Koepka on whether players will still join the Saudi Golf League: "I don't see it backing down; they can just double up and they'll figure it out. They'll get their guys. Somebody will sell out"; Phil Mickelson taking a break from golf after backlash over comments on proposed league
Wednesday 23 February 2022 17:59, UK
Brooks Koepka believes the proposed Saudi Golf League will still get players joining, despite many of the sport's star names committing their futures to the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy said the potential league was "dead in the water" on Sunday after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau released statements to distance themselves from the breakaway circuit, while Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa have also ruled out joining the league.
Asked in a press conference ahead of the Honda Classic if the threat of the Saudi league had been eradicated, Koepka - who has also pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour - said: "I think it's going to still keep going. I think there will still be talk.
"Everyone talks about money. They've got enough of it. I don't see it backing down; they can just double up and they'll figure it out. They'll get their guys. Somebody will sell out and go to it."
McIlroy took aim over the weekend at the "naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant" comments made by Mickelson in which the six-time major winner accused the PGA Tour of acting like a "dictatorship" and admitted he was using the threat of a breakaway to "reshape" how the Tour operates.
Mickelson apologised for his "reckless" comments on Tuesday and said he will be taking a break from golf, but still insisted the way the sport is run needs to change and praised the "visionaries" he had worked with on the rival league.
Koepka said he had "skimmed" Mickelson's lengthy statement and added: "He can think whatever he wants to think, man. He can do whatever he wants to do. I think everybody out here is happy. I think a lot of people out here have the same opinion."
Mickelson has not played competitively since finishing in a tie for 18th in the Saudi International earlier this month and did not put a timeframe on his absence from the game.
"I have made a lot of mistakes in my life and many have been shared with the public," the 51-year-old said. "My intent was never to hurt anyone and I'm so sorry to the people I have negatively impacted.
"I have experienced many successful and rewarding moments that I will always cherish, but I have often failed myself and others too. The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level.
"I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritise the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."
Mickelson said he has offered to end contracts with any sponsors that feel they can no longer back him, with KPMG announcing shortly after Mickelson's statement that it had "mutually agreed" to end their partnership.
Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger is also among the growing group of golfers to publicly praise the PGA Tour, with the world No 21 also offering his support to Mickelson.
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"I think Commissioner [Jay] Monahan is the right guy for the job," Berger said. "I think he's done an amazing job through Covid, something that people didn't give him enough credit for what he was able to do in such challenging times.
"There's no one I would trust more to guide the Tour through all of these difficult times, and I think he's done a great job. I like where the Tour is headed.
"I like the new initiatives that have been brought out, and honestly, I don't know much about the whole Phil/Saudi thing. I try not to pay attention it. I just think it's kind of like noise.
"My experience with Phil in the past has been good experiences, and I think everyone deserves a second chance, so if he sincerely is sorry for what he said, then I think he deserves a second chance."
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