Koepka’s blunt three-word reply after Thomas’ plea following ‘parting shot’

Brooks Koepka has hit back at claims he blasted Ryder Cup teammates Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in a parting shot when he agreed to a $130 million deal with LIV Golf. Koepka was part of an exodus of PGA Tour stars that joined the breakaway Saudi Arabia-backed league in 2022, and the saga has been chronicled in a soon-to-be-released book by Alan Shipnuck.

In “LIV & Let Die,” Shipnuck reports Koepka made incendiary comments at the J.P. McManus Pro-Am in Ireland in 2022 after he agreed to join the new tour. “F*** all of those country club kids who talk s*** about me,” Koepka reportedly said in reference to Thomas, Spieth and others.

“You think I give a f*** what they think? You think I care what people say about me? I just had three surgeries, and I’m supposed to turn down $130 million? I grew up with nothing. After signing that contract, the first person I called was my mom. We both cried.”

That is just one explosive snippet of several shared ahead of the book’s release, but it has been met with resistance from Koepka, his mother and Thomas. Firstly, his mother Denise Jakows posted on social media: “Just to clarify, the only time my son @BKoepka and I cried together was when he was born. He was testing lungs for the first time; I was glad the pregnancy ordeal was over. End of story.”

Then, two-time PGA Championship winner Thomas slammed Shipnuck’s use of anonymous sources in the book. “I’d like to speak on behalf of a lot of Tour players and say we’re sick of Alan Shipnuck doing what he does,” Thomas said. “Bring positivity and good stories to help grow the game of golf, not try and make money bashing guys, earning zero trust, with a lot of incorrect information. Ridiculous.”

Koepka responded directly to Thomas’ post, adding “And LIV players…” Shipnuck has since said he thought it necessary to grant certain sources anonymity in his book because of the litigation between the PGA Tour and LIV at the time. It led to an investigation from law enforcement and sources feared the consequences if their quotes were attributed to them.

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Koepka was the only LIV player on either side at the 2023 Ryder Cup as Europe claimed a 16.5-11.5 victory at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. His comments at the conclusion of the event did not suggest any ill-feeling to the likes of Spieth and Thomas, although tensions have eased significantly in recent months since the surprise news of the proposed merger of the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour.

“I said it before the event, I thought this was the closest team that I think I’ve been on,” Koepka said on Sunday. “We’ve got a great group of guys. This week, they just holed a lot more putts, a few more chip-ins. This team, we fought hard, and wouldn’t want to do it with another group of guys. It was exciting to see everybody. I felt like had not seen the guys in a few months.”

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