Brooks Koepka sends 5-word message to Jon Rahm amid LIV Golf transfer

Keep in mind the 2023 Masters Match?

It seems like ages in the past, when Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka battled for the Inexperienced Jacket on Easter Sunday at Augusta Nationwide.

Koepka entered the day with a four-stroke lead over Rahm. Since Saturday’s third spherical was suspended because of torrential rain, the leaders needed to play 29 holes on Sunday to finish the match.

On the primary gap of the day—the par-4 seventh gap—Rahm’s deficit rapidly grew to become two when he made a birdie whereas Koepka bogeyed.

It was a harbinger of issues to come back, as Rahm went on to win the inexperienced jacket simply. He shot a 3-under 69 final-round rating, whereas Koepka managed a disappointing 3-over 75.

Picture by Keyur Khamar/Getty Photographs

This duel was seen as a battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, happening on golf’s holiest grounds.

Rahm, a PGA Tour loyalist on the time, outpaced Koepka, a LIV Golf star who had not received a significant for the reason that 2019 PGA Championship. Koepka joined LIV as a result of he wished monetary safety and due to the assorted accidents he suffered over the previous few years.

However Koepka’s very good play was vindicated a month later at Oak Hill, the place he received the 2023 PGA Championship.

Alas, the PGA Tour versus LIV Golf battle between Rahm and Koepka will play out no extra. Rahm is becoming a member of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit, as he introduced reside on FOX Information on Thursday.

Koepka, in the meantime, supplied his seal of approval.

“Prepared for extra Sunday battles,” Koepka posted on X, displaying the 2 smiling throughout Sunday’s ultimate spherical on the 2023 Masters.

The 2 celebrity golfers, who’ve seven mixed majors, will start their LIV Golf season at Mayakoba through the first week of February.

The week after, the circuit heads to Las Vegas, as LIV will stage an occasion in the identical metropolis and similtaneously the Tremendous Bowl. That additionally occurs to be the identical weekend because the Waste Administration Phoenix Open, a PGA Tour staple, which takes place in Rahm’s yard.

However Rahm is not going to be in Phoenix. Neither will Koepka.

As a substitute, they are going to be battling it out in one other desert metropolis, simply as they did in Georgia final April.

Get used to seeing extra duels between these two.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Be sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough too.