Tiger Woods recently shared how Brooks Koepka snubbed him after he requested the two participate in a practice round together ahead of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this week. It turns out it was nothing personal, according to Koepka, who provided a great reason for passing on the opportunity.
Woods relayed ahead of Thursday’s opening round how he received complete radio silence after reaching out to Koepka about the practice round.
“Tell you a funny story. I texted Brooksy, congratulations on another great finish. What he’s done in the last four major championships has been just unbelievable,” Woods said. “To be so consistent, so solid. He’s been in contention to win each and every major championship. And I said, ‘Hey, dude, do you mind if I tag along and play a practice round?’
“I’ve heard nothing.”
Koepka was informed of how Woods passed along that anecdote to the media, and the four-time major winner indicated it had nothing to do with Woods. Instead, Koepka simply stated, “If you see me on TV, that’s when I play golf.” In fact, Koepka went on to say he never practices for “regular tournaments,” whatever that means.
Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, grew up in Portrush and has played the course countless times. It’s possible Woods wanted to play a practice round with Koepka in an attempt to glean some knowledge about the historic course.
Either way, Koepka was not interested, but again, it was nothing personal. Further, it’s hard to argue with Koepka’s arguably unconventional methods, especially given the remarkable run he’s been on over the past few years, in particular in major championship play.
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