Chase Koepka is hoping that a strong run of form can secure a return to LIV Golf, now that he is finally fit again following a lengthy battle with a shoulder injury.
The American, a former member of the Smash GC team captained by his older brother Brooks, lost his place at the end of the 2023 season and required extensive rehabilitation after undergoing major shoulder surgery.
Now injury-free, Koepka is beginning to rediscover his best form. The 31-year-old currently sits 43rd on The International Series Rankings after a string of solid performances, including a T8 finish at the season-opening International Series India presented by DLF, a T19 at International Series Macau presented by Wynn, and a T12 at International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus.
With several LIV Golf regulars ranked ahead of him, Koepka looks almost certain to earn a spot in the upcoming LIV Golf Promotions event. And now that he is fully fit, he is daring to aim even higher.
“For me, the nice thing about the Promotions event is that it’s in Florida — it’s a home event,” Koepka said. “I haven’t been able to play it for the last two years because of injury, so it would be great to have that opportunity. Good golf takes care of itself.”
“You never know - if you get into Saudi (the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers) and play well, you might not even need to go through the Promotions event. My first goal is to play well this week, try to get into the Saudi International, and go from there. Hopefully I won’t have to go through Promotions at all.”
Koepka is also looking for a change of luck on the greens as he aims for a strong finish to the season and more valuable ranking points at the Moutai Singapore Open.
Teeing off in the opening group alongside Yosuke Asaji of Japan and England’s Steve Lewton, Koepka started brightly, carding seven birdies in his first eight holes.
Birdies on two, six, and seven left him just four shots behind the leading trio of American James Piot and the Korean pair of Jeunghun Wang and Soomin Lee, with Koepka’s playing partner Yosuke Asaji of Japan just a shot further back with Bio Kim, another Korean.
Reflecting on his round, and playing partner Lewton, Koepka said: "We just didn’t make any. Between the two of us, there were plenty of chances where we looked at each other, scratching our heads, wondering how we missed. The greens are good, just tricky to read. I’m playing really good golf — hitting fairways and greens — so it’s a bit disappointing to only be 11-under through three rounds, but hopefully tomorrow’s my day.”
When asked about his recent form, Koepka added: “It has been up and down. I’ve played some solid weeks, but I haven’t quite put myself in contention to win. It’s not that I’m playing badly — just not well enough to be up there with a chance on Sunday. That’s the next step for me.”
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of a set of elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings Winner & Runner-Up promotion to the LIV Golf League.
