Brooks Koepka doesn't return after smashing tee marker at LIV Golf event
Brooks Koepka was six-over-par after eight holes at LIV Golf Dallas on June 27 when he vented his frustration. PHOTO: AFP
CARROLTON, Texas - After a meltdown and withdrawal in the first round, Brooks Koepka did not return to LIV Golf Dallas in Carrolton, Texas, on June 28.
The five-time major winner posted a birdie on his opening hole on June 27, before things went swiftly downhill with a triple-bogey on both the par-4 4th and the par-5 7th.
After eight holes, he was already six-over-par.
After hitting a tee shot on the par-4 9th, Koepka hammered the tee marker towards the crowd in a show of apparent frustration.
He posted a bogey on the 9th then withdrew, citing illness.
There were no reports of injuries in the crowd.
Koepka could have returned to play this weekend, though per LIV rules, his scores would have counted only towards the team standings.
Koepka was replaced by reserve player Luis Carrera for the remainder of the first round. FIELD LEVEL MEDIA
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Stomach infection forces Carapaz out of Tour de France
Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 21 - Rome to Rome - Italy - June 1, 2025 EF Education - EasyPost's Richard Carapaz celebrates on the podium after finishing third place in the Giro d'Italia REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, who finished third at the Giro d'Italia earlier this month, will miss the Tour de France, which starts next week, due to a stomach infection, his team EF Education-EasyPost said on Saturday. Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Carapaz, who won the mountains classification at last year's Tour de France, had abdominal pain and a high fever and was advised by doctors to avoid long-haul travel and competition, the team said in a statement. "It's with great sadness that I have to tell you that a gastrointestinal infection is forcing me to miss the Tour de France," Carapaz wrote on Instagram. "Not the best news, but health always comes first. Thank you all for your messages and support." Carapaz, 32, will take a few weeks off to recover before resuming his training with a focus on the Vuelta a Espana, which starts in August, his team added. The Tour de France will begin on July 5 in Lille and conclude on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Springboks centre Esterhuizen embraces hybrid role among the forwards
CAPE TOWN - The age of the hybrid rugby player may be nearer than many think as world champions South Africa continue to innovate, having intentionally used centre Andre Esterhuizen as a flank in Saturday's 54-7 win over the Barbarians in Cape Town. Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has spoken at length in the past about developing players for multiple positions, and used Deon Fourie in both the front and back row of the scrum in their Rugby World Cup win in France in 2023. However, playing a back in the forwards, not due to injury but as a plan that has been months in the making, could usher in a new era for South Africa as Erasmus seeks new ways to keep the four-time World Cup winners at the top of the global game. He floated the idea to Esterhuizen at the start of the year and it is something they have been working on since. "I was actually waiting for the conversation to happen, it has been brought up in the past," Esterhuizen, 31, told reporters. "As I get older, you learn how you can slot in everywhere, how you can get yourself into the team more constantly. "You have to adapt as a player. I said I'd like to try it and I'm looking forward to what it can be. It will help me as a player and obviously it can help the team as well. Hopefully we see more of it in the future." HYBRID PLAYERS Erasmus has long championed having players versatile enough to feature in several positions and believes it is an important factor in winning a World Cup. Not least because, in the Springboks' case, it allows more forwards among replacements to replenish their powerhouse pack and apply pressure on opponents for the full 80 minutes. Erasmus previously used loose-forward Kwagga Smith as cover on the wing, and says Esterhuizen's emergence as a forward option is simply the reverse of that plan. "I don't know if you can call him (Esterhuizen) a hybrid, but he is a backline player who can now also play in the forwards," he said. "If we get injuries, a guy like Andre just gives us an option, because he's been training with both the forwards and the backs." South Africa begin their international season with the first of two tests against Italy in Pretoria on Saturday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Mixed Martial Arts-Topuria knocks out Oliveira to win UFC lightweight title
LAS VEGAS - Spain's Ilia Topuria scored a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317 on Saturday, with Alexandre Pantoja securing a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title in the co-main event. Former featherweight champ Topuria announced in February that he was going to step up to the 155-pound division to fight for the belt vacated by former champ Islam Makhachev's move up to the welterweight division. Standing between him and the title was 35-year-old Brazilian former lightweight champ Oliveira, who briefly brought his vast experience to bear before being defeated. After a dominant run at featherweight that saw him move to 16-0 as a professional, Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, looked small in the cage compared to Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian's grappling before showcasing his striking power. Oliveira, who was stripped of the lightweight belt in May 2022 when he missed weight for a defence against Justin Gaethje, looked good during a brief exchange on the mat, but Topuria disengaged to bring the fight back to the feet, and shortly afterwards Oliveira's evening ended. The 28-year-old stunned Oliveira with a right hook and followed it up with a crunchin left that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, his eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas as Topuria fulfilled his pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout win. "I already said it - I represent the new generation of the mix of martial arts, this is the next level of the game. This is the next thing, and this is what I represent," Topuria said in a post-fight interview. "I did exactly what we had planned, lot of jabs, right hand, left hook, and boom - his lights were out." In the co-main event, Brazil's Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke 1:55 into the third round, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
