Those who follow the life and fast times of world’s No. 1 Brooks Koepka know that major championships have his undivided attention.
Now when it comes to other tournaments on the PGA Tour, Brooks has let everyone know on more than one occasion that he really doesn’t give a rat’s patootie about those weekly offerings.
Not sure how well that sits with the Sherriff Of Nottingham (aka PGA Tour Commish Jay Monahan), but it’s basically what you get with Brooks.
Brooks is on site in Memphis this week at the TPC Southwind for the WGC St. Jude event and with just one more event to go in the regular season, Brooks might want to pay a little extra attention.
Why you ask?
After his tie for fourth at the Open Championship last week in Ireland, Brooksie has overtaken Matt The Caddie Mooch Kuchar in the FedEx Cup point standings. So why is that so important?
This year, there’s an incentive, about two million of ’em to win that regular season points race.
Along with the playoff money, there is the Wyndham Rewards competition. It ends next week at The Wyndham and the top 10 players on regular season final points list will be splitting a $10 million bonus with $2,000,000 going to the points leader.
Koepka has 2,337 points but he’s just a measly 37 points clear of Kooch The Caddie Mooch. He’s 142 ahead of Rory McIlroy and 507 ahead of Xander Schauffele. The winner this week in Memphis gets 550 points. So there are obviously two million good reasons for Koepka to give it the old college try this week.
We know that Kooch The Caddie Mooch is highly motivated — he’s trying to make up for that $50,000 he finally forked over to his caddie down in Mayakoba — David El Tucan Ortiz.
All the contenders showed up and things got underway Thursday. Good news is that the typically oppressive Memphis heat and humidity was on vacation and things were pretty nice for the guys at TPC Southwind.
Koepka got off to a fairly slow start but finished the day with a two-under par 68, two shots better than The Caddie Mooch, a shot better than Rory and Schauffele.
Here’s where things get interesting. None of the top four (Koepka, Kuchar, McIlroy, Schauffele) have committed to play next week at The Wyndham. Rory won’t play, he’s going on vacation, which leaves Koepka, Kuchar and Schauffele. They have until Friday afternoon to commit to Greensboro.
If none of them commit, then it’s a shootout this week at this no-cut WGC event.
“There is a scenario,” Koepka confirmed, as to a Wyndham appearance but he didn’t elaborate. He merely added: “If I do what I’m supposed to do this week and win, then everything takes care of itself. There is a possibility that next week I could be out there (in Greensboro) and playing for a lot.”
In the meantime, Brooks needs to pick up the pace in Memphis.
Jon Rahm was at it again. He shot 62 in the final round to win the Irish Open a few weeks back and he hit that eight-under number again on Thursday to take the first round lead.
Long way to go. Three more days then four more rounds and this regular season is over.
Playoffs in two weeks.
Until then, Koepka has two million reasons to step it up the next three days.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
First, I don’t think Monahan could intimidate a little girl, much less brooks koepka.
Second what even is the difference in money between first and second in that whyndam rewards thing?
Rest for the playoffs might be worth
Having a little less in the wallet.
There really is so much money getting thrown around the top 30 on tour does it really matter who wins the regular season points race? Are players going to tell their grandkids about the time they wins the rewards challenge?
I don’t think so.
So to the top players, I say stop biting on all these efforts to overwork y’all. Just don’t go all 2019 Tiger woods with your schedule, that’s going too far.
Tom Edrington
Baxter — I think they’ll take a serious look at putting a WGC event the week after a major, I don’t believe that has happened in any previous seasons.