Brooks Koepka withdraws from LIV Golf event after meltdown

It was a wild turn of events for Brooks Koepka.

Koepka stormed out of the first round at the LIV Golf Dallas tournament on Friday after smashing a tee box marker in visible frustration and then withdrawing due to illness.

The five-time major champion opened the day poorly, carding triple bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes at Maridoe Golf Club and standing 6-over par by the front nine.

And that seemingly angered him.

His boiling point came on the ninth hole after an errant drive where Koepka angrily slammed his club into the ground and then struck the tee box marker that flew toward the crowd, though it appeared that no one was hurt.

Following that outburst, Koepka continued to struggle, bogeying the 10th and 13th holes.

He ultimately withdrew from the tournament during the 14th hole, citing an apparent illness.

LIV Golf announced that Luis Carrera would replace him in the Smash GC team, and noted that while Koepka’s individual score would not count, he could still return to contribute late this weekend if he chooses to.

Koepka later acknowledged that the past few months had been difficult.

He previously missed cuts at both the Masters and PGA Championship and has now gone nine consecutive majors without a top-10 finish.

“From the first weekend in April until about [the beginning of June], you didn’t want to be around me,” Koepka said earlier this month.

“It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating.”

As LIV Golf Dallas moves into the weekend, some eyes will be fixated on whether Koepka will return to the course following the incident and his withdrawal.

Koepka, who turned 35 in May, reached three years competing on the LIV Golf circuit this month.