Koepka withdraws from Presidents Cup, replaced by Fowler
Brooks Koepka’s knee injury is bad enough that he withdrew from the Presidents Cup three weeks before it begins.
Koepka, the No. 1 player in the world who led all qualifiers for the American team, said Wednesday the injury he suffered Oct. 18 at the CJ Cup in South Korea is not recovering well enough for him to complete Dec. 12-15 at Royal Melbourne in Australia.
U.S. captain Tiger Woods replaced him with Rickie Fowler.
“I consider it to be a high honor to be part of the 2019 team and I regret not being able to compete,” Koepka said in a statement. “Since my injury in Korea, I have been in constant contact with Tiger and assured him that I was making every effort to be 100% in time for the Presidents Cup in Australia. However, I need more time to heal.”
Koepka was coming off a season in which he won three times, including a second straight PGA Championship, and had runner-up finishes in the Masters and U.S. Open. When he started the new season in October at Las Vegas, he revealed he had stem cell treatment on his left patella the day after the Tour Championship because his knee had been bothering him over the last five months of the season.
Two weeks later, he was walking down a slope off the tee at the par-5 third hole in the second round of the CJ Cup when his right foot hit a wet piece of concrete and he landed hard on his left knee for support. He shot 75 and withdrew after the round, returning to Florida for treatment.
Koepka has not spoken publicly about the nature of the injury, but he stayed in touch with Woods.
“Brooks and I talked, and he’s disappointed that he won’t be able to compete,” Woods said.
Woods, who used one of his four captain’s picks on himself after winning in Japan, originally left Fowler off the team and said it was the hardest phone call he made when telling prospective players he was not taking them.
“When I heard Brooks wasn’t going to be ready to play, I was bummed for him and the team,” Fowler said. “Then I got a call from both Brooks and Tiger. I was humbled and excited to be given the chance.”