LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Player affiliations, whether they’re on the PGA Tour or LIV Golf, no longer seem to be much of a topic of conversation except to point out who plays first and who wins last.
But two greats of the year, a couple of LIV players are worth mentioning for being barely visible.
Brooks Koepka has never been more than one major outside the top 20 when healthy. He has now dropped three consecutive majors out of the top 25 since The Open last summer. He tied for 45th at the Masters and 26th at this year’s PGA Championship, with a LIV victory in between.
When asked to evaluate his week, Koepka responded: “Not very good. I think it’s pretty obvious, right?
Dustin Johnson is creating a larger sample size and it’s not impressive for the two-time Major champion. He had to birdie three of the final five holes Friday at Valhalla to make the cut. He has never missed three consecutive cuts in the majors.
Johnson, 39, has played eight majors since joining LIV and has only twice finished inside the top 20. He tied for 10th at the US Open last year and tied for sixth at St. Andrews in the 2022 Open.
The small sample belongs to Jon Rahm, but it stands out given that he was world number 2 when he left for LIV in December.
Rahm, the defending Masters champion, seemed certain to miss the cut this year at Augusta National until fierce wind moved the cut line and he made it with one shot to spare. He didn’t break par that week.
And then he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. That ended 18 consecutive cuts made in the majors, the longest active streak. And that will make the attention a little more intense next month at the US Open.