Detroit — Brooks Koepka won’t make his Detroit debut, after all.
Koepka, the five-time major champion who was set to play in the Rocket Classic for the first time after returning from LIV Golf earlier this year, withdrew from the tournament Tuesday, officials announced.
The PGA Tour said Koepka withdrew for “personal” reasons. He also has battled a hand injury this year. He pulled out of the Canadian Open in June before missing back-to-back cuts at the U.S. Open and Scottish Open. Koepka last played in the British Open two weeks ago, finishing tied for 28th. That was his first four-round tournament since May.
Koepka said at the Canadian Open that he was struggling to grip the club and had to withdraw after the third round.
He is the latest former major champion to pull out of this week’s Rocket, which starts Thursday at Detroit Golf Club. Former PGA Championship winner Jason Day withdrew with a back injury.
Koepka, 36, has played in 15 tournaments since leaving LIV Golf to rejoin the PGA Tour. He’s made 10 cuts and had a best finish of tied for ninth at the Cognizant Classic in March. He tied for 12th at the Masters.
He entered this week 84th in the FedEx Cup standings, on the outside of the top 70 needed to play in the first postseason tournament.
Koepka is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, including two U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships.
In 2022, he was the latest big star to leave the PGA Tour for rival LIV Golf, but earlier this year, he became the first big star to leave LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour. Koepka left his LIV Golf contract and is paying millions in penalties in jumping back to the PGA Tour.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Brooks Koepka withdraws from Rocket Classic
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
