For a golfer who aspires to take his Major wins to double digits, his current form is betraying his aspirations. Things haven’t been going well for Brooks Koepka ever since he joined LIV Golf for “money”. And the five-time Major winner has slipped behind a relative newbie in the circuit.

Koepka’s switch to LIV Golf in 2022 had created controversy. The 33-year-old American was pretty open about jumping ship, leaving the PGA Tour. He cited money and spoke about his desire to win more Majors. But his ranking has been tanking.

On a free fall

Koepka has faced the humiliation of falling behind 21-year-old pro Tom Kim in the current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Given that the former had officially become the world number one three years ago, his slide to 18th, seven places behind Kim, is embarrassing.

As per the current OWGR, Kim, placed 11th, has 4.4490 average points and 223.71542 total points compared to Koepka’s 3.6649 and 146.59436 respectively. The latter had risen to world number one in 2018, the year Kim turned professional.

The golfer from Florida had a stellar career before joining the breakaway LIV Golf in 2022. He won the U.S. Open in 2017 and successfully defended the title next year. In fact, he became the first golfer to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Curtis Strange did it in 1988 and 1989.

In a controversial move, Brooks, however, left the PGA Tour and joined the Saudi-backed rebel tour. “You think I care what people say about me? I just had three surgeries, and I’m supposed to turn down US$130 million?” Koepka was quoted as saying in golf writer Alan Shipnuck’s book LIV and LET DIE.

It’s all about money, honey

It has been widely reported that the golfer was given a $100 million bonus to join the breakaway tour. The LIV Golf, though, never formally announced the details of Koepka‘s contract.

Read more – Hours Ahead of Epic $50 Million LIV Golf Event, Brooks Koepka Makes a Controversial Confession About the Sport

He already has three LIV Golf tour wins as well, having recovered from a knee surgery in March 2021. He was one of the shining lights of the PGA Tour, who at times drew parallels with Tiger Woods, especially after achieving the U.S. Open and PGA Championship double in 2018.

From that perspective, Koepka sliding below Kim in the OWGR is a fall from grace for such a high-profile golfer. Kim, a 21-year-old South Korean, is considered a prodigy. He already has three PGA Tour wins, but in terms of achievements, Kim has a long way to go to come even close to the American.

A better OWGR, however, signifies that Kim is on his way up, while Koepka needs to regain his mojo. In a LIV Golf Nation podcast a few days ago, the latter was asked about his roadmap. “To me it’s all Majors. That’s what you are defined by, right? I got five of them now. I wanna try to get to double digits,” Koepka said. The seasoned pro has a fight on his hands for sure.

Watch this story – Brooks Koepka Has a Bold Reason For Shifting to LIV Golf: ‘I Was Going to Go One Way or Another’