There’s no doubt that Brooks Koepka is back to playing strong golf.
Since moving to play in the LIV Golf League, Koepka has won twice, the only golfer to do so, and even held the 54-hole lead at the Masters earlier this month before a final-round 75 (insert 72-hole tournament jokes here).
Even this week at LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club, Koepka finds himself a shot out of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
However, it’s a drop he took during the first round in Singapore that’s making the rounds. It even had LIV announcers questioning what was going on.
Let’s set the scene. Koepka was playing the par-4 15th hole measuring 428 yards when his tee shot went right. When reaching his ball, Koepka and his caddie, Ricky Elliott, said their line to the green was blocked by the LIV Golf Fan Village setup, so they asked for temporary immovable obstruction relief.
LIV on-course analyst Dom Boulet said on the CW live stream, “I’m not sure what he’s asking for,” who then asked Elliott what was going on, according to Golf.com. Elliott confirmed Koepka was getting line-of-sight relief and he could drop on either side.
This still left commentators confused.
“It doesn’t appear there is anything between him and the hole,” David Feherty said.
Boutlet responded: “Well, there are toilets over there. Ricky just told me it’s line of sight. I think it’s the port-a-loos perhaps. But I didn’t think that was an option, to be honest with you. I mean, he’s got to go through a couple of trees to take that option.”
Koepka proceeded to pick up his ball and walk toward the 16th past some tents. It was there he spoke with a rule official on where he could take the drop.
“And under the local rule, he can take relief on either side of the TIO,” rules analyst Tony Zirpoli said on the broadcast. “It probably gives him a better shot. So, he’s taking the smart way out by taking that other side relief. And it’s also a long walk.”
Feherty added: “It sure is. It’s an unusual situation that there would be such a gap. He’s going to walk to the point, Tony, where he has a clear look?”
Boulet: “He’s going to drop in the middle of the 16th fairway.”
Zirpoli: “He will have a clear view of the edge of the TIO. He will then get a one club-length corridor, and then from that one club-length corridor, he gets an additional one club length, which is his relief area.”
Feherty: “Well, he’s about 200 club lengths from where he was.”
Koepka proceeded to drop his ball just on the 16th fairway.
“I heard Ricky say 167; that’s what they’re measuring it because that’s where they wanted to take relief — the same distance,” Boulet said. “Now I didn’t think it was an option what he had to go over there — port-a-loo or tent or whatever it was he was going over. But David Blake, referee, gave him the ruling, and he’s got a big break here.”
Added Feherty: “You take them when you can get them. You get plenty of bad breaks. That’s a good one.”
Koepka then hit his second shot over trees in front of him to 8 feet, and he two-putted for par.
Also during the Masters earlier this month, there was a rules controversy involving Koepka and Elliott and Gary Woodland. He was later absolved of the rules violation.
