Brooks Koepka’s return from LIV Golf to the PGA Tour didn’t receive universal support from players on the U.S.-based circuit.
Still, Jackson Suber and Lanto Griffin might want to send Koepka a thank-you note this week.
Because of Koepka’s presence in the Farmers Insurance Open, the field for the upcoming event in San Diego was expanded by two players on Monday. Suber and Griffin are the alternates who now will tee off on Thursday at Torry Pines, according to Golfweek.
According to the PGA Tour, “With Brooks Koepka competing in the Farmers Insurance Open, the field is currently 145 players. To round out threesomes, the field will be officially expanded to 147 as of Monday at noon PT, with the first two alternates at that time being added to the field.”
The Returning Member Program that allowed Koepka back from the Saudi-funded tour imposed financial sanctions against the player. The terms of the deal also stated that no players would lose their spots in tournaments due to a former LIV competitor entering the field.
Koepka is set to play in his first PGA Tour-sanctioned event, excluding the majors, since 2022. He also will tee it up next week in the WM Phoenix Open.
Rounding out the Farmers Insurance Open field will be four players who earned their spots through Monday qualifying at Mission Viejo (Calif.) Country Club: Germany’s Thomas Rosenmueller, Sweden’s Henrik Norlander, Hunter Logan and Germany’s Jeremy Paul.
Eighteen-year-old Blades Brown, who shared the lead with Scottie Scheffler after the second round of The American Express last week, didn’t make the Torrey Pines field after tying for 18th at the at La Quinta, Calif., event.
–Field Level Media
