Brooks Koepka Withdraws From RBC Canadian Open Final Round© NDTV
Brooks Koepka arrived at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on Thursday looking like a player who had finally sorted himself out. He shot a 64 in the opening round, sharing the lead, and followed it with a 68 on Friday to stay firmly in contention. Then Saturday happened. His left hand went numb during the third round, he shot a 2-over 72, received treatment from his trainer twice during the round, and tumbled into a tie for 32nd. On Sunday morning he came back to the course, tried to warm up, and withdrew before hitting a ball in competition.
The PGA Tour confirmed the withdrawal at 10:30 AM local time. Koepka had attempted to warm up for his final round before pulling out, having been tied for 32nd and seven shots off the lead through three rounds.
His own description of what was happening told the story clearly enough. “Yeah, I don’t know what it is. I’m struggling to grip the club with my ring finger and pinkie finger, so can’t grip it. So the club is kind of just, my fingers would come loose, it was kind of numb. I don’t know what the deal was but hopefully we’ll figure it out.”
What Made Saturday So Strange
Koepka said the whole warm-up on Saturday felt completely fine. Then he got to the range, went to grip the club, and just could not do it. His trainer accompanied him during the round and provided treatment on the 11th tee. The condition improved slightly late in the day, and he said he had never experienced anything like it before in his career.
The US Open Question Nobody Has an Answer For
The timing could not be worse. The US Open begins next week at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, where Koepka won in 2018, the second of his two consecutive US Open titles and one of the most dominant back-to-back major performances of the modern era. His status for Thursday’s first round at Shinnecock is now uncertain.
Jackson Suber leads the RBC Canadian Open going into the final round, one shot ahead of Bud Cauley at 13-under. Koepka will not be part of that picture. Whether he is part of next week’s is the question the golf world is waiting on.
Topics mentioned in this article
