah 12 months ago.
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Chase Koepka was relegated on Sunday (Getty Images)Whilst Chase finished in dead-last, Koepka took top spot, seeing off Talor Gooch in a two-hole play-off to secure a £3.2m win. Things soon got better for the five-time major champion, whose victory in the Saudi capital moved him in the top-three of the season long LIV Golf standings, which doubled his earnings for the week.
Twenty-four hours before his victory and Chase's relegation, Brooks was quizzed on what he could do to help his brother's poor run of form, but gave little advice. "I mean, there's nothing I can do. At the end of the day, it's up to him," the three-time LIV Golf winner said.
"I know he's working hard. I know he's been trying. We've been practicing together quite a bit. Honestly, he's struggling a little bit. 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."