There hasn’t been a peep from Brooks Koepka’s camp on the condition of what was believed to be a strained right knee.
Keopka is at home, not far from this week’s stop on the PGA Tour at PGA National. Koepka was checking out the telecast, which showed his younger brother Chase in action Thursday afternoon, finishing with a one-under par round of 69 on day one of the Honda Classic.
Brooks withdrew from last week’s Players Championship, citing problems with the right knee, not the left one that gave him so much trouble the past two seasons.
“Brooks strained his right knee and he is scheduled to further consult with doctors this week to receive a more extensive evaluation and outlook,” was the statement from Koepka’s manager, Blake Smith. Smith went on to say — “We will be able to provide additional updates and information as we learn more.”
And that’s where things get really curious. There’s been enough time for Koepka to have an MRI on the right knee and plenty of time for those results to be known to Keopka and his camp. If it was a simple strain, as Smith’s first statement indicated, then there would, no doubt, have been more details released this week on Koepka’s injury.
But the silence is deafening.
Could it be a more serious injury than Smith originally proclaimed?
If it is, Koepka might be watching the 2021 Masters from home.
Nice Start For Steve Stricker:
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker missed the cut last week at The Players after getting in the field as a last-minute replacement for Justin Rose. Sticks had a good opening day Thursday at The Honda, firing a four-under par 66. Stricker hit 14 greens and had just 29 putts.
Stricker could have been a shot closer but his missed a birdie putt at the 18th from seven feet to finish off his day.
“It was nice to have some practice time,” Stricker said, as he made it to The Players just a few hours before his tee time last Thursday.
He had the best effort of the over-50 set. Jim Furyk shot 70, Phil Mickelson signed for 71 and the Surly Veej (aka Vijay Singh) shot 74.
Erik Compton Four-Spots, Then Shoots 70:
Erik Compton is the only heart-transplant recipient to play the PGA Tour. He doesn’t have a card currently but went through the Honda Monday qualifier and earned one of four spots through that process. Compton played well on Thursday and shot an even-par round of 70.
