Fred Couples hit the news a few weeks ago, when he spoke candidly about how his good friend Brooks Koepka was finding life with LIV Golf.
Brooks Koepka, a former PGA Tour superstar, joined LIV Golf back in the summer of 2022.
The 34-year-old American has five LIV wins to his name – more than any other player on that tour.
Koepka admitted that he misses playing some PGA Tour events – specifically The Waste Management Open in Phoenix and The Cognizant Classic in his home town of Palm Beach.
He seems to be enjoying his time with the Saudi-backed tour just fine, but Fred Couples threw the cat amongst the pigeons last month by suggested that the five-time major winner wants to return to the PGA Tour (The Guardian).
A war of words then ensued, after Phil Mickelson said it was a ‘jerk move’ from Couples to speak out about Brooks like that.
However, it seems like there may have been some crossed wires regarding what Couples actually said about his friend.
Fred Couples shares truth on what Brooks Koepka told him about PGA Tour and LIV
The world’s best players are gathered in Augusta, Georgia right now for the 89th edition of The Masters.
Couples is at Augusta National because of his famous win there back in 1992.
And 33 years later, he is still very much sought-after by the media due to his uncompromising takes on the game.
Couples entered the media centre on Tuesday for his press conference, and was unsurprisingly asked about his comments on Koepka wanting to leave LIV.
The 65-year-old responded by sharing the real truth about what happened:
“We talked about it after it came out. I called him or actually I texted him. He was in I think Singapore. And Brooks and I are great. A lot of times at Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups I sit with Brooks and his wife and my wife. I love Brooks.
“Basically what I said was is what everyone else is saying, but then someone else turned it into like I wanted him to leave the LIV Tour and come play the PGA TOUR. I just basically said, you know, Brooks would like to play the PGA TOUR; not leave the LIV Tour.
“So anyway, he and I are great. We had a good time. We talked basically a little bit about his brother and then we were talking little bit about clubs. He just hits it so far and he hits it so solid.
“But basically it was a one-minute thing, but I had already talked to him before. And he’s a good man. I like Brooks.“
That actually makes more sense. Every single LIV player would like the opportunity to play PGA Tour events as well, there’s no doubt about that.
However, Couples really should have made it clearer when he first spoke about what Brooks told him.
Brooks Koepka shares interesting Ryder Cup theory
The American was recently speaking about why he thinks Europe always have an edge over The United States in the Ryder Cup.
“I’ll shoot dead straight,” he promises. “So I suggest the fact Americans will be paid at the Ryder Cup only adds to the old perception that Europeans care more. When I grew up it was The Masters,” Koepka said.
““That’s what my family talked about, and everybody came round and watched, but the Ryder Cup is like a religion in Europe.
“I’ll get criticised for this, but I think a lot of it was Tiger dominated those majors from ’97 through to 2008, and there weren’t many Europeans winning majors then. But they were winning the Ryder Cups and so it was the one thing that they could really hang their hat on.
“I’m not dogging them, I just think it’s actual fact.”
That’s certainly food for thought.
And we will see whether those comments bear any truth at Bethpage in September when the Europeans head over the Atlantic to defend their trophy.
Right now though, Brooks Koepka’s sole focus will be on The Masters, and behind closed doors he surely won’t be happy that Fred Couples has created such an unnecessary talking point ahead of the event.
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